California: The Grove

Saturday was our first full day in California and we spent it being tourists of sorts.  We were not the usual tourists because we were with my Uncle and his girlfriend - they had the knowledge of little hole-in-the-wall places to take us, so we weren't stuck with the standard route.

First we went down to The Grove, which is basically a big outdoor shopping mall.  I fulfilled a childhood dream and went into the American Girl Doll store.  I wanted to go there more than anything when I was little, but the only store was in Chicago.  My mom almost planned a trip to Chicago when I was younger, just so I could check it out!


A picture of The Grove, from their website, http://www.thegrovela.com/


The American Girl Doll store was HUGE and packed with little girls.  I was delighted to see girls still love the American Girl Dolls.  I still think they are the best dolls ever.  My doll, Samantha, from the Victorian period, has been retired.  I have mixed feelings about that.  I suppose being retired makes her more special, but I think she is still the best doll ever (classy, beautiful, the cutest outfits!) so it is disapointing more girls won't be able to have her.

Also, it seems less special the more dolls American Girl Doll produces.  When there were only six, I was intimately familiar with the story of each.  I even remembered all the details of their lives walking through the store.  Now, with so many dolls, I can't imagine girls know the stories of each, but instead must pick and choose a few.  We were forced to love what we had, as we did not have the luxury of ignoring a few dolls and substantially diminishing the number of dolls we had to dream about.

After the American Girl Doll store, we went to Anthropologie.  I had little interest, as my heart was set on H&M and Kohls.  I am a very strict shopper - I can only get those things I planned for and Anthropologie certainly wasn't on the list.  It was entertaining to look at the sky high prices for awhile, but not as funny now that I am willing to pay that much for a few items I fall in love with.


Bright blazers > Anthropologie expensive-yet-cute hippy clothes


We also wandered into Nordstroms, where I did a quick loop around the woman's clothing section, curious what brands are actually available in fancy stores.  I recognized all the ones I see in magazines, and it was especially cool to see the Rachel Zoe section.  I watched the episode where Jeremiah created the concept store, and I never really thought about the work that goes into setting up stores.  However, the Rachel Zoe section was comingled with a bunch of other designers, so I really don't think the concept idea is how it is executed in reality.  Nice try, reality television.  You gotta love Jeremiah though.

If I was to buy anything at Nordstrom, I would go straight for these shoes below.  I haven't bought Sam Edelman before, but I think the shoes are adorable and my Uncle's girlfriend, Grace, loves Sam Edelman.  However, I had my mind set on colored blazers, and shoes weren't on this list, so on we forged.

Now it is time to eat cheese and drink plum wine, so I will detail the rest of our adventures later.