holy-cow.se : Seven Days of Dee

Day Four, Monday–Shop til you drop

This morning turned cooler and sunny, so the first order of business was a 20 mile bike ride along the lakefront bike path. Besides the exercise, the bike path has wonderful views of the city skyline. Then breakfast, and get dressed to go out.

Today’s outfit was another top I bought while shopping with Kandi in Cleveland, paired with a white skirt, polka dot tights/pantyhose, and boots. I also carried a pair of white flats and a pair of black flats to handle most of the walking.

I boarded the bus for downtown Chicago and departed on State Street. My first stop was at Sephora for my favorite lip liner (I generally only use one color lipstick, because it works for me).

The next stop was Nordstrom Rack, to try on shoes, dresses, and a couple of tops. While I was trying things on, I was taking pictures and sending them via Facebook Messenger to a GG friend of mine who is rehabbing from a broken bone in her leg. She likes seeing me dressed and offers comments. She texted she was living vicarously through me (I also texted my pastrami sandwich and fries to her, figuring it was probably more appealing than the food at her rehab location). I asked if she had any requests, and she wanted legs, so after a while I concentrated on choosing shorter dresses.

After Nordstrom Rack it was across the street to Macy’s, for lunch, and then trying clothes on. The State Street Macy’s is like being a kid in a candy shop for a CD; too many choices. For a CD, there are three main advantages of going to Macy’s:

1. Lots of nice stuff on discount (including Calvin Klein and Tommy Hilfiger);
2. Multiple areas for changing rooms (so you can generally find one that has no one in it); and
3. Minimal staff, so you are left alone.

Most CDs prefer to fly under the radar (Kandi is definitely one of the exceptions), so Macy’s is a good opportunity to try stuff on with minimal engagement with others. [Editorial comment: I don’t go out of my way to be noticed, I just don’t avoid it.]

Between the Rack and Macy’s, I probably tried on 40 to 50 different dresses. There were several dresses I liked, but as I will be here for three more days (and having bought two items already), I wasn’t ready to buy anything yet.

After Macy’s, I walked towards Michigan Avenue and found the spot along the river for a selfie with the city as the backdrop. That selfie turned out pretty well.

I wandered to Nordstrom, tried on another eight or so dresses, including one I really liked, but still holding off buying. From there it was a walk to the Cheesecake Factory for dinner, then the bus home, getting back about 10:30.

Upon arriving, I realized my room key wasn’t working. Return to the front desk, pull out my guy ID (“I look a little different in the picture”), and the desk guy says dress how you want and then added “you look fabulous “. I just said flattery will get you everywhere and headed to my room.