On the Street

Walking to work this morning in the lovely spritzy rain with grey cloudy skies I was stopped by an "Excuse me." These words were coming from a mother/daughter combo who apparently wanted to ask me something. As any good New Yorker, I was skeptical at first, but their English accent quickly pushed aside my thoughts of "WHAT DO YOU WANT!? IT'S BEFORE 9AM! LEAVE ME ALONE. NO I DON'T HAVE ANY MONEY TO GIVE YOU." Ah, New York living.

So, I stopped to answer the question, "Where is the Apple store?" Only it took me a second because "Apple" kind of sounded like "Uhpool" with her accent. I told her that she was about 10 blocks away, and she asked, "When do stores around here open?" I think to myself, "Not before NINE AM" and respond, "Well, the Apple store is open 24 hours a day (shock on their faces), but most places open at 9."
The next thing she asks is, "Where is Abercrombie and Fitch?"
And I almost lose it because I think, of all the great intense crazy stores on 5th avenue, these lovely English people just want to go to A&F. A store which I have made it my goal never to set foot in. Not Tiffany's, not Fendi, not Louie Vuitton, because, oh right, they have those things in Europe. But ABERCROMBIE... now THAT is American! With those mini-skirts and ripped jeans and the casual worn look. Yes, obviously THAT is where they wanted to shop at 9am on a Thursday. Apple and Abercrombie.

Ah America, how I love what you have to offer the world.