Ann Taylor Loft

I woke up Wednesday to a flash of lightning, and rumbling thunder. No tennis this morning! The rain streamed down as I put my tennis stuff back in the closet, and threw on my gym clothes instead.

At first I thought it might be a good day to just stay in and watch people work. But once on the treadmill I decided today would be a good day to catch up on some things. I pulled out my "things-I-could-do-in-my-sparetime" list and mentally perused it. Hmmmm.....I DID need to swing by Ann Taylor Loft for their end of season sale, before the season ended. I always seemed to hit the jackpot at that store at Broadway and Beaver Street.

OK, I detest shopping. I have too little time in the day(who doesn't? oh, and where do "ladies who lunch" get off complaining about a shortage of time?!), I'm too short (I swore to myself several years ago I would never hem another pair of pants as long as I live, so help me G_d), AND a I'm a wee bit claustrophobic. The end result is that I limit my shopping to just three stores that actually give me a fighting chance of going home with something, since they all have decent professional petite lines.

Mind you, one Ann Taylor Loft is not like another. I can go to their store in Wayne and find the right size and style, but nothing on sale. The branch in Randolph has a miniscule petite section, ergo only random items fit, and again no sales here.

But the glorious branch at Bowling Green has that rare confluence of clothes that fit and are rather cheaply had. And I think I've discovered why: its proximity to Chinatown. Tiny people, these Chinese ladies. And I'm not just surmising- I see the clientele and am proud to report that I officially tower over many of them. Which is a not too common (and very rewarding) experience for someone who tops out at 5'2". And since there are so many of us short people shopping there, the petites do often overflow onto the sales rack. Everytime I leave that store I think "Jackpot!".

As much as I credit this particular Ann Taylor Loft store with bringing me back into the consumerist fold, I have to say another reason I am eager to do some shopping downtown is because the walk there is so much fun. For me. Because I'm a history geek. And the place is teeming with history!

I have a route I follow on the way to ATL: I wend my way over to Broadway just north of Trinity Church, at Wall Street. I head straight into the churchyard and swing by Alexander Hamilton's gravesite, to give him a hearty "hello". Once a New Yorker, always a New Yorker, right Hammy? Then its back out to the street where I proceed down Broadway along the Canyon of Heroes, stopping now and then to check out the ticker tape memorial plaques embedded in the sidewalk. Look- there's one for Amelia Earhart! What a babe.

The Standard Oil Building is next, where Broadway curves a bit. Here the "Bull" statue stands in the center median- not the safest place for tourists to hang out. Don't step off that curb- the cabbies will take you down as they barrel around the bend!, I always want to scream out. But that hint of danger doesn't stop them because they have an important task at hand. I always pause to marvel at the visitors from around the world who come to NYC to have their photos taken with the bull's behind. People are people, aren't they? I don't care what language they speak or garb they put on in the morning- everyone likes a good potty joke.

I always make time to dash across and give its nose a rub for good luck (in the stock market). Yup, the Wall Street crowd is a superstitious bunch. I try to do my part.

And finally, I reach Bowling Green and the Ann Taylor Loft store.

When I'm finished shopping, I carry my loot east on Beaver and take a left turn onto Broad Street, heading north past the New York Stock Exchange on my way home. It feels like the center of the universe here: power, money, solid buildings, history. And the milling tourists seem to think so too.