The Gathering Place· The Grand Promenade ·

Long before the first lamp was lit, the Promenade was a promise: a covered street where travellers could walk out of the weather and into something finer. The glass vault was raised rib by rib, and the medallion in the floor was set so that every path in the wing would cross it at least once.

Collectors say the light under the vault never falls the same way twice. At dusk the gold catches, the marble warms, and the shop windows seem to lean a little closer, as if each one is keeping a story for whoever stops to look.

This is where people from everywhere meet: to trade news, to admire a find, to compare notes on a stitch or a hallmark. Stand on the medallion, choose a direction, and see which door opens for you.