Downtown Athens abandoned to its fate

There are some things that make you realize that what we're experiencing in Greece right now is not a crisis; it's complete decadence. The filthiness of the city and the way it just seems to keep spreading is one of those things.

What is going on that we have allowed Athens to become so dirty? The center of the city is for the most part sad and messy, with piles of trash, overflowing garbage bins and neglected parks. A sea of neglect stretching from Omonia Square to Lycabettus Hill, across dejected Academias and unconscionable Stadiou streets - with rows of shuttered stores and chronic spots of squalor - to Acharnon, Patission and so on.

The only exceptions - and the only streets we enjoy looking at - are the Dionysiou Areopagitou promenade and the rest of the area around the Acropolis Museum and the Herod Atticus Theater.

Omonia, where many tourists...