excursion to long island city

i don't know how to start this post off . . chanda dragged me to long island city to the freed store there. she wanted to try on pointe shoes and perhaps have one customized for her.


being the manhattan snob that i am, i was not happy about being dragged out to long island city to spend money on pointe shoes. but i went . . and it was a nice trip. as you can see, LIC is more open, with views of manhattan in the west.


waiting for the pointe shoe fitting person to arrive . .

she's happy because she's been wanting to do this all winter . .


a shoe ready to soon be discarded . . i think . . but it does look well loved, doesn't it?


going over the options with kristen, usa sales associate and fitter.


i couldn't help but take notes of the conversation . . in my last post about pointe shoes i mentioned how the pointe shoe maker chanda liked (rising sun) was no longer making shoes in london, but had returned to japan, and the other maker she liked wasn't available because so many dancers were buying his shoes that there just hasn't been time to make a pair for chanda . . (ahem) . . so she's really on the prowl here for a new maker that her feet will like.

kristen:

ah, so you like maker l and maltese cross . . well maker l is restricted now and so is maltese cross, but we should be able to find you some shoes that are good . . and you like the pitch of the classic pros?

chanda: yes. i really liked rising sun too but his shoes didn't pitch and i couldn't turn in them.

kristen: oh! that's interesting!

(yeah!!! that IS interesting!?!!?)

(she brings out several pairs of shoes . . hearts, a's, and z's . . butterflies . . stars . . . . )

z is closest to l . . he has a little longer wait time but he's not restricted . . seven months . . that's not so bad.

(oh, right. not soooo bad . . ???)

butterfly is just a little more round and it pulls a bit . . here is star . . star is a little square . . he's also a little glue happy when he makes his shoes . .

(hmmmmm . . . . )

(a was too narrow, heart twisted too much, as did butterfly . . star . . um, maybe star twisted too . . now . . . how about z? ay yi yi!!)

z is more blocky. you won't need to change the vamp . . but let's see if we can find you someone else . . . .

(she goes into the back storeroom and comes out with: castle)

now castle is very long but i think you will like the blockiness of them . . he also likes to use a lot of glue and a thicker shank.

(oh my goodness! these makers are so idiosyncratic! are they artists??!! you know what? I'D like to make pointe shoes! just like how i would also like to make violins!! and for a post about making violins click here).


so what was the outcome? z ended up being perfect . . no changes needed to be made so we came away with one pair . . but she did request a customization for castle; the vamp measurement will be made shorter. these shoes should arrive for trial in two months and they can be shipped to the apartment so we don't have to traipse into pretty LIC . . after wearing them for a week or two she'll call kristen with either a request for another change (you're allowed three changes) or a request to have several pairs made and shipped to her (there's a four month wait). exciting, eh?


i was happy to be back home again in the village . . !


and chanda talked me into having lunch at hudson cafe . . yeah, she didn't have to twist my arm very much . . we had quiche with wild rice salad and brussel sprout salad. i decided to make the wild rice salad for lunch at the waldorf coop on monday. however, i think greg and chanda will end up making it since i have to go to CT for the weekend . .