Before our big gay cruise last month Paul and I spent a day in L.A., basically just driving around and visiting stores. We didn’t buy much (besides a bunch of records at Amoeba) but we did get to indulge in mind numbing fantasy shopping at some of our favorite clothing stores. Before we left Portland, I made a list of the stores at which said fantasy shopping would occur (*SIDENOTE*: I’m the type of person who obsessively makes lists and itineraries whenever I travel. I like my fun planned out in advance. Paul on the other hand prefers to just piss into the wind on vacation. This is a constant point of contention when we travel, but since Paul is the one who does the driving, he tends to win that particular argument by default. *END SIDENOTE*), and of course boutique Opening Ceremony held the number one spot.
I’ve wanted to visit since they opened their first location in NYC in 2002. Incidentally, that was about the same time that Paul and I moved away from the East coast. It took 5 years for Opening Ceremony to follow us to the West Coast, and then another two years for me to actually have an excuse to visit L.A. (which I hate and, in case you didn’t know, is the worst place. ever.)
When we got to the address, we were immediately confused by the building. It is HUGE, and has like 14 doors, none of which are labeled, and only two of which actually open. At one point we ended up standing in the area where they keep the dumpsters and a coffee can for employee cigarettes, furiously shaking a metal gate that led into an alleyway that maybe went to what might have been the entrance or at least the emergency fire escape?
Much like a good fantasy novel, the hero must complete a quest to claim their prize. They must travel great distances into ravaged enemy territory (*ahem, cough, L.A.*), facing successive challenges and making hard choices. We might not have been saving middle-earth, but our prize couldn’t have been more precious:
Awesome shoes.
Here are three of my favorites. If any Gaycondo readers are secret millionaires and feel like buying me a $350 present, the Opening Ceremony website would be a good place to start.
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