tote-ally.

I'm sitting here watching "You've Got Mail," and reminded how much I love, love, love books. Like I could really ever forget. When I was in high school, a great Friday or Saturday night was often a trip to Borders or B&N with a friend, staying out until they closed, laughing and talking and reading books with friends. In college, we also would go to Starbucks during the summer.....smoking clove cigarettes with iced chai, rambling about things we thought we knew so much about. In many ways, not too much has changed in those respects. All throughout grad school, friends and I would go to Starbucks or some other coffee place and talk about our lives and things we thought we knew about and what we thought we wanted. We still do. Post-workshop, when many people in most programs go to the bar, some friends and I would either go to Vine, a yummy sushi place, or to Starbucks, to decompress.

Anyway. Lost my train of thought. Books. I love Chapel Hill, but in the indie bookstore department, it can be lacking. McIntyre's, where I worked, is wonderful and amazing, but not in Chapel Hill and not open too late. Flyleaf is good, but I don't really go there that often, I'm not sure why. Something is just not as warm as McIntyre's. I think because many times whoever is working there isn't really super-personable, unfortunately. But Manhattan, now that's a great place for indie books. McNally Jackson, BookCulture (formerly Labyrinth, which it was when I lived across the street from it), Strand.

Strand Books. I am so intrigued by them. They're downtown, in Union Square. It's huge, for those of you who've never been there. The smell of paper and leather and old books is everwhere in the store. The last time I went there was in early November. I remember what I was wearing that day. Mainly because that was the day that my aunt was taken to the hospital. It was, as my dad said on the phone that day, "The beginning of the end." When I left the store I saw that I had multiple missed calls from him. I had gone there before meeting my friend M for a writing afternoon. There's a cute coffee shop right across from Strand with yummy macarons and coffee and friendly people.
The Strand has used books, new books, and everything in between. They sell Moleskines, Out of Print tees, totes, souvenirs for tourists, etc. It's a huge, dusty, musty, warehouse. The employees are surly hipsters who are usually too cool for you and are frustrated because their Comp Lit degrees and MFAs have enabled them to work for minimum wage. But that's okay, because you kind of still want their jobs anyway. I remember leaving the store with something like 12 books, a pen and a tote for less than $90. Their tagline is "18 Miles of books." As my family knows, taking me to a place like that means I can spend an inordinate amount of time there.
But really, for all the touristy stuff, I love their tote bags. Because who DOESN'T like totes? Who DOESN'T need totes? Especially living in NYC, where you carry your life with you at all times. But they've gotten a touristy rap. Which makes me sad. Because they're strong and well made and really cute. I have two. But I feel like I can only use them when I'm NOT in nyc. A McJ tote, fine. The Independent Booksellers of NYC tote? I use all the time. A BookCulture tote? Seen everywhere around Columbia. But something about the Strand tote makes it too touristy. Sad face.