Selections from Bits of the Boulevard

Sewer Shadows

There is a dank, moist feeling to the air as you walk along. It is night in the city and the shadows are deep and forbidding. As you pass between two buildings, a movement near the ground catches your eye. At first you believe it to be a rat but it didn't seem to move like a rat. You take a step back and peer into the shadows cautiously. Whatever it was, you don't see anything now. There is only the impenetrable darkness and a broken pottery bowl beside a large grayish puddle of some thick, improbable substance that shimmers in the night. As you watch, the puddle begins moving away from you in an oozing, rolling sort of movement. It slithers along the side of the building and begins to disappear down into the city’s sewer system.

Bread Cart

A pudgy, friendly-looking man with a cart stands on the corner hawking his wares. The most wonderful smell is coming from the cart, the smell of fresh baked bread. The long loaves of bread are stacked, and the man has one hand on the cart and the other gesturing broadly as he calls to the passersby. "Rogero's fresh baked bread, Rogero's fresh baked bread!" He looks at you and smiles broadly. "Care for a loaf of bread to fill the empty corners? There is no finer bread than Rogero's!" It does smell good.

Water Walk

As you stroll along the walkway, you have the famous waterfront gardens on one side and the lovely waters of the riverfront (oceanfront) on the other. The waist-high stone wall between you and the water is made of a pure white stone that shimmers in the light. The waters and the flowers of the garden provide a fresh and clean scent to the air that both refreshes and relaxes you. Others move about the garden enjoying the beauty and two young lovers sit on a partially-hidden bench, oblivious to the rest of the world.