Stepping Stone

I'm off to Bitterne this morning, got a few things to sort out.
I remember when Bitterne had a road going through it. It was one of the main arterial routes into Southampton, you took your life in your hands trying to cross the road, but i tell you what, it was always a bustling shopping centre. If you go there now and walk along the precinct, there are kids hanging about with nothing to do, except leave there chewing gum on benches and litter on the ground. Most of the time it is fairly empty, apart from a Wednesday when there is a market.
I must say, I did prefer it before the precinct, somehow, it seemed a more special place to go. It was to me, as a child, a stepping stone to the city of Southampton.