Yesterday I wrote a brief post about my trip to New York and how I bought an adorable pair of purple sandals. Yet I failed to offer up a photo of said adorable purple sandals. So, for those of you interested, check them out in the photo to the right.
Cute, huh? And surprisingly comfortable, too. I wore them for hours on Saturday afternoon as we walked through Chinatown and all the wonderful shops of Canal Street, full of scarves and knock-off purses and cheap jewelry. Heaven! When we were children, our family drove to San Francisco every summer to visit relatives and there our favorite thing to do was visit Chinatown. We'd come home laden with rice candy and woven thingies you stick your fingers in and dolls and little purses. So it is no wonder that both my sister and I love the ticky tacky stores of Canal Street in Manhattan.
We also went into probably every shoe store in New York and studied what shoes women wore on the streets. I am now ready to report what the latest in shoe fashion is: flats. Zebra flats, beaded flats, red patent leather flats, plain black flats. Except for the two skanky young women we saw one night, nobody is wearing heels. You heard it here first.
The shoes and Canal Street were only a portion of the overall trip. We met an interesting man from Nottingham, England, who owned a huge, thriving bakery, a woman from Portland who has already become a new friend, and a man from Virginia who told us where to buy beads in Hong Kong. We saw museums and my Beloved Niece's dance classes and performances and visited friends and ate and drank and walked. And walked. And walked some more.
And I came home with my head swimming, full of images of Manhattan that go beyond shoes.
This is a good thing, because when my head is swimming it is alive and making new connections and carving new furrows or whatever that brain circuitry is called. I'm coming up with new ideas for blog posts and articles and info products and books and stories. Sometimes when you travel you get shoved out of your comfort zone. Walking much farther than you normally would on feet that are sore, for instance. Or staying in a hotel where the bathroom is down the hall. And then you find out that you will not only survive such things, you'll enjoy them. And suddenly you have a different view of the world.
Which is a wonderful thing for writers. Or any kind of creative person in the world. And aren't we all creative?
Anybody have a good travel story to share? Or even some news about shoes?
Jessica
I nagged you into putting up a photo of your sandals and then didn’t comment. How bad is that? (I was moving. That’s my excuse.)
They are indeed adorable purple sandals and you’ve got me wondering whether I might find some similar ones here if I keep looking. My Birkenstocks are hurting me (gasp, I know, it’s only my right foot so it must be a different shape) therefore I’ll have to bite the bullet and try something else.
You’re so right about travel shoving you out of your comfort zone. The first time I came to China I remember crying myself to sleep for a couple of nights. But once I found my feet, I discovered I love it and I become China-sick when I’m away. The best thing seems to be plunging in, finding the real people and places that define your new location – NOT where all the other tourists are but down back alleys and on the sides of streets and in quirky hotels.
And yes, we all are creative.
Charlotte Dixon
Oh,no worries, Jessica! I’m glad you think they are cute. They are unusual, like no others I’ve seen. I now officially own enough pairs of sandals to get me through the summer…glad you are enjoying China so much.