I make the Old Market look like a flower shop:
But there wasn't any other thing worth my camera's dying battery, so voila. My obsession with flowers... Though I really believe the first's some sort of vegetable. Beautiful, nonetheless.
Really, nothing much at the Old Market, mainly because I realized I visited it before. The joke was on me because I kept thinking I've never visited the place. However, I did discover two gems. The first being Ted & Wally's ice cream. It was sensational. The two flavors I picked were Cantaloupe and French Almond Custard, mix 'em together and an eruption of flavor dances in the mouth. It. was. divine.
The other place of interest gave me these:
Jackson St. Booksellers. It is officially my favorite place on the face of the Earth, after NYC's Topman store. I sincerely cannot express my wonder at the countless books crammed, stacked and piled in this narrow bookstore. And the smell, GAWD I cannot forget the smell, is so wonderfully edifying. Granted, none of the books here were new, but who gives a damn when I can find out-of-print editions and signed first editions here?
I even spotted a signed, leather bound Joy Luck Club by Amy Tan. To all who know me, I'm stating it explicitly here: If you're thinking of a birthday present for me that's coming up in two weeks, get. me. that. book. The bookstore was literally a pirate's treasure cove, and I lavished myself in all its loot. I spent the entire time allotted by the trip at this place. I don't regret it.
And here's the one book that I absolutely had to get:
A 1968 Heritage Press edition of Oscar Wilde's short stories. I was in a state of euphoria. Most alluringly, it was only priced at $10. I bought it without a moment's waste. It was also in mint condition, with a small pamphlet slipped in the first page, stating its origins, and amplifying its authenticity. I was in love.
Oh, the agony when I heard the store was about to close in ten minutes, but I was content, not entirely satisfied, but content, with the selection of books I walked out with. I need to get back to this bookstore before my winter break, grab a couple more collectibles, and read my holidays away in a Californian sunset.
Sigh... If only they offer shipping. Then again, that would be hurtful to my bank account.
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