The entire area around my office is one huge construction zone which will remake Utrecht in the coming decades. The resulting confusion (and road rage) during rush hour is one of the reasons I prefer walking to biking. The city of Utrecht has set up an information center to persuade the long-sufering populace that there is method to their madness. And this information center is literally next door to my office. I always breeze right by. So today I thought it would be unusual and interesting to stop in and take a look.
The entrance hallway is lined with photos of babies of various races and genders who will all be old and grey or maybe even deceased by the time the construction is finished. This one reminded me a bit of my nephew Jack:
The center contained an 'artist's rendering' of what the new city will look like. I am pretty sure this one is supposed to be my office building:
The center had many other expensive-looking models, timetables and posters with slogans about how this construction project will bring us all together, etc. To me, though, the best part was their coffee machine that dispenses Douwe-Egberts coffee (a true Dutch brand, roasted right here in Utrecht) for free. Now that is something that brings people together. Delicious, free coffee. Taxpayer money well spent.
