The best thing about Meridian Street isn't The Beauty Box, though "the box" does take second place. Nancy's Salon, with its art deco design is a tres moderne place to get a hair cut and the other services they offer. People often press thier noses against the salon's glass looking at The Beauty Box. They know that if they stepped in once, it would change their life.
The best thing about Meridian Street is not the Guitar Mechanic. Mr. Nash is a very pleasant, soft-spoken gentleman. He is polite and very talented at what he does. He is an assett to Meridian Street, but not in The Beauty Box's league.
So what could be better, more life changing than a trip to The Beauty Box. OK. I'll tell you.
Stand at the southwest corner of Meridian Street and Governor Winthrop Boulevard and look down at the sidewalk. The plaque set in the cement on this existential corner says it all. The cement here was poured the same way every brick was laid and every timber was nailed into place. No one thought how quaint it would look when they were done, they just did it. New London, like this corner is about being true to one's code. This corner has nothing to prove or commemorate beyond itself.
This is a local landmark for those in the know. It distills the New London state of mind down to its essence. Transients may not catch the New London state of mind. They see some of the city's more run down aspects, but not the things that warm the cockles of our hearts. Those in the know, know better. If New Londoner's attitude is invisible to casual observers, so are the words cast in bronze on this corner. The plaque reads: NO DEDICATION INTENDED. Whoever had the idea to memorialize these words was a genius. Of course, we'll never know who he or she was. Just another anonymous New London hero.
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