two false messiahs unmasked

Last year while visiting New York I became convinced that the forgotten life of my youth could be found within the walls of Lord & Taylor in Manhasset. Then, my notion was scoffed at and squelched, but this time I made a point of going in there. Unfortunately, the interior was remodeled beyond recognition, and neither my youth nor the spirit of 1970's bourgeois idealism were to be found among the designer perfumes and discounted handbags.

In a similar way I sought out the Hispanic foods section of Pathmark, but when I got there nothing was quite the same, and shoppers rudely got in my way, oblivious of the fact that I had traveled thousands of miles to pay homage to this shrine.

So apart from the memories, these two destinations were apparently false messiahs. Or maybe the messiah mantle has been usurped by the lower Colorado River Basin?