California Upkeep

You can tell a good chamber maid by the bedskirt.
If the bedskirt is always straight and true, no matter how complicated the design of the coverings - you can be sure the rest of the room will follow suit.  Many of these ladies are Mexican and we're impressed. Here in California, these people are just what is needed right now.  Along the coast, in Carmel-by-the Sea, Santa Barbara, and Palm Springs inland, many hotels and restaurants have been around for a long long time. And what makes them work is the exquisite upkeep they get.  Even though the bathroom from another era may lack counter space and the shower has seen a better day, the whole room is spotless and shining - every tile scrubbed and polished, taps gush hot water, toilets flush with exuberance, and you feel cared for and pampered.  The carpet looks freshly laundered, the old bedroom furniture oiled and wiped to fairly glisten. And this culture continues everywhere. The restaurants, shops on main street, museums  - all of them are constantly surrounded by small business technicians and workmen - carefully fixing this and that, making sure that all is well. 

We search for a good food store and are delighted. The produce department looks like an art show, the meat and fish are so tantalizing we have trouble choosing, and their massive aisles of better-than-average products makes the whole shopping trip a great deal of fun.  Because we'd been intent on the task at hand with the first visit, we laughed when we returned the second time to discover that the outside looked old and badly in need of a re-do.  It's obvious their large clientele could care less, and that the store had decided to put their money into products and service. But it's another indication that many places are in danger of becoming beyond their "best date".  A lot of these properties are in prime locations. Taxes must be horrendous. The landlords have to balance the budget.  They deserve full marks for working hard to keep from throwing out the baby with the bathwater. They preserve the important things - service, product and cleanliness - and impress us mightily with charm and integrity.  Good choices.