2003-06-15

2003-06-15 - 8:37 a.m.

I spent yesterday in a flurry of East Bay shopping. Sadly, there are no pictures; most of shops I was in don't allow photography. Instead, I have several new sets of sales clerks' fingerprints on my Visa card as testament to the day.

Stop 1: Darma Trading in San Rafael. I've ordered from their catalog several times and love the products. But sometimes you just need to touch and smell what you're buying. Plus, lo and unexpected behold, they have YARN! I'm not talking a corner here and there; these lovely folks hve rows and rows, stacks and stacks. I could die there happily.

After an hour of yarn hunting, I finally made it into the store's selection of clothing blanks, dyes, scarves and other fabulousness. Do you remember old-fashioned candy stores, where you can grab a little of this, a little of that? Now you have an image of me in Darma Trading. I bought enough silk, cotton, gutta and dyes to last the next six months. Heaven.

Stop 2: Saul's Deli in Berkeley. If you haven't been, GO! Saul's is the closest to true New York you can get on the West Coast. I picked up an egg salad on house-baked rye for lunch. Oh so huge, oh so messy, oh so fucking good. Also, try their half-sour pickles. Yum.

Stop 3: Massey's Bakery, next door to Saul's. I was a little disappointed; because it's wedding season, they're not making French-style macaroons. French macaroons are nothing like American ones; they're light and airy. Bummer. Instead I chose a mini cherry-almond tart, which became dinner about 8:30 last night.

Stop 4: Good Vibrations at their Berkeley location. 'Nuff said.

Stop 5: Exclusive Buttons, El Cerrito. Thanks to Megan at Sew Wrong for the link which led to this visit. Please, folks, GO to this store. I have never seen so many beautiful things in one place. The store's tiny, about the size of my kitchen, but every single cranny is packed with vintage buttons. I picked up a couple of freeform abalone for purses, some hand-carved elkhorn toggles for a friend, and two or three bakelite beauties for Mom's Christmas coat. I could have spent the entire day here. Talking with the lovely older couple would have been enough.

Stop 6: Sandra Dee's, back home. Ribs and greens were dinner last night. Drooool.

I'm broke and stuffed for the next few days, but it was worth it!

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