This is one of Edinburgh's more happening crossroadses. If you haven't
died of boredom in a queue at Tesco's, with the shop shutting before you
get to the front, you can always make up for it by going to Alldays, where
they won't have anything you want, but somehow you'll manage to want it
anyway until just after you've left the shop. After a hard night in casualty,
it's the only place that's open (apart from the Spar down the road). Once
upon a wee small hour, I was suddenly struck with an inexplicable nostalgia
for Battenburg cake, which wore off in the bathroom shortly after I'd eaten
one.
If you're hungry, go west on West Nicolson Street. If you're thirsty, go east
on West Richmond Street (directions are relative, but street names are absolute).
A little further south, newsagent `Southside Cards' demonstrate their superb
taste and discrimination by keeping returnable glass bottles of Orangina in
the fridge.
Alternatively, you can blunder down the road towards the Bridges, much good may it do you. I suppose it'll be easier to find a cashpoint or something.