We shopped till we dropped

Saturday was shopping-tacular. Up relatively early with breakfast of juice and a bagel. We enjoyed our “Krispy Kreme of bagels” on an island park in the middle of the road. The people watching was superb. It was a busy street but the people and vibe was much different from the rest of the city. I guess the Upper West Side stereotypes do seem true.

I don’t think they get many tourists in our part of the city. They looked at us with a quiet curiosity and were very friendly and helpful. More then once a passerby offered directions without our asking.

Finished our breakfast and hopped on the train heading south. Next stop: China Town. Canal St exit eased us into the experience. Crowded sidewalks. Shops stacked atop each other. Strangers offering bags, watches, sunglasses, “new” iPods; anything questionably legal they can’t sell in the stores. This includes the gentlemen with suitcases of knockoff purses they can zip up and zip out at a moments notice. Word and cell phones travel faster then the police.

It didn’t take Erin long to brush off the aggressive sellers and start haggling with merchants. It was more the once she had them shouting lower and lower prices as she walked out the door.

“Door” is a bit of an exaggeration. Most of the shops were an open front and the size of a good sized walk-in closet. In most cases I could have touched both sides at once without much effort. Other “Shopping Centers” were a long hallway that ran the width of a city block with litte “shops” carved in the walls.

Everything was for sale. You want it you can find it (or a reasonable facsimile) for a fraction of the price. It was great to see Erin get excited at every other shop.

China Town runs into Mulberry, aka Little Italy. We ventured north and took in the red white and green. Lunch in the main drag is great. Food was superb and you get to know your neighbors. We ate on the sidewalk allowing us to watch the parade of tourists shuffle by. be forewarned: gratuity included.

The included tip was a sign of things to come.

We stopped for a beer, check in with family, rest, review or finds, and set outg our next plan of attack: SoHo.

The boutique shopping experience in NY; quite the change from $5 watches a few blocks south. Shoes on “sale” for $255.00 and blazers off the rack from a sidewalk merchant for $185 took the steam out of the shopping momentum.

Of course we skipped the stores where customers have to be buzzed in and out altogether. But it was funny watching kids with mom & dad’s credit cards maintain their status.

After the wind left our shopping sails we headed back to the hotel to drop off our finds and a quick power nap.

Rising several hours later we thought we’d grab a late dinner. The local Chinese place was nice and intimate. And it included a free carafe of wine straight from the finest box. Listening to the conversations at the surrounding tables was the highlight of the dinner. A group of stereotypical “Upper West Side” girls talking about everything from how her mom loves this show “Monk” to roommate’s bathroom etiquette to who’s vacationing with whom & where. Of course we can’t leave out the spiraling diatribes of who’s dating whom (and which time). I guess not all that different from any other girls that age, but there’s something different about that New York way.

For dessert we stopped by the local gelato shop. Nope, not ice cream shop, or malt shop or the local DQ; gelato shop. I was excited to see it earlier in the evening. “What’s that?” Erin asked.

“it’s Italian ice cream. But with a different texture,” I replied.

“… Oh.”

Erin’s own curiosity and sense of adventure led her to discover a yummy new treat. “Yup, different texture.”

A quick potty break back at the hotel before grabbing beers ended with us both asleep for the night within minutes.