Is this really shopping?

Virginia · Post by **Virginia** » Sun Oct 02, 2005 11:35 am

Veronica's and Darla's recent posts on shopping trips reminded me of a shopping trip I took recently. While I was in Florida caring for my friend Brandi following her SRS, I walked across the bridge to a shopping mall just on the other side of the canal! You have to remember, this is in North Miami Beach! The main anchor store was Sac's Fifth Avenue and once inside the ?mall? (I think if you would have called it a mall they would escort you to the street) - MONEY!!!!!!!! I have never in my life seen the array of name brand - upscale stores in one place in my life. If you can name any of the up scale, high-end women's clothing and jewlery stores they were there!!!! I am not easily intimated, but this place I was! I had on "en drab" flip flops, tee-shirt and walking shorts. I was not afraid nor could I have been embarrassed, but I just could not bring my self to do more than window shop. I just could not even force myself to go into any of those stores. I saw heels in the window starting at $2500.00 and the ladies, dresses and suits - it was the old adage "if you gotta ask - you damn sure can't afford it!" I mean ladies jeans at $250.00 and up!!! I saw one black skirt and top that I fell in love with -?Versachie? store, I could not even bring myself to go in as the two, dare I say, clerks, had on suits that had to be in the $3,000.00 plus range, so I figure that outfit was at least that or more!
Anyway a girl can dream can't she!!
When the going gets tough, the tough go shopping, but not there!!!

Virginia

Loretta Ann · Post by **Loretta Ann** » Sun Oct 02, 2005 2:24 pm

Hey Sis,

Looks like you should have said that: When the going gets tough the tough get going.

In that part of the world.

Ain't window shopping fun.

Kristen · Post by **Kristen** » Sun Oct 02, 2005 9:01 pm

Virginia, Just when I thought I was doing pretty well , I hear something like you expierenced. Whew!!! Long way for me to buy a $250 pair of jeans. Yeah right. Window shopping indeed, I would be imtimidated too. Kinda like going into a restaruant and there are no prices on the menu, eeeeeehh, Water for me, please. .....Kristen

Post by **DonnaT** » Mon Oct 03, 2005 8:08 am

Kristen wrote: eeeeeehh, Water for me, please.

That'll be $5 Miss.

I can understand the hesitation Virginia, I hesitate to even buy a $30 skirt.

Virginia · Post by **Virginia** » Mon Oct 03, 2005 8:57 am

I left out the part about the wickedly rich dining at the out door cafe!!! Here sits an older gentleman with his "giant" poodle, perfectly crouffed, probably spent $500 on just the dog's , dare I say, hair-cut?! The ladies sitting around, sipping their drinks, and the waiters, Oh the waiters, all of them looked like models!!! With their perfect hair, all were at least 6" tall, muscular with black slacks, white shirts and black bow ties!! It looked more like a movie set - It was almost surreal!!!!
Shop on ladies!
Virginia

Absaroka · Post by **Absaroka** » Mon Oct 03, 2005 10:46 am

The wealthy will always be with us. Pay no attention to them.

Andrea

KristenS · Post by **KristenS** » Tue Oct 04, 2005 6:55 am

Were you, by chance, in Bal Harbour?

Marlena Dahlstrom · Post by **Marlena Dahlstrom** » Tue Oct 04, 2005 7:20 pm

Actually the funny thing is that if you had enough attitude, and acted like you belonged there, you probably would've been mistaken for old money.

I've lived near some extremely wealthy areas and it's nouveau riche who usually the ones showing off. Old money don't have anything to prove --so while they can dress to excess with the best of them when the ocassion warrants, if they're out running errands you'd never guess they're fabulously wealthy.

Virginia · Post by **Virginia** » Tue Oct 04, 2005 7:27 pm

Kristens,
Hi and yes we were in Bal Harbour, that is where Brandi had her SRS so it was just a quick walk across the bridge to the mall. Something you want to tell me???

Darla, You know, hon, I have relived that experience and how I felt walking through that mall and I have decided that had I been dressed - that Virginia would not have been the least bit intimated and would have walked into any of those stores and probably tried on some of those $3 - $4.000 outfits. Probably would have ended up with flash burns on my American Express card too!!!!

Love ya,
Virginia

Absaroka · Post by **Absaroka** » Tue Oct 04, 2005 10:35 pm

Funny, Bar Harbor has two sides although you might not immediately know it.

I spent a week there some time ago with no where to stay. Slept in a vacant lot a couple of nights, and then on a back porch of a building at The College Of The Atlantic for most of the rest of the week. I was careful to get up by about 6 am and be up and about before anyone came to work.

Sat in the park a lot eating my canned food and got very drunk one night with about 10 other people doing the same thing. The police made us move along but were very nice about it. The whole week cost me maybe $40.00 Did a lot of hiking and exploring and spent a good part of one rainy day in the library.

What I remember most clearly is that there were a lot of people like me there. We were very discrete which led to us not having a lot of problems. I was single then and I met some very pleasant ladies at a bar there also and I still treasure some of the memories of them. Since it was clear I was broke some of them even treated me to drinks which really fed my ego in a not altogether wholesome way.

This was in the early 80's. I dont' think I could do this now, I don't have the right mindset. Haven't been there in years.

Andrea

KristenS · Post by **KristenS** » Wed Oct 05, 2005 8:37 am

I'm not that familiar with Bal Harbour other than I know it's there and it's a wealthy area with fantastic shopping if you can afford it. I agree with Darla about fitting in, you just need to know the look. We go to Delray Beach Christmastime and spring break and are in Maine (Mount Desert Island) for a week in the summer so I've learned some of the ins and outs. What's interesting for us transgendered folk is much of the casual old money look can be pretty androgynous.

Virginia · Post by **Virginia** » Wed Oct 05, 2005 9:12 pm

I was in a store in Bal Harbour, and this little Jewish lady came in - she was asking about some kind of pastry at a bakery. I'll bet she did not weigh 80#'s, maybe 5' tall the prettiest silver hair and what really caught my attention were her eyebrows. She did not have any, only a thin BLUE drawn in line. She was sooooo precious, I wanted to just pick her up and hug her. I told her she would have to make the pastry herself. She tilted her head slightly and with the most awesome twinkle in her eyes, she said, "Jewish ladies don't cook! Hell, I am not even sure where my kitchen is." I said," well you could learn." No!" she said, "but I would let you come home and cook for me!" She reached up and patted my cheek and she was off!
Moments like that make life worth living!
Virginia