I had a plan, readers, I really did. It was very civilized and even kind of Euro in its conception: this Sunday, I was going to get up, have breakfast at the Villa H., stop by ETH to do some work, and then head to the English-language bookstore on Bahnhofstrasse to get some reading material, and then grab a caffeinated beverage and enjoy aforementioned literature, perhaps in a café or on a Limmat-side bench. Classy, right?
So it all went according to plan, and I hiked down Muehlestrasse across the river to Uraniastrasse in what continues to be breathtakingly good weather. As I approached Bhfstr, it became increasingly clear to me that something was slightly amiss. Yesterday, these areas were all abuzz with people—Zuerchers were cramped into every outdoor seat that a café could fit onto their patios. But today, there was conspicuously less action going on. Hm. So I hung a left on Bahnhofstrasse and found myself at the ELB, tried the door, and … locked!
Then it dawned on me: there’s nothing going on in this town because everything is closed on Sunday here. Restaurants, bookstores, all other stores—pretty much anything commercial is shuttered. But I guess this makes sense, right? I mean, who would want to go shopping or out to eat on a Sunday? Jeez. I wonder if it has something to do with the religiosity of Zuerich. But it really cramped my style, especially since I won’t have a free moment for the next three days to go back to the damn bookstore.
Anyway, as I sat on a bench and stared at the bookstore, trying to will its doors to open (NB: fail), something occurred to me (which is really quite a rare and remarkable event). I have not seen a homeless person in the entire time I’ve been here. Nor have I even seen anyone who could arguably be homeless. Admittedly, I’ve spent the majority of my time in some pretty fancy areas, but I’ve been all over the city center, and not a bum in sight. Plus, even in LA you’ll often find homeless people in relatively fancified areas (Sta Monica, and I was once accosted by a guy asking for change as I sat at the corner of Rodeo Drive and Wilshire—I suspect he picked the spot to maximize the sense of guilt he’d inflict on people there).
So while there may—must—be homeless people in the city, the fact that I haven’t seen them strongly suggests that there are far fewer of them in Zuerich than LA (hardly a surprise). Conjectures: smaller wealth disparities, and (related) more effective social safety net. It does make sitting outside nicer, though, not having to worry that some poor soul is going to come up and do god knows what. Social welfare programs are always derided in the US as a distribution from the haves to the have-nots with no compensation, but you do get something for it—safer, more peaceful public spaces (not to mention that whole “helping the less fortunate” thing that’s apparently so unfashionable in the US).
