Irony at its Best

The first time I visited Vermont I was overwhelmed by its beauty. It was just two years ago and I was searching for a venue to host our upcoming women's conference. I drove through charming towns on a small, winding two-lane highway and fell in love. Sunroof open, windows down I smiled at the Green Mountains and felt at home. I remember calling my parents while I was on the road and telling them that I had never been to a place so like Colorado, but so different all at once. Vermont carved its way into my heart and took first position as my favorite state in New England.

Years ago when I was still living in Boulder, I visited my then-boyfriends' family here in the Northeast. One sister lived in Burlington, Vermont and provided an interesting factoid: Church Street (Burlington) and Pearl Street (Boulder) were designed by the same people; I filed that information away for a rainy day. Not long after, my relationship ended and God surprised me tremendously in asking me to step out in faith and move to the Northeast. That, in and of itself was well, ironic.

So, on Saturday when I had the opportunity to visit Burlington for the first time (the overarching reason was quite sad...the loss of a co-workers mother), a friend and I were able to take about an hour to visit Church Street before driving back to Boston. It was so strange to witness how alike these downtown areas are and brought back memories of home. Church Street sits just above Lake Champlain and just below the University of Vermont (UVM). It is picturesque and even in mood, much like Boulder. In fact, I just had to take these shots... so reminiscent of home...

Here is where I find the irony of Burlington. Moving to the Northeast a few years back, I quickly learned that Vermont is a very principled place. There are no billboards lining the highways, only four Starbucks locations in the entire state (as of 3/2007) and in all it's legislation is considered very "progressive." Don't get me wrong here, as I have already stated, I love Vermont. I just found it extremely ironic as I walked down Church Street to find many of the businesses falling into the category of non- mom-and-pop type shops. Banana Republic, JCrew, Urban Outfitters, Ann Taylor, Macy's, Borders Books and yes, one of the state's four Starbucks locations. Church Street, in fact, feels like a very capitalist place. For me, it doesn't dispel the charm. It just makes me chuckle.

I felt the same way when I heard that the City of Boulder, after the City Council refused to allow Crossroads Mall to be revamped or torn down and rebuilt as a new entity, approved the building of a Home Depot (gasp!) in the center of Boulder. The revenue that the city lost as Flatirons Crossing opened in nearby Broomfield made its mark. The park the City planned for the location of the closed mall never came to be and eventually, in addition to the Home Depot, an open-air mall opened.

Let me be the first to admit that principles are important. And, I appreciate what some of those principles have meant for my favorite New England state. I just couldn't pass up the chance to enjoy some of the irony, that's all.