A year ago today by the date (July 11th was actually Sunday, last year) I left for my two week vacation in Florida.
saw lots 'n' lots of my beloved palm trees!
*Le Sigh* as I think back to that trip.
file photo, july 22nd, marco island
Oh, to be back again, this year.
I had just a blast, the entire fourteen days I was down there.
How could I not? Sun, surf, sand, shopping, exploring, relaxing…it was my idea of the perfect vacation.
This blog post, “…And We’re Off,” is the first in the Florida series, in case you’d like a look back at the fun ‘n’ games from Day #1. I blogged every day on that trip, from Tampa thru Sarasota, down to Naples and Marco Island, then back up again to Tampa. My Florida trip was chalk full of New Experiences: first-ever car rental; hotel check-in; Whole Foods hot-bar lunch; Target shopping spree…I bet I had 41 New Experiences in those two weeks, alone!
Good. Times.
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Yesterday afternoon, I paid a visit to my nearest Chapters bookstore:
a landmark at king and weber streets!
It had been a while since I’d been up there. I try not to go too often, because I so easily am sucked right in by their displays, marketing techniques, and enticing product:
i'm a pushover for journals, notebooks, bright paper goods...
I ♥ Chapters! I do support my local independent bookstore (Words Worth Books) with most of my book purchases, but nothing beats hanging out in Chapters for a relaxing, bookworm-y experience. I decided that Chapters beats the library in numerous ways:
- longer hours (the library is closed Sundays in the summer, too)
- Starbucks right in-store!
...while the library features a water fountain!
- brand new, latest-issue magazines vs dog-eared, pages-ripped out copies [can’t complain, I am guilty of doing this with library mags – oops!]:
name a magazine, it's here...i didn't even take time to flip through ANY, yesterday!
- bigger selection of up-to-date running publications:
anyone here read "running on empty?" i want to...
- You can be louder in Chapters than in the library – and keep your Blackberry turned on!
Chapters was super-busy Sunday aft. Now, I actually do have a couple of gift cards to spend, but I wasn’t in a buying mood. I was in a mosey-ing about mood.
maybe IF I HAD A BEACH TO SIT ON, i would have purchased a couple of trashy romances at 80% off!
Don’t need a yoga mat!
love these bright colours, though
If you haven’t yet read this book…
...bump it to the top of your summer reading list! trust me!
It had been a while since I’d been up to the Children’s Dept…wow, when did Chapters become a veritable toy store? The non-book-related inventory is 1000% larger than last time I was up here!
i mentally spent $600 on little e and baby c....
Now I want to go back soon some evening and read magazines. Or some afternoon…and next time I’ll sit down with a coffee!
What’s your favourite store to chill out at AND/OR what store tempts you to spend too much money? Interestingly, I don’t spend that much time just window-shopping at the mall. Chapters or Michaels are places where I like to wander around and can lose track of time. Although I will HAVE to get up to Conestoga Mall in the next couple weeks to spend my Groupon at Old Navy!
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Comments
Chapters is a cute name for a bookstore! I love bookstores – big and small. I haven’t read The Help, but hear it’s a must-read!
Pretty much any bookstore will entertain me for hours. I also like going to new supermarkets….seeing the different food..although I wouldn’t hang out there like at a book store.
A lot of our grocery stores also have quite the selection of books! That would be for you, zo! 🙂
I go nuts in book stores. I have so many journals put away for future use that I won’t live long enough to use them all up – and still I buy more. It would be tragic to need to write something and not have a journal to put it in. Wouldn’t it? Would love to spend time browsing in your Chapters store. That magazine rack alone would be worth the trip. I’m a magazine junkie in places like that.
It’s fabulous because they have comfy seats where you can read magazines…why would you need to buy them?!
Love that you have a whole collection of journals-fancy paper for grocery lists!?
Totally the same store! I love that place and almost always come out with something (I too, try to buy most of my books at Wordsworth, though!). I really want to get my hands on a copy of The Help!
let me know if you read the help, tricia (i’d lend you a copy, but the one i read was borrowed!). then we can meet uptown and have a book chat! 🙂
Bookstores are definitely tempting for me to go into — I also love journals and desk accessories. But my favorite store to go into is Pier 1 or any furniture/accessory store — I just love smelling the candles, looking at the dishes, etc. I could spend tons of time there.
there’s a store in uptown here called ‘earthwinds’ that is like an indy pier 1 – i love going in there just for the smell of incense and scented candles. pier 1 – yes, great spot!
Ahhhh, your Chapters looks like our Barnes and Noble. I love being in there, yet I hardly ever go because I buy most of my books used. I do love that they have starbucks and wi-fi, and big comfy chairs (and my closest B&N is about 2 blocks away). Then right next door to that is Michaels! I spent an hour or so in Michaels on Saturday morning…and found something new and fun to play with — decoupage 🙂
…and you know I love Florida!!! I am heading back there in two weeks, but to disney…so it’s not really like a “florida” vacation. I think in a few years I will definitely be living in Florida—and my prediction is the west coast. Marco Island would be great, but maybe not practical to live there! Anyway… you can come visit me when I’m there, and we’ll find a barnes and noble to drink starbucks and read magazines in!
yes! chapters is exactly like b&n – i visited a couple of them in florida, and they’re peas in a pod. that is just so fantastic that you envision moving to florida in the not-too-distant future. you’d love a certain blogger to live with y’all for six months at a time, wouldn’t you?! wow! so glad you’ve got disney on the horizon. hope you blog about decoupage – i love that look!