She picked me up in her (cute) bug convertible and we drove downtown. I don't go to Minneapolis/St. Paul enough. As Ingrid so wisely pointed out, there is a huge unknown world right at our fingertips, and we should embrace it and experience it as much as we can. So we did...quite a bit. I wore my overalls that day.
First stop was the World Market. Ingrid's taken me here before. It's a huge conglomeration of different shops and fast food restaurants from different countries. We got the mexican food this time around, which, to me, just tasted like regular ol' mexican food but apparently it's quite legitimate so I'm fine either way. It tasted good, and the salsa was really spicy. Hooray!
Next was a store called Everyday People. It's a second-hand store, and as we all know, I love things cheap. I finally found a purse for ten dollars that matched my style, yet could be worn discreetly if the need arose. It's just a nice purple thing with a floral tapestry print on the front and a fuzzy black fringe on the bottom. Of course, purple is my favorite color, and I liked the romance of the floral print so I got it. If I want something less indie, I can use my leather purse that I already have. In the meantime, it's a decent size with a long shoulder strap, just the way I like it. It's perfect.
Ingrid got herself this amazing tye-dye dress (for Pride) and a cute gray baret hat. She works it quite well.
While we waited for Chino Latino to open, we trekked down to a random outlet book store that sold the most random titles I have ever seen. Hardly any of it was mainstream or ever made a best-seller list. I didn't realize just how many books there were in the world until I made my way to the basement of that packed book shop. Man alive.
We also stopped by Mac just so I could see the Lady Gaga VivaGlam AIDS fund Lipstick that I really want but it's fourteen dollars and there's no WAY I'd spend fourteen dollars on a tube of lipstick. Maybe someone can get it for me for my birthday or something...
Our final stop before Chino Latino was Ragstock where I got these AWESOME white plastic GoGo boots. I love them to PIECES and I have just the right top to work them with. They were, regrettably, thirty dollars but I think it's money well-spent. I just have to not spend another dime from now 'til doomsday in order to keep myself afloat in this world.
Adding to my financial regrets, Chino Latino was an excellent restaurant... and a very pricey one. I didn't realize until I got there just how much I would be spending on the side, the main course, the drink, and then the dessert. 25 dollars just isn't in my wallet to spend!
BUT the food was great. We had potstickers, some rice and vegetables, a mango drink, and fried ice cream (my favorite part).
The thing about Chino Latino is this: It's got a nice embiance to it. It's dark, with mood candlelight. The waitresses were very nice, very helpful. The drinks were fancy... we saw a couple margaritas come out with real flowers sticking out of them; one girl even ordered a drink that was served in a real pineapple. We also sat near the sushi chefs, which was quite fun. Yes, it was a higher-class restaurant, methinks.
There are some things about the restaurant that were a little... let's say, Adult. First off, I thought it was rather funny how the entrance was basically a dark room, about five feet by seven feet in length, with almost no light whatsoever. We wondered to ourselves what might have gone on in that room after hours. Then there was the very nice greeter who's first question was, "Here for happy hour?" We saw a few Chino Latino staff walk by in some interesting shirts, including one that said "Wanna Bangkok?" I can't help but laugh at the pun, crude as it may be.
Things got better! After the meal, we got some fortune cookies. Mine read thus:
All in all, a great trip. I stepped out of my comfort zone, tried some new things, and got a few laughs with a good friend. A day well spent. A day well spent indeed.
No comments:
Post a Comment