Moving ever onward

We’ve heard from some La Cañada residents who are looking forward to attending Tuesday’s inaugural festivities in Washington, D.C. I am more than a little envious of them, as it will be quite the historic experience. And what a mood-lifter it will be, however fleeting!

I’d like to be there to soak up some of the sense of hope that such new beginnings bring. I know we’ve touched on that topic before; right after the November election I wrote about hanging onto whatever enthusiasm the results may have brought us in these very difficult times. And I meant it, but it was a thinly disguised pep talk for myself.

How is it possible that this natural optimist has become such a worrier? What has become of the once-easy smile and the certainty that all setbacks were nothing more than temporary blips that would soon be replaced by good times?

I miss her.

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It’s not gone without notice that there are empty storefronts in town, especially noticeable to those of us who have cheered on the development of the La Cañada Town Center for the past couple of years. On the bright side, it is reported by its developer to be more than three-quarters leased, but that’s talking square footage, not number of stores. People stop each other at every opportunity to ask, “What’s happening at the Town Center? Why are there so many empty buildings?”

And, there are plenty of other examples of how this soured economy is hitting the area. There are fewer real estate offices, the redo of the Plaza de La Cañada by the parent company of Vons has apparently been tabled, and there’s the large, fenced and boarded-up gas station in the heart of town.

We like to bring you good news, but this week we focused on the closures, as you can see from our lead news story. I was glad to learn from one of our reporters that Sport Chalet Chairman & CEO Craig Levra said he sees the proverbial light at the end of the tunnel — no, not the one that beckons you toward heaven. If the business-savvy Levra thinks more positive times are ahead, they probably are.

OK, maybe I’m whistling in the dark again. 

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