I heard about Cole Haan and Nike teaming up to produce stylish and comfortable shoes for women but hadn't gotten around to testing them out. Megan recently purchased a pair and is now hooked. I decided I absolutely had to check them out and now the Geena Air OT Pump will be my spring/summer favorite shoes!
It's like a revolution has taken place. A manufacturer of women's high heels has actually had the sense to create comfortable shoes. Could it really have been that hard to do all these years? While I love a pedicure just for the sake of it, it has been a necessity due to my need to be cute wherever I go. Yes, they are at least $300 a pair but it's worth I think. And Cole Haan has always been known for quality. A small investment to be stylish while I walk, shop, dance, whatever. The problem is that DC streets are not kind to heels.
Even the best shoes in the world can fall victim to DC shoe traps: metro escalators, sidewalks, grates, sewers, etc. The other day I got this email from Megan:
I almost became a statistic on metro this morning. I had to dress up today b/c I had a meeting scheduled. I'm going up the escalator at Foggy Bottom, about to step onto the sidewalk when I realize my heel is caught in the grate on the escalator step!! A moment of panic ensued but I was able to free myself without falling or coming completely out of my shoe. The left heel of my beautiful Cole Haan's bare the teeth marks of Metro but it's barely noticeable. Wearing fabulous shoes and Metro just don't mix.....
Thursday, April 24, 2008
The Ultimate Shoes
Saturday, April 19, 2008
To Dance or Not
As I have blogged about before, I am a true Disco Queen. I love house music and dancing to it in heels and my City Girl outfit of the week. Being an East Coast born, Midwest raised girl, I was happy to find my house niche here in DC after a long and arduous search. Believe me when I say, I still had not had enough of Red even as it closed during October of 2005. I spent many a great night there. I danced and sweated my ass off, met the most amazing and interesting people who I am still friends with, took friends and relatives from out of town who still ask about the place, and of course, a DJ saved my life... well, you know how the song goes. And so was the case for Club Five and the Sanctuary on H Street, which is sadly no longer. I was skeptical when my soulful Sunday night house party moved to Dragonfly, and for good reason - it is now closed. I mean really, how do I dance until I'm sweaty at a sushi lounge? When I learned that Eigthteenth Street Lounge (ESL) was continuing the party I was a bit hopeful. There is enough room to dance, the sound system is good, more than one bar, outdoor area, space to escape the crowd if need be, etc. However, my first night there late last year was yet another disappointment in my expectation of a Red experience. ESL is unfortunately another Connecticut Avenue/18th and M club that attracts posers, Eurotrash, and whatever other undesirables who are not about getting their dance on to good music. The space is horrible and there is a strange interplay of sound with the DJ booth on the other side of the club. But what is even worse is the fact that this past Sunday, I was subjected to the most offensive song being played everywhere right now. Rather true or untrue in its internet rumored meaning, Crank That, by the teenage rapper Soulja Boy, is just not something I want to hear or dance to. I have a feeling that this song does fully intend to mean "superman dat ho" as urban legend has it. But as most legends go, it doesn't really matter. The offensive connotation is now out there. And women are always the victims of such nonsense (however, I could just as easily superman a dude as he could to me). So, as you can imagine, I was not expecting this at a house party where all I wanted to do was dance to progressive, liberating music. I was pissed with the DJ who should know better. People who have followed this Sunday night party and who are house music purists, lovers, dancers, etc. just expect more. And given the $10 entrance fee, I will probably not be back.
Saturday, April 12, 2008
It's Raining Men
It is indeed raining men these days which I suppose is appropriate given that spring is here and the whole April showers thing. What is interesting is that these men have all been young. That is, much younger than me. I don't really get it. Do I have a sign on my forehead that says I'm looking for a hot, young, stud? What's really weird is that I've been thinking about how I should probably start dating more age appropriate men who are more serious about the future. Yes, this is what happens after one too many conversations with my mother. But of course, as my luck would have it, I get approached by men who can barely remember the 80's because they were still in diapers. Let's see, within the last month:
· I left Lovah-ville where I was chilling with a 24 year old
· I get stalked at my local Potbelly by a 22 year old who works there
· When exiting the metro, I'm stopped by a very sweet 24 year old who pretends to need directions but then tries to follow me to my destination
· My new neighborhood bartender is extremely cute and generous with drinks, but turns out to be 23. He's asked me twice now if I want to go out.
· My girlfriend's 22 year old brother shows up at her birthday party and decides to stick to me like glue. He now keeps asking her to hook him up with me.
And this, I still haven't gotten over: Just the other day while walking to U Street to meet the girls for happy hour, I get stopped by a boy wearing a book bag and what appears to be a school uniform. He says he wants to "holla" at me and get my number. Of course I want to know how old he is and as I imagine, he's 16. And even though I kept walking, this child didn't give up. He claimed that girls his age were all young and dumb. Wow. So teenage boys actually go looking for pedophiles.
Saturday, April 5, 2008
Stroller Hell
Now that the Cherry Blossom Festival has arrived, I am once again made aware that children actually exist. While I don't dislike them, I have just gotten used to living in a child-free world. I often tell my friends in other states how I never see kids in DC. It is rare to see kids who are not tourists. I noticed this soon after moving here from the Midwest where kids are a regular part of life. And for me, it would be rare to see them anyway. First of all, I'm a night owl and you don't usually find kids out at night. I'm even lucky enough to have a job that requires me to check out things to do at night. While I am sure that kids live here, in the past six years that I've lived in DC, I've lived in four different apartments all in different neighborhoods and rarely if ever saw kids. They don't live in my building and they are not outside playing. I don't go to the grocery often but when I do, I don't see them there either or actually any of the places I frequent. I avoid shopping malls because of screaming kids and strollers but the malls are not even in DC so that doesn't count. I do see the loud, annoying teenagers on the train, but babies and stroller dwellers are rare - until this time of year.
It is always evident that tourist season is in full bloom when I see them - kids in mega-strollers and the parents who push them around. What is up with these monstrosities? They're on the train blocking the aisles and the doors, clogging the streets, in the stores, at restaurants. And the kids in the strollers sometimes appear old enough to have their own children. What's the point of learning to walk if you don't walk? It's like strollers have become the equivalent of rickshaws and the kids are the elite while the parents are the peasants. I overheard a woman at a restaurant the other day ask the hostess if she would help her lift the stroller up the steps and to her table. What? Do I ask a hostess to help me with my stuff? Why not hire a babysitter? And let me tell you, there really is something disturbing about a kid at a bar. I don't do the daytime touristy stuff in DC but my friend Megan often does. She attempted the Kite Festival but found herself in stroller hell and just left. Here's an idea: kid-free zones. Kind of like non-smoking sections. And even smoking is now banned in DC.
Horny Goat Weed
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