Staying Sane In New Joizey

Hi everyone.

Right now, I'm unfortunate enough to be in the state of New Jersey for several days.  I'm here visiting my grandparents.  I love my grandparents-I'm pretty sure they're the only people left in the state whose heads aren't permanently encased in a shield of hairspray and who don't have ridiculous lawn ornaments outside of their house.

Other than my grandparents, there is one thing this godforsaken state has going for it: the mall.  I don't know what New Jersey's residents would do with themselves if it weren't for the mall.  The one near my grandma is huge and glitzy with bazillions of stores and some decent restaurants.  

I was surprised at how many of the stores in the mall I had never even heard of.  One of these stores, called Ruehl, was my favorite of the day.  The outside of the store looks like an old brick house with black windows...I was intrigued.  The inside had dim lighting, clothes folded on dark wood tables and black and white pictures of models.  Imagine Hollister for 30-year olds.  The women's clothes were pretty lame, same old A+F look, but the menswear had some great pieces, like thick long-sleeved shirts with big buttons offered in every color.  They also had some beautiful leather bags in the $300 range.  I later learned that the store is in fact a branch of A+F with a New York twist.

I also hit up Sephora for some much-needed makeup.  I walked away with some Stila concealer and some sweet purple metallic Urban Decay eye shadow.  I can't help but love a makeup brand who has eyeshadow colors such as "Stray Dog" and "Midnight Cowboy."

After an afternoon of shopping and walking through crowds of teenagers who badly needed haircuts, we headed for The Cheesecake Factory in the mall.   Everyone always raves about the Cheesecake Factory...I have yet to go.  Too bad the place was packed with an hour and a half wait.  There were tables next to the bar which were first come first serve, but whenever someone left a table, it was like watching vultures fight over a carcass.  

We opted for a nearby Chinese restaurant where we succeeded in pouncing on a bar table and shared some lemon chicken, curry noodles, crab dumplings and a sesame cucumber salad.  

After driving past strip malls and rows of identical plastic development houses, we made it back to my grandma's house where we were safe from the fake nails, ugg boots and gold chains peaking out from hairy chests.