Marshall Street is going to pieces.

I really, truly knew this was the case when I saw the following sign on Starbucks’ door: ‘ATTENTION CUSTOMERS!!! This Starbucks location will be closing on Sunday, February 27 at 6:30 p.m. We apologize for any inconvenience. We will reopen Monday, February 28 at 6 a.m.’

Wait, what?! Starbucks usually closes at 10 p.m. on Sundays. But on this particular Sunday, they closed three and a half hours early. And to not reopen all the way until six the following morning?! Sure, they apologized, but what good were their words? I felt like the world was crumbling down around me. The sorority girls standing behind me might have burst into tears. This was a disaster.

And it’s not just Starbucks. J. Michael Shoes temporarily relocated to Marshall Square Mall, which isn’t even technically on Marshall Street so much as it’s behind it.

Then, of course, there’s the construction. The construction prevents me from actually walking on the street itself and forces me to venture out dangerously into the street in the direction of incoming traffic. Caught between a rock and a hard place, I could otherwise choose to cut behind the barricades and walk through the buildup of snow and water and potentially ruin my shoes or drown.

I’m not the only one who has lost faith in Marshall Street. Fifth-year industrial design major Tyler Maiman said, ‘Armory Square is the new Marshall Street. Although that might just apply to me because I’m always at The Warehouse.’ Not at all. Armory Square is Syracuse’s untapped jewel. Their bars have bulls, and Starbucks hasn’t threatened to close early.

And back on Marshall Street, Pita El Saha has stopped serving free pita chips and hummus after midnight. So when I stumble in there at 2 a.m. after the bars close, wanting to do nothing more than cram free food into my mouth, I am instead required to pay for my very own neatly packaged bag of chips and a container of hummus. Don’t they know I can’t do that? My credit card lives at Chuck’s Café.

Perhaps Marshall will brighten up when Chipotle Mexican Grill opens. The sun will shine more frequently, the bars will stay open later, and the world will make sense again. Maybe by then there will be stores on the other side of Marshall Street, the attempt at a hookah bar will actually turn into a successful business venture, and Tops Friendly Markets will have relocated closer to campus. (What is it doing on South Campus anyway? If it were closer, we wouldn’t have to drive as far for our grocery shopping, and we could help save the environment.)  

But by then, I’ll be gone, and it definitely won’t be the same. So for now, I only have a few, simple requests for Marshall Street. If you ever want to be included on a campus tour, you have to get yourself together. No more unsightly construction and more openness to bartering for pita and hummus. Back in the old days, the island of Manhattan was purchased for a couple of beads and a quarter. Charney’s doesn’t even think sharing its name with mine qualifies me for a discount.

And definitely, definitely prevent any more crazy antics from Starbucks about closing early. Because otherwise I’m left with Dunkin’ Donuts, and that’s, like, where the B-list people go.  

Marina Charny is a senior English and textual studies and writing major. Her column appear every Monday. She can be reached at mcharny@syr.edu.

Published on February 27, 2011 at 12:00 pm