Warsaw has a borderline personality

Did you ever hear someone speak of their city as a borderline personality? I did. Creative change agents in Warsaw speak of their city like that. And they still love it. Warsaw is a freaky city in a way. It has a beautiful old part, but it only dates back 50 years as it was built from scratch and rubble and reconstructed meticulously, like Montgomery Clift's face, after the war by the Russians. Then there's the part that is called the center and which is an almost American grid lay out of endless thru-roads, shiny offices and malls that pretend progress and development. Then there is the Parisian area that connects the two, where the palaces and best churches are. And then there is the part across the river, across the bridges that span the Vistula. It's Praga and it's original, pre-war and huge parts of it are run down. Some of it to such a degree that Polanski could shoot The Pianist there without much extra dereliction added. Still, Warsaw gets under your skin. If you are willing to look beyond business and the malls there is a lot of counter culture going on. There is a city of talent and 'can do' out there for those who want to look well. I love Warsaw and I can't say why. It just sticks to you in the energy of the people. It is bubbling to the surface. If, in the 21st century, a city's future is its face, what would the future be for a city with many faces?