Yesterday, Today and Tomorrow?

Recently I drove through some towns in New Mexico I hadn't seen before. One set of advertising themes I saw was "Yesterday, Today and Tomorrow," or "The Past, The Present, and the Future" all with a hint of promise of what's to come.

The sad thing I saw was the Past was depicted by pictures of old, pretty buildings in town, and pastures and fields nearby, the Present was a bunch of words and statistics, and the Future was a grab bag of descriptions of Visions of Glory, Spaceports, new Tourist Attractions, Skiing, Recreational Opportunities and Better Shopping! God help me.

In no town did I see any pride that Today was prettier than Yesterday, that Tomorrow was going to be a nicer place to live than Yesterday ever was. It all reads like a race to WalMart. Why on Earth did I move to New Mexico? (well, the job pays really well, and New Mexico is a really pretty place once I get out of town, still.)

I really work in Rocket Science. We build better machines every day. They may not be prettier, but they work better than the previous versions. Why can't NM towns build better places every day they build at all? Why do these new neighborhoods look cheaper, fatter and crummier than the old blocks near downtown - in those towns that have downtowns? Is town building harder than rocket science?

Los Ranchos seems to have missed the boat. What is the history? What is worth remembering today? What does tomorrow look like? The Calico Cafe complex seems to work, but is that it for 4th Street - save for the proposed Starbuck drive-thru on Fecho Chavez's house site? It's all pretty crummy.

The great manufacturing complex of Albuquerque Tortilla Company is on the block, and they cut down all their trees. Does the Village care about the "quality of life" that trees and the Valley represent? Why did I buy a house here?

Mayor Abraham hosted a private fundraiser for Senator Domenici, complete with State, County and City police. Did the Village pay for this, or did Mr. Domenici? How does a small estate on Rio Grande Blvd help Los Ranchos grow into a town worth remembering? I just don't understand what this Village is about anymore.

I just don't know why I didn't listen to my Realtor and buy into North Albuquerque Acres instead.