Sunday, March 15, 2009

Shriveling, like a spider under a hot lamp

It just dawned on my that Virgin is closing. Granted, I'd already been there at least once since the discount signs went up, but it just registered with me today -- cons slicking the pavement right in front -- that it will be gone. It's one of those weird demarcation points I'm experiencing in SF in my tenth year here, and it was brought on by wondering what the hell is going to fill its space.

And the realization: nothing. Not for awhile.

CompUSA died. Circuit City died. Red Box is either closed or on life support. Tower and now Virgin. Some of these are places I gave a shit about, others just happened to exist but I wouldn't take the time to spit on the pavement in front of them out of their relative insignificance.

But Virgin -- I spent a shitload of time there. Not that it was anything respectable. It was overpriced, full of itself and generally a tourist trap. But it was also a great place to get DVDs and had a respectable jazz and classical selection, and I wasted quite a few lunch breaks there throughout the years. And now, seeing the sign that all the marketing bullshit is now on sale, it sort of gets driven home.

Pity the corpse of Virgin. Pity the phoenician San Francisco. Nobody likes to watch a bird while it's burning.