Depressing Morning; The Demise of the Newstand!

I was feeling great this morning after a tough spin class and a cappucino, when I stopped at Mac's in downtown Palo Alto to pick up the Silicon Valley Business Journal to see the print copy of this feature on my client Nimsoft! Lo and behold, Mac's didn't have it. Also, all the old guys behind the counter are gone.

When I first moved here in 1990, Mac's was like a lifeline back to the midwest, where I could pick up the Chicago Trib, and even the Sunday Cleveland Plain Dealer. Well, I guess it's no surprise that a) Mac's has been sold b) it barely carries newspapers anymore and c) it has now a wide range of hookah's where the cigar section used to be. (I didn't check if they still had the big adult section, but I'd never go there anyways :)!)

So, with the demise of newspapers, so goes another institution, the neighborhood newstand. I am sure you might find a few of the relics next to phone booths and near subway stations in NYC and London, but that's just a matter of time too. I love the digital world, but am feeling nostolgic and sad about the loss of print.

I predict that when my kids grow old they will say, "My Dad has to be the last man in the world who wears glasses (ie hasn't had lasix) and still reads the newspaper everyday (if I can still find one...) Oh well, old habits die harder than neighborhood institutions!!!!