Recently I met an old friend, now living in Germany, who had returned to York after some years' absence.

She had only one topic of conversation: York's decline.

What went wrong at the Arts Centre?, she asked me. I tried to explain.

Why was York so shabby and run-down? I had no reply. And so many shops boarded up and abandoned? I murmured something about high rates and rents.

No, she retorted, out-of-town shopping centres! And why was the Goethe Institute closed?

Oh, I said brightly, that was nothing to do with the council.

She liked City Screen in Coney Street. How much had the council contributed to get it up and running? Borders was wonderful.

What subsidies did they get for those free readings and workshops? News of the National Early Music Centre cheered her up.

But when it came to the Tourist Information Centre in St Leonard's Place, words failed her. And me. Is this how York presents itself to the world? We sipped our Starbucks coffee in silence.

I was thoroughly depressed. I've always thought that if York doesn't get it quite right for us residents, at least they put on a good show for the tourists. Now, I'm left wondering.

Jennifer Brice,

Lambert Court, York.

Converted for the new archive on 30 June 2000. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.