Today in Macau I am eating a French crepe in a little cafe with Chinese art deco trappings in the village of Taipa. Crepe and croissant not bad!
This place was actually recommended to me by an American gondolier last time I was in Macau - September 2007. It's called Cafe Cheri and it is a nice respite from the casino fare and is right around the corner from the famous Pork Chop Bun restaurant. And sure enough, today the line to pick up a pork chop bun is down the street- 75 people long at least!
Taipa is still sleepy and quaint, although there is a McCafe and a Kholer store and there are a few tourists walking around despite the drizzle. That's good because the Macau local economy needs tourists to spend money in local places, not just the Vegas transplants.
Actually, what with the financial crisis and new restrictions on mainlanders coming to Macau, the Venetian was relatively empty compared to the frenetic swarming of gamblers and their families of the hey-day of when it first opened: gamblers, gawkers, grannies and kids...
Now they have put up barriers and built new hallways so the non gamblers aren't tempted to squat on the floor and watch the gamblers. They put up a curtain around the lounge with live music so the gawkers don't take all the seats without buying a drink. And instead of a gold rope to keep out the kids from the gambling area, they have a line of yellow clad security guards.
The taxi driver said that now they only get business on the weekends. The mainlanders come in busses and the Hong Kongers are feeling the pain of the financial crunch. All construction has stopped on the second phase of the Cotai Strip (or whatever phase they are in) and hulls of unfinished buildings stand with their glass and steel exoskeleton done, but with no guts.
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