A Trip to Hell
Hell Frozen Over
Tuesday I went to Hell. The other name for Hell in Denver is Park Meadows Mall. Nothing Dante imagined can compare to the real thing. Every year I resolve to do all my shopping early and every year I find myself among the throngs.
I had two goals, go to The Tattered Cover Bookstore in Highlands Ranch (Purgatory) and then on to Hell. I am experiencing something of a seasonal depression and my new meds haven’t kicked in yet. When I am depressed I am also irritable, which interferes with rational thinking and civilized driving. I am able to control one, but not both.
I concentrated on my driving behavior and got lost. It was snowing, and I couldn’t see the mountains. I have been to the bookstore down there several times, but not Tuesday. Consult the map or the GPS? Who, me?
So I wandered through the suburban desert to where I thought Park Meadows should be. Behold, I was on the wrong side of C-470. I was able to find Quebec Street and struggle through the traffic to Park Meadows. If you have never been there, the streets were laid out by Satan. There is no rational pattern to the traffic flow, especially when every car in the Metro Area was there. People were pretty nice to one another in their cars, so the Season’s spirit was operating to some degree.
I got lucky and found a good parking place which turned out to be on the opposite side of
Styx
my destination. I had the opportunity of traversing the entire place. Full of people, packed, glutted, overloaded, crammed, and crowded. Some shopping, many just getting out of the house. There were lots of young Marines just out of boot camp. There were probably G.I.’s as well, but with enough sense to be in civilian clothes.
The general mood was festive and happy. My experience of Cherry Creek Mall is more negative. People seem more hurried and unfriendly. I was able to do my shopping and make my way back to my car. I took secondary streets home to avoid the traffic. I was even able to calm down a bit. Still could not find the Tattered Cover. Look at the map or consult the GPS? No.
Next day I was able to finish my shopping on Colorado Boulevard, Denver’s busiest street, but less frantic than Hell. Will I be able to do my shopping earlier next Christmas? Probably not, but I will do my best to avoid Hell.