Blogocentric Formulations

Another Visit Home

I took a couple days off work this week so that my wife and I could go home and visit family. We're at the end of our first stop; two days in Sacramento to visit my wife's sister, my brother, and my parents and grandmothers. This is where my wife and I spent our formative years, so there's always the occasional high school friend to meet up with as well. Tomorrow morning we're off to the Bay Area where we'll see my wife's father, grandmother, and assorted aunts, uncles, and cousins.

What strikes me most about these trips home is how much my hometown has changed... and at the same time, how nothing's really changed at all. The last time I was in Sacramento was last July for my brother's wedding, and in those seven months an entirely new shopping center has been finished and countless stores have cycled in and out of local storefronts. It still has the same look and feel of the town I grew up in, even if the Borders is now a Famous Footwear and the Ralph's grocery store that's been empty for years is now a Fresh & Easy... but the experience of being here hasn't changed. I grew up in a very consumer-driven area; shopping, dining out, and entertainment are the main pastimes, and even if the Dimple Records in the old part of town is long gone, there's a relatively new Best Buy to fill that niche. The Century Theaters where I spent years hanging out and watching movies has been all but replaced by a brand-new theater in the brand-new shopping center. And the family-owned coffee shop that was struggling to keep its doors open is now a Starbucks.

People in my hometown are still doing the things they've always done; shopping, eating, and looking for entertainment. The only difference is that the shopping centers where you can do these things have been renovated or replaced, and the establishments you can find are more and more often national chains and huge conglomerates rather than locally-owned shops. Perhaps most depressing of all, because of the current state of the economy, even when they do put in a new shopping center, half the storefronts are empty because they can't find anyone who can afford the lease rates that make the center profitable for its investors. Back when the center was in the design phase, they figured a new center in a prime location would net premium rental rates. But few businesses can afford to pay premium rental rates anymore.

I'm not really sure what I'm trying to say with this blog post. I spent part of today driving around my hometown and seeing what was new, and felt a pang sadness being there, seeing the brand new shopping center and the new big box stores that have replaced the former big box stores that had to close their doors. I was driving through a town I barely recognized for all the new construction and new businesses springing up... and yet it felt like nothing had changed in the ten years since I've lived here. It's a strange feeling when you visit a place that looks like home, acts like home, and even used to be home... and yet also feels so different.