The idea, apparently, is that lower prices will encourage elegant ladies to sport a chignon one week and a beehive the next, while those down at the heels might decide to have their shoes repaired more frequently.

ECONOMIST: The Dutch model (cont��d)

Last Oct. 23 Vital's boss, Donald Podrebarac , stepped up to the podium at the Friars Club, that wood-paneled, down-at-the-heels Manhattan townhouse where hall-of-fame comedians like David Letterman and Jerry Seinfeld subject fellow Friars to howlingly funny roasts.

FORBES: Have You Heard the One About the Anthrax Kit?

From here, it is a short stroll to bohemian-loving eating and drinking spots like Bar do Mineiro, a down-at-the-heels local favourite that serves classic Brazilian bistro fare.

BBC: Bohemian Santa Teresa

So, instead of spending three hours in a single restaurant, I continue to roam, nibbling at glimpses of the moon between the pachinko parlours, the click-clack of high-heels down an alleyway towards Kiyamachi, the way the couples still sit at decorous intervals along the riverbank, formal as courtiers, even if talking of that wild night in Waikiki.

BBC: The walk that made me love Japan