These boots were made for--well, everything
One of our first stops after we get into Pittsburgh and try to get a good night's sleep (and any amount of sleep we can get that first night is good) is an independently owned shoe store in Squirrel Hill called Little's.
It's probably funny that shoe shopping is that high on our priority list. Born from necessity, it is something we all look forward to doing that first full day, sometimes even in the morning soon after their doors open.
Both Myles and Randy have extremely wide feet, with high arches, making them both extremely hard to fit. Most Chinese shoe stores do not stock shoes that would come close to fitting either of them. When we are in Hong Kong we've been able to buy trainers in wide sizes for Myles at an American-brand athletic gear store, but other than these rare times, shoe shopping has to wait until we get back to the US.
I have a different fit problem, but related to Myles' and Randy's as my feet are also outside of the Chinese sizes. I have rather large feet. Ever since my early days in Shenzhen, I knew that finding shoes in my size in China would be nearly impossible. Often in department stores I am offered men's shoes, and not even remotely feminine or even androgynous shoes. A few weeks ago I went into Beijing's Ugg store to browse the new arrivals. I was not-so-politely reminded by a sales assistant that the boots I liked best only came in women's sizes (emphasis hers). I've been told this before but usually in a more apologetic tone. Culturally I don't get their meaning. What are they trying to tell me, I'm not exactly sure. Nor do I understand why they think that I would accept their offer to shop in the men's department.
So our arrival in Pittsburgh, twice a year, is usually the time for most of our family to need new shoes, especially sandals in the summer and boots in the winter. Myles has long since anticipated this, even talking about it on the planeride. Brigid seems to be catching on as well. Yesterday morning she kept asking "Get new boots? Get new boots, too?"
And we all got new warm boots, except for Randy, who still loves the Uggs he bought at Little's last year. Even though they don't look like regular Uggs, I still teased him a little about buying this brand. He had the last laugh when his feet were warm in his unheated office the rest of the Beijing winter. I started looking into Uggs for myself this fall (which lead to the exchange above), and I was as excited as Myles and Brigid at the thought of getting new boots yesterday morning, too. I found a purple water-proof pair. With the sheepskin lining they are unbelievably warm. They will get me through a few poorly heated Beijing winters (as well as snow play in the US!).
Occasionally I look at getting pretty shoes for myself. I fantasize about wearing them into Chinese department stores, if only to prove that I really could wear women's shoes. My problem, though, is either living in Shenzhen or Beijing, I found the environments completely brutal to our shoes. I can't bear the thought of buying something pretty and watching them fall apart before my eyes. Additionally, the lack of heating in so many places where I might be tempted to wear pretty shoes (like church) leads me to need something more practical. But at least I got them in purple!
It's probably funny that shoe shopping is that high on our priority list. Born from necessity, it is something we all look forward to doing that first full day, sometimes even in the morning soon after their doors open.
Both Myles and Randy have extremely wide feet, with high arches, making them both extremely hard to fit. Most Chinese shoe stores do not stock shoes that would come close to fitting either of them. When we are in Hong Kong we've been able to buy trainers in wide sizes for Myles at an American-brand athletic gear store, but other than these rare times, shoe shopping has to wait until we get back to the US.
I have a different fit problem, but related to Myles' and Randy's as my feet are also outside of the Chinese sizes. I have rather large feet. Ever since my early days in Shenzhen, I knew that finding shoes in my size in China would be nearly impossible. Often in department stores I am offered men's shoes, and not even remotely feminine or even androgynous shoes. A few weeks ago I went into Beijing's Ugg store to browse the new arrivals. I was not-so-politely reminded by a sales assistant that the boots I liked best only came in women's sizes (emphasis hers). I've been told this before but usually in a more apologetic tone. Culturally I don't get their meaning. What are they trying to tell me, I'm not exactly sure. Nor do I understand why they think that I would accept their offer to shop in the men's department.
So our arrival in Pittsburgh, twice a year, is usually the time for most of our family to need new shoes, especially sandals in the summer and boots in the winter. Myles has long since anticipated this, even talking about it on the planeride. Brigid seems to be catching on as well. Yesterday morning she kept asking "Get new boots? Get new boots, too?"
And we all got new warm boots, except for Randy, who still loves the Uggs he bought at Little's last year. Even though they don't look like regular Uggs, I still teased him a little about buying this brand. He had the last laugh when his feet were warm in his unheated office the rest of the Beijing winter. I started looking into Uggs for myself this fall (which lead to the exchange above), and I was as excited as Myles and Brigid at the thought of getting new boots yesterday morning, too. I found a purple water-proof pair. With the sheepskin lining they are unbelievably warm. They will get me through a few poorly heated Beijing winters (as well as snow play in the US!).
Occasionally I look at getting pretty shoes for myself. I fantasize about wearing them into Chinese department stores, if only to prove that I really could wear women's shoes. My problem, though, is either living in Shenzhen or Beijing, I found the environments completely brutal to our shoes. I can't bear the thought of buying something pretty and watching them fall apart before my eyes. Additionally, the lack of heating in so many places where I might be tempted to wear pretty shoes (like church) leads me to need something more practical. But at least I got them in purple!
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