Shopping – Page 6 – jane sadek

Attractions, DESTINATIONS, Road Trips, Shopping, TRAVEL, United States

Cannery Row on Monterey Bay CA

November 26, 2014August 11, 2015 Jane Sadek

Shopping Cannery Row,Monterey Bay, Monterey CA — This almost came home with us from Monterey Bay

TRAVEL THERE: CANNERY ROW ON MONTEREY BAY

Monterey Bay is one of my favorite destinations and Cannery Row is one of the reasons. Whatever you like to do, you’ll find ways to entertain yourself.

Monterey Bay Aquarium

If you’ve never been to Cannery Row, then the Aquarium should be at the top of your list. We’ve been many times, but on this visit to the area, we were short on time. Still, you should go, because but kids of all ages (including Baby Boomers and the Greatest Generation) will be fascinated by the amazing exhibits, including the one of a kind otter tank.

The John Steinbeck Factor

Had John Steinbeck never lived in Monterey, it would still be a beautiful place to visit. However, his novel Cannery Row, added to the area’s mystique and helped make it the destination it is today. To completely appreciate the Steinbeck factor, it’s well worth the drive over to Salinas for a visit to the National Steinbeck Center – especially since it’s not far away. In fact, here’s an itinerary you might enjoy for a three-day Steinbeck Immersion Weekend.

Shopping Cannery Row

Two words: Outlet Mall. I love them and Cannery Row has one. It’s called American Tin Cannery and it’s across the street from the Aquarium. But that’s only the beginning. The whole area if rife with shopping opportunities. Truth be told, a lot of these opportunities are just tourist traps filled with junk.

Two shops, Turkish Fine Jewelry and Fine Art Turkish Grand Bazaar, were new to us and they were also exceptions to the tourist trap trend. I know, the names of the shops are less than creative, but OMG what gorgeous things they have inside. I’d give you a link, but they don’t have websites! And I’ll tell you this too: Don’t judge the places by their exteriors. Without Bill I wouldn’t have walked into either one and that would have been my loss.

We stepped into the jewelry store first. The pieces in the window were out-of-this-world gorgeous. GORGEOUS! Not your usual stuff. Exotic, but not so weird you wouldn’t wear it. Frankly, I wanted one of everything I saw in the window, but I knew I couldn’t afford any of them. I was glad Bill wanted to see more, even though we weren’t going to buy anything. The decor of the store is pretty boring compared to what’s in the showcases. What I’m saying is that this is not one of your premiere shopping experiences, but if you’re looking for beautiful jewelry, it’s the right place.

Along one wall they display hand-crafted mosaic chandeliers – jewelry for your home. I’m sure the proprietor could tell we weren’t serious jewelry prospects, but he quickly picked up on the fact that we might buy a chandelier. He and Bill chatted for a bit. That’s how we found out about the Grand Bazaar across the street. It’s owned by the same people.

As I said, the jewelry store was not exactly a premiere shopping destination, but the bazaar looked like a place I would avoid altogether. The front of the store was crowded with cheap imported knick-knacks, but they did have dozens of the beautiful mosaic chandeliers, so in we went. Ignore the chotckies! This place is a treasure trove. Stunning pottery, unique clothing, hand-embroidered boots!! I loved it. Bill got me in there and without his restraining influence I would have broken the bank.

In the end we left empty-handed. Bill couldn’t negotiate the owner down far enough on the chandeliers to justify carrying them all the way back to Dallas and I really didn’t need another pair of boots. But my-oh-my, did I ever want a pair, and about four of the outfits, and several of the plates, and some jewelry, and…well, you get the drift.

(Psssst! Dallasites! Since this trip Bill and I discovered Another Place & Time at The Shops at Legacy in Plano. They don’t much of a website either, but they do have a facebook page and they do have the same kind of gorgeous stuff the Monterey store has, though they’re in no way related. The store has been in the mall for a while now, but it didn’t used to have all this cool stuff. They also just moved off Bishop, but I promise, it will be worth the effort to find them.)

Did Someone Say Lunch?

It’s amazing how long we lingered in the store admiring the chandeliers, but eventually hunger pangs overwhelmed our urge to buy. I’ll tell you about that next week.

Attractions, DESTINATIONS, Road Trips, Shopping, TRAVEL, United States

Pinot Days in San Francisco CA

August 20, 2014August 11, 2015 Jane Sadek

Pinot Days Brochure, San Francisco CA — Pinot Days Brochure

TRAVEL THERE: TASTING PINOT IN SAN FRAN

If you recall, this vacation went through a number of alterations before becoming a reality. In one of the original stages, a trip to Wine Country was penciled in, but by the time we went, Napa and Sonoma had been erased. Instead we enjoyed Pinot Days at City View At Metreon.

How We Got There

When you’re visiting your hip nephew in San Fran you do all kinds of cool things. Take it from me, Uber is cool. It’s like a taxi, but a lot more chic.

Since all I did was go along for the ride, I don’t claim to know all the details, but to quote Uber “request, ride, and pay via your mobile phone.” That means you don’t call or hail a cab. You request a ride at a certain time with the app and the car shows up. If you wonder if you have time to go to the bathroom, the app tells you where the car is and how long before it will be to your pick-up point. You don’t have to ride in a cab either. A sleek black SUV picked us up and the driver was dressed very professionally.When we left the wine event my nephew punched a few buttons on the phone and by the time we got downstairs our car was waiting.

Uber’s website says they do have taxis, but that wasn’t our ride. Nephew says it’s about the price of parking and since we were going to a wine tasting without a DD it was a lot cheaper than a DWI. Dallas is an Uber city, but I haven’t Ubered here yet. Let me know if you have.

Where It Was

Meteron is like nothing I know of in Dallas. It’s like NorthPark‘s Food Court on steroids, but the anchor store is a Super Target and for kicks there’s an AMC Cinemark. You got it?

Well, upstairs there’s something called City View which is a huge event space. They do weddings, corporate events, whatever. The “restaurant-centric mall with multiplex” is amid the Marscone Center and City View overlooks the Yerba Buena Gardens. Yeah, it’s cool.

How It Was

I’m just going to be straight with you. This wasn’t the most fun I ever had tasting wine. I used to live on the Central Coast and spent Sunday afternoons at Castoro Cellars Tasting Room, Edna Valley Vineyard and other local wineries. My first date with Bill was to a function called Art and Wine at the Dallas Museum of Art. We’ve been to Dallas Opera Wine Tastings. We have also been to other wine festivals, like the Paso Robles Wine Festival. We know from wine tastings.

The Metreon was cool and I loved looking out over Yerba Buena Park and San Francisco’s Financial District. However, I got a little tired of Pinot and there was a crowd.

I love wine, but I’m no wine connoisseur. Were I a wine connisseur, I’m sure the opportunity to compare so many Pinots in one afternoon of tasting was euphoric. However, there were so many people crowding around the tables that there was really no way to have a decent conversation with the winemakers and that’s one of the things I like best about a tasting.

There was also nowhere to sit. There were community baskets of crackers and cheese to give your palate a break, but no where to give your sore dogs a break. Am I glad I did it? Yes! Would I do it again? Probably not.

But come back next week, because we’re going to Golden Gate Park.

Restaurants & Bars, Road Trips, Shopping, TRAVEL

Travel There: Groovin’ in Gruene

January 1, 2014January 1, 2014 Jane Sadek

Happy New Year!!

Most Austinites and pretty much the rest of Texas know about Gruene, but maybe you’re not from around here. First of all, forget how it’s spelled, it’s pronounced Green.

Now I’d always heard about Gruene, but I’d never been there. Most of what I heard made me think you either had to be into tubing or antiques to enjoy it, so I wasn’t too worried about the fact that I hadn’t been there. However, since I was officially “rambling” to San Antonio, I thought it deserved at least a fly by.

I was traveling with my copy of the Texas State Highway Guide from http://www.traveltex.com, so I whipped it open and read the blurb about Gruene to Bill. “I really just want to drive down the main street,” I told him.

Well, we found the quaint little town, drove through it and then ended up right by the Comal River where all the tubers jump in. Not that there were any tubers on this chilly day, but there was some pretty scenery. Bill parked right by the water’s edge, even though the signs all warned him that this was private property and hauled out the good camera. Once that was in play, I knew we’d be there awhile.

After our time at the riverside, we wandered back into town and found a place to park. The picturesque town begged to be photographed and Bill obliged. He started with a nearby B&B, checked out the dancehall and just kept clicking away.

Now the dance hall is of some significance. Gruene Hall has a lot of history tied to it. When Gruene was a small rural town, rather than part of New Braunfels, the dancehall was an integral part of the community. How else were farm girls going to meet farm boys and get together to make little farm children?

The tradition of the Saturday night dance is probably what kept the little town alive all these years, but nowadays, it’s more likely going to be frat boys and frat girls from nearby UTAustin getting together, rather than any one from a farm. Anybody who’s anybody in Texas music has played there and I’m sorry we weren’t there when the toe tappin’ was a-happenin’.

Then we found The Gristmill River Restaurant and Bar. Unfortunately, our hearty breakfast was still sticking to our ribs, but they let us come in and peek around. I decided I’d be coming back to Gruene someday and when I did, I planned to be hungry.

After The Gristmill, we returned to the Gruene Mansion Inn and explored their backlot. Lots of photo opportunities there, too. In fact, I’m just going to shut up and share some more of the great shots Bill got, but come back next week, because after our quiet visit to Gruene, things got a lot more exciting.

When I come back to The Gristmill, I think this would be a great place to sit.

Oma's Secret (Beer) Garden — Oma’s Secret (Beer) Garden

I thought about The Blogress when I saw this. What about you?

DESTINATIONS, DFW Metroplex, International, Road Trips, Shopping, TRAVEL

Shopping in the Good Old Days

May 4, 2012August 18, 2015 Jane Sadek

TRAVEL HERE/TRAVEL THERE: SHOPPING IN DALLAS IN THE GOOD OLD DAYS

I hate to say it, but today’s mall rats don’t know from shopping. Drop me in any mall from sea to shining sea and what do you have? The same hundred-odd stores and fast food outlets they have in every other mall in America. (YAWN!)

My Memories of Shopping in Dallas

I live in Dallas where shopping centers were invented. (Well, not really, but kinda.) Forget Mall of the Americas, I shop at NorthPark! In days of yore, NorthPark only had three anchor stores: Neiman’s, Titches and J.C.Penney’s. and the other stores? Margo’s La Mode, Chandler’s Shoes, Continental Coiffures, The Carriage Shop…those were the days. We didn’t have a food court. We had El Fenix. Things have changed since then, but I’m still loving me some Northpark.

Back in the good old days, department stores had departments. I don’t mean you went to the men’s floor and then wandered from designer department to designer department to find a pair of navy slacks for your dad’s birthday. I mean you went to the men’s pants department and wandered through islands, seas and oceans of men’s pants. In fact, the pants department would be divided up into types of pants, so by looking on only two or three fixtures, you’d be able to tell whether they had any dressy navy blue pants in your dad’s size or not.

Shopping in Paris

I foresaw the disappearance of departments, as I knew them, before it actually happened. In the eighties I visited Paris. My trip was in December and the city was aglow with twinkling lights and snow. Galeries Lafayette, all decked out for the Christmas season, was astounding. I wandered around the store to my hearts content. As I made my way around the upper floors for my second or third time, I began to realize what was bugging me. I couldn’t find the blouse department.

See, as a twenty something career girl I didn’t have a lot of money, but I envisioned shrugging off my blazer at work one day and hearing someone say, “What a gorgeous blouse!” At that point I could have answered, “Oh, I picked it up in Paris.”

But Galleries Lafayette didn’t have a blouse department. They had blouses from many, many designers, but they were all spread out. I couldn’t just go to the blouse department, check out the markdowns in my size and see if I could afford any. To find out if there was a blouse in the store I could afford, I would have had to wander around all the different designer’s boutiques and handle the merchandise. The perfectly coiffed French-speaking clerks were entirely too intimidating. I went downstairs and bought a Christmas ornament instead.

Designer Departments Take Over

Back in Dallas I was only able to enjoy the blouse department for a little while longer – the designer departments were on their way. Now, if I want to go to the men’s department and see all the navy dress pants in one fail swoop, then I’m headed to either Walmart or Target. (BTW, I love Target, but that’s beside the point.)

I miss the old style department store. To begin with they had a sort of local flavor and were targeted more specifically to local needs. I also think that you were more likely to come up with an individualized look in a store where things were not pre-coordinated for you. I mean you don’t have to go all matchy-matchy to look pulled together.

Nowadays, things are entirely too homogenized. Sure Nordstrom’s has great service and a great selection of merchandise. I love Bistro N. But I still miss Titche-Goettinger. And I miss the blouse department, too. How about you?

ART, Attractions, DESTINATIONS, DFW Metroplex, Museums, Shopping, TRAVEL

Remembering Dallas Department Stores

April 27, 2012June 25, 2025 Jane Sadek

TRAVEL HERE: REMEMBERING DALLAS DEPARTMENT STORES

Frequent visitors to my blog know I’m crazy for Neiman Marcus. It’s a touchstone for my beloved Dallas. I might be shopping in Atlanta’s NM, but I still feel right at home. I’m devoted to Neiman’s because it’s the only thing left from my childhood shopping experiences. Titche-Goettinger, Colbert-Volk and Sanger Harris all bit the dust.

My, How Things Have Changed

The transformation of the crisp turquoise-and-white-striped Titche-Goettinger bag into Dillard’s boring beige plastic thing was a disappointing retail slide for me. My mom went to work for Titches back in the 60’s. Along the way they merged with a San Antonio department store called Joske’s. I didn’t think Joske’s had near the eclat of Titche’s. For a few years, though they belonged to the same team, they each kept their own identity. Finally, the Joske’s name won out, but at least it was still a Texas name.

Then along came Dillard’s, an Arkansas company, and bought out Joske’s. I’d like to be able to say that I haven’t walked into the store since, but my mom retired with a 25% lifetime discount, so I’d be lying. However, I would be telling the truth if I told you I missed that department store with the turquoise-and-white-striped shopping bags.

For all those decades my mom worked at Titches/Joske’s/Dillard’s her main competition was Sanger-Harris, but it was a friendly competition. If we could buy it a mom’s store we would, but I had plenty of Sanger’s labels in my closet – especially stuff I’d bought at Red Apple days. The prices were so low you felt like they were paying you to carry merchandise home. Joske’s had EOM (end of month) markdowns that were often as drastic, but Red Apple Days just sounded like a lot more fun.

I had a grudging admiration for Sanger-Harris after Titche’s became Joske’s. I wouldn’t have mentioned it to mother, but I thought they were winning the retail war. Their stores seemed more upscale and their shopping bags were prettier. I especially liked the exterior of the stores. When you went to a mall Sanger’s always stood out, because they had gorgeous mosaic murals on the exterior. You didn’t have to be able to read to know you’d arrived.

Sadly, Sanger Harris eventually went the same route as Titches. First, they merged with a Houston retailer named Foley’s and ended up changing their name. Then Macy’s bought them out, and not too many years ago, at that. I remember visiting the Macy’s in Temple with my Aunt Edie shortly after the change-over. We agreed we liked Sanger Harris better.

DMA to Remember, Too

With all these pleasant Sanger-Harris memories it is no wonder that I’m excited about a new exhibit on it’s way to the Dallas Museum of Art. According to the latest issue of the museum’s member’s magazine, back in the 50’s a young VP of A. Harris & Company (which later merged with Sanger Brothers) commissioned an artist to create a series of paintings of Dallas. The paintings were exhibited at the DMA a couple of times in the fifties, but they haven’t been in Dallas since. Now they are coming back and will be presented with photos of my city taken at the time of the paintings.

Art, shopping and Dallas! That’s like three of my favorite things in the world! Why do you think I enjoyed the Jean Paul Gautier exhibit so much? Anyway, mark your calender for May 20th, because George Groz’s Impressions of Dallas is coming to the DMA. The name of the exhibit is “Flower of the Prairie” and you’ll be able to see it until August 19. And Macy’s, since you’ve gone to the trouble to sponsor this exhibition, all is forgiven. I’ll come spend some money there soon.

ART, Decorative Arts, DESTINATIONS, DFW Metroplex, Road Trips, Shopping, TRAVEL

Remembering Neiman Marcus Fortnights

December 19, 2011June 25, 2025 Jane Sadek

Thin in Ten 093 — My Fortnight Christmas Ornaments

TRAVEL HERE: NEIMAN MARCUS FORTNIGHTS

So you think Black Friday is a shopping experience? To me, it’s just a feeding frenzy. If Sam Walton has been successful at anything, it has been getting us to focus on price. I sort of liked the world better before Walmart.

The World Before Walmart

In those days price was certainly a factor, but it wasn’t the only factor. Designer names were guideposts, not a decoration plastered across the seat of a pair of sweat pants. Developing your own style was more important than being in style. In other words, going shopping was about more than consuming.

Wonderful, Wonderful Fortnight

A perfect example of this was Neiman Marcus Fortnight. During a two week period in the fall, Neiman’s would transform their Dallas stores into reasonable facsimiles of some exciting destination. The straw ornaments above are from Bavaria and were purchased in 1983 during the German Fortnight. D Magazine gives you the details of Fortnight, but I want to convey the experience.

For a middle-class kid living in Dallas in the Sixties, Fortnight was a window to the wider world. On a special evening, Mom would dress us up in the our best. The minute Dad got home from work he’d load us in the car and take us to Neiman’s flagship store in downtown Dallas – but it didn’t seem like a store at all. In fact, once I entered Neiman’s, I felt as if I’d stepped off a plane into a faraway place.

Granted, back in those days I’d never been on a plane, but I thought what was happening to me then must be just like arriving at a long awaited destination. See, Mom didn’t just dress us up and make us go shopping with her for the evening, she carefully primed us for the experience. All year we played a guessing game about what country Neiman’s might focus on for Fortnight. If the evening news mentioned a place we’d never heard of, we discussed why or why not it might be a good country for Neiman’s. As we studied our history and geography lessons, Mom would ask, “If this country were featured in a Neiman Marcus Fortnight, what products do you think would be stocked in the gourmet food department?”

In additon, Mother took us shopping at Neiman’s all year long, so we’d know the latest in fashion and appreciate quality. Then we’d go to Titche’s and buy our wardrobes with Mom’s employee discount. But a splashy ad in the Dallas Morning News Neiman’s would announce our Fortnight destination and I’d be giddy for weeks until our annual Fortnight visit was scheduled.

During Fortnight, we’d wander through the retail wonderland all agog. The ultimate treat was dinner at one of the NM cafes tricked out like the featured locale and serving their traditional fare. Along with many items from the featured country for sale, each floor of Neiman’s hosted special exhibits and demonstrations. We’d watch traditionally garbed dancers perform exotic dances. We’d see animals, artisans and actresses. Our family added very little to Neiman Marcus’s bottom line during this annual pilgrimage, but Fortnight was such a retail success, in spite of folks like us, that many stores attempted copy cat experiences. Yes, shopping was fun back in those days.

During the years I was busy going to school and living the disco scene, Neiman’s sort of fell off my radar. Then I became an official consumer with a credit rating. A Neiman Marcus charge card provided a plastic invitation to another world. Among the most important privileges offered was postal delivery of the famous Neiman Marcus Christmas Catalog with its legendary His and Hers gifts of opulence. Trust me, nothing on the internet can replace that catalog. The recipient of a gift, in the store’s traditional shiny red Christmas box with the gold Neiman Marcus logo, expected no additional wrapping paper and bows. Adulthood arrived when I received my own Neiman Marcus credit card.

I have to confess I did not inherit my parent’s frugality. I found it impossible to merely visit Fortnight and buy nothing but dinner. I went to the store as often as I could during those special two weeks to buy myself and others as many little treats as I thought I could get away with. Being at Fortnight was one of those particularly Dallas experiences, like visiting the Great State Fair of Texas or seeing the Christmas decorations on Beverly Drive.

Now Neiman Marcus has stores all over the world and they belong to some big corporation – not Mr. Nieman and Mr. Marcus. Most middle class kids in Dallas have flown somewhere before they reach their sixth birthday. Someone took Fortnight out of the Neiman Marcus budget, but I miss it.

I still have my Neiman Marcus credit card and it gets plenty of use. Neiman’s is my luxury store of choice. Having lunch at Neiman’s is one of my favorite indulgences. I will always love giving gifts wrapped in nothing but a Neiman’s logo. Nowadays I shop at Neiman’s and buy my wardrobe at the Allen Outlet Mall, because even though Mom retired with her discount intact, department store shopping isn’t as much fun as it used to be. Drat that Mr. Walton.

Update: This is by far the most popular post on my blog, so even though I have created Miscellaneous Jane for the purpose of offloading things from this blog, this post stays.

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