It takes a lot of courage to release the familiar and seemingly secure, to embrace the new.
But there is no real security in what is no longer meaningful.
There is more security in the adventurous and exciting, for in movement there is life, and in change there is power.
Alan Cohen
"Outside of a dog, a book is a man's best friend.
Inside of a dog, it's too dark to read."
Groucho Marx
The doors we open and close each day decide the lives we live.

Thursday, June 3, 2010

Wandering in Palermo Soho

Today was another sunny day, not too cool, just right. We dawdled a little, then got ourselves together and headed out to Palermo Soho.
This is very much like going to NYC Soho ( or at least the one I remember, over 6 years ago).
My God has it been that long ???!
We had a lovely older taxi driver, who played Tango music , it was like Tango's Greatest Hits.. beautiful. 
It was all we could do, not to grab each other and do a Sitting Down Tango in the back seat of a taxi.




Arriving at our destination, we saw that since a couple of weeks ago when we were there, they had again, closed familiar stores, opened new stores, moved old stores, opened more restaurants, cafes and bars and a few bakeries too.




                 image via Biddingtons




It is wonderful, how can one ever become bored with a place that is constantly changing and always seeming to be improving.

There are so many aspects of Enjoying a day in Palermo Soho.
The Place:
The old two - story buildings, some still housing families upstairs, downstairs they are boutiques, record shops, jewelers , handbag shops, shoe shops and , well, you get the pic
Some private homes are all gated and set back from the sidewalks, they are protected from intruders and graffiti jerks who do their best to mess up any nice clean unmarked surface.  




                  image via buenosairesperception






  * My new idea is for everyone to carry a can of something smelly and colorful .. unwashable dayglo green maybe. Lime green.
If you see someone painting anything with graffiti, spray them. 
Watch out for the eyes, but be sure to get the hair and face. Let them walk around with your silly words or stupid art on their face and see how we feel about our buildings and art being sprayed on by them.
(yes, I am strongly opinionated regarding this)




They have redone all the cobblestone streets, they are laid out in patterns, not so uneven and the sidewalks are wider, it is much easier and safer to walk and look in windows now. And so many windows to look in !
We looked at book shops and home stores and shoe stores and boutique after boutique and bags and jewelry. 


                                                                                                        
We stopped for coffee at a corner cafe and did some serious people watching.. dreadlocks and nose rings are popular ( still) and extremely short skirts over tights with boots at least to the knee, big sweaters over tight tight trousers/tights and boots .. scarves, always scarves and huge handbags are still popular.
That makes me happy, I went bag happy one day and got a few so I need to wear them out just a little more.
   We wandered in and out of the furniture and house wares shops ... almost as much fun as handbag shops.
Then we were on a street we don't go down often when we saw an old urn filled with flowers by a sign.
The sign said Paul.
When we arrived at the sign, we saw that it was in front of a small narrow passageway between two buildings.. ivy covered walls, moss on the ground, stepping stones leading you down the path between privet bushes in beautiful urns, antique birdcages, wonderful things, I wanted them all.

Arriving in an open space where a lady was putting cut roses into paper for someone ... huge yellow roses, we were not sure they were real they were so big and so perfect. They were real.
Pale pink with dark pink edges and white ones.
 and there were all these architectural elements lying about ... waiting for you to do whatever you wanted with them in your home, on your balcony.. in your garden.

The building/shop, seems to be a glass house .. we walked in and I was just enchanted !
It smelled good, it looked good, it felt good to be there. 
There was lovely music playing and everywhere you looked or walked were soft pillows covered in fur or velvet or antique lace. 
White dishes with crystal glasses on old wooden tables. 
Candles everywhere, sofas and chairs that if you sat down, it would take some persuasion to get you up again!

And everywhere was this lovely scent. 
The light fixtures were huge or small, modern or antique and there was a room just for a child. . 
There was a room with scents. I bought a few , not wanting to waste money on yet more stinky oils that I hoped would be nice .. These .. Jasmine and Green Tea .. are nice ! I will buy Orange next and Patchouli and Ginger. 
I bought room spray too .. I am one of those women who love scents .. what can I say ~
The store reminded me of ABC Home in NYC.. and also of Restoration Hardware and Pottery Barn.. but with better music .. in Español ~

Finally we had to tear ourselves away to get home and feed the doggie and walk him.
We went past the park where we saw the man lying on the ground yesterday. There was no sign of his having been there, none of the people were there from yesterday, so I will  believe that he got up after a while and brushed himself off and went home, vowing never ever to drink an entire bottle of wine at once.

I wish I had Smell-O-Vision but instead you can just imagine the scent of Jasmine and see what the rooms looked like at Paul .. ( did I mention he designs restaurants, homes, offices and stores ?)






















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