San Jose

I'm in love with downtown San Jose (it reminds me a lot of downtown Boston). I can't get enough of it. It's a shop-a-holics paradise. So many stores, so many bargains, so little time. I can spend all day there.

I went to San Jose yesterday. Main purpose: to buy all natural organic hair products. My destination place was the Mercado Central, the central market: shoppers beware, this place is a dream and will suck you in the way it does me. A million stores jam packed into an octagonal (it seems to me anyway) space, crammed closely together with barely enough room for a long passageway path for shoppers to walk. And if you don't know your where-abouts, you can get lost. I did, but only for seconds. However, get lost. It's fun and you'll come upon new, more interesting stores to shop in.

I was able to find the store I was looking for fairly quickly. However, I was in San Jose, so I wasn't just gonna go to the central market and then head home. I had to make a few pit stops along the way.... Universal, El Sotano, El Gallo, Toys, to name a few. I was having so much fun, mostly window shopping, I completely lost track of time... not to worry though, the kids were home with my mother in law... so I was all by myself *insert HUGE smile here* : )

I decided since I was in a great shopping central, I should start getting ideas for Christmas and price checking items on my list (you know, for the 'budget'). I was very pleased to see I had options in every price range on almost every item on my list. I even picked up a few items for Princess already: a toy phone and camera and a magna-doodle pad. I figured might as well get an early start on the things I can buy now so I don't have to do too much come December. My goal: to be done Christmas shopping for the kids by November so I can focus my attentions on other people.

Most stores are rapidly getting ready for the Christmas shopping season by stuffing their aisles jam packed with toys, new clothes, and the newest seasons shoes. New arrivals almost daily, it seems and I want in on that action. The air was so ripe downtown, I didn't want to leave.

It was more than just the shopping though. San Jose is just a fun place to be. So many people milling about, going to work, on their lunch break, tourists having lunch, mothers running errands, people selling 'boot-leg' products right on the street side. Fun!!!

I am counting down the days until I go back. I don't make it down there as often as I used to anymore. I have missed a lot.... some of my favorite stores are there. But I plan on making up for lost time in the next few weeks. So San Jose, here I come.