Wanna buy a Rolex?
I have procrastinated shopping for christmas presents on purpose, since I was not going to see my family and friends in Iowa over Christmas, so I just decided to wait until after Christmas to do the bulk of my shopping. Also, I hate buying someone a gift just to spend the money so they'll have a package to open. I prefer to buy a unique item that cannot be purchased in that person's locality, or just give them cash. With my parents, giving cash is kind of stupid, because they stopped trying to buy me something and just send cash anymore - which I greatly prefer. So in brainstorming for gifts, and watching too much TV, I settled on the idea of buying some knock-off designer purses.
Saturday, after letting the garage door opener repairman into the garage, I headed to Canal Street in Manhattan with the hopes of finding some purses. It's quite an odd experience, shopping at a quasi-legal semi-permanant store where the inventory is covered by sheets, and stored in black plastic garbage bags underneath the tables. I kind of embraced the day and went hardcore purse shopping, with no idea what I was exactly buying.
As a man, I have really no concept of what I might want to carry with me in a purse. What I know is that my mom's purse is always at least 12" x 12" and heavy, while my sister wanted something a little smaller. So I just kind of guessed while making my selections. These places have everything, so it was just a matter of time until I found what I hope will be well received gifts.
I got my mom a Louis Vuitton bag that is black, with the multicolored flowers and logo on it. It was suede lined and seemed pretty well made. I got my sister a simple smallish Kate Spade black bag with white stiching. Sexy, kinda. Now, my mom will not know what the hell to do with a Louis Vuitton bag, so I'm going to have to beg her to actually use it for a couple of weeks. My only hope is that she gets some ooohs and aaahs from her co-workers or other people she runs into. So if you see my mom in Iowa City around Jo-Anne's Fabrics, and she's rockin' the LV bag, give her some props. It'll make her day.
After accomplishing my shopping duties, I headed towards the Apple Store SoHo to see if they had any iPod minis on display. Unfortunately they did not, but I got to lust after many other wonderful Apple products. It's a little like going to church, walking up that million dollar imported German glass staircase.
A block away I found a little Irish pub that had a seat at the bar and served hot food, which was awesome since it was only 11 degrees outside, with 35 mph winds blowing down the streets. I had the chilli and two pints of Guinness to warm myself up. I ended up chatting with a couple of British tourists who were enjoying their say, and had ventured up to the top of the Empire State building earlier in the day. Brrrrrrrrr, that cannot have been very fun.
My next stop was the Guggenheim Museum for an afternoon of culture. The Guggenheim changes it exhibitions regularly, and they were displaying the works of American artist James Rosenquist and Italian Filmmaker Frederico Fellini. I was very unimpressed with the Rosenquist exhibit. Yes it was very bold and used some "powerful imagery", but I just didn't buy into it. The explanation cards seemed to point out some deep meaning in each work that was only apparent if you had been doing as much LSD as the artist. I did enjoy the Fellini exhibit and bought a ticket for a screening later that night of the 1954 film "La Strada".
The people watching in the Guggenheim was the most fun part for me. There were a lot of WASPs and DINKs wandering about, with a strong section of uppity bitches in the mix. I was a little disturbed by a couple in the Fellini exhibit. The guy was licking and nibbling on his girlfriend's ear while she stopped and looked at each sketch. It was pretty ridiculous, and I kept expecting the gallery guard to come by and pry them apart.
The film, "La Strada" was fairly enjoyable. I really don't have a lot of experience with either old movies or foreign films, but I went into it with an open mind. Definitely movie making technology has come a long long way in 50 years, and the advances in sound and lighting were quite apparent. What was more apparent upon reflection of the movie, was the acting was still strong, and that shooting in black and white still produced some very amazing imagery.
And then I braved the frigid streets of New York and took the LIRR back home with my backpack full of purses.
Comments
Um, DINK?
Posted by: Diane | January 12, 2004 08:37 PM
DINK = Double Income No Kids
WASP = White Anglo Saxon Protestant (implies established wealth and social standing) or White Affluent Single Professional
Posted by: Jeff Smith | January 13, 2004 12:25 PM
Thank you. I was feeling stupid.
Posted by: Diane | January 13, 2004 07:48 PM