.........and I managed to squeeze the Getty in as well. My family lives in the Central Valley of California, halfway between SF and LA so this is why I decided to take that road trip of the CA Hermes stores. Also, because Shopmom made me feel guilty for not seeing her when I flew to CA for Thanksgiving.:shame: So first on the agenda, SF on Friday, when I had the pleasure of seeing Shopmom again and meeting a few other TPFers, who I will allow to reveal their identities themselves. So after a 4 hour drive I met these fine ladies and one fine gent at the SF store and did some fine enabling if I say so myself. I also got a look at a new bag called the Casa, which was done in waffle, and I think it felt like agneau. It was a pleasure meeting all you fine folks and truly enjoyed myself. After having lunch over Mexican food I drove 4 hours back home and rested for part 2 of HG's Hermes Road Trip. This morning I left for a 3.5 hour trip to LA, this time with my sisters for company.......if you can call it that. It was 3.5 hours of listening to them complain about my driving. First destination, SCP. They had 3 Kellys and of interest was a Trim II in toile/barenia. Very nice. So after that brief stop and a few covert pictures.........off to Beverly Hills. Traffic by this time was starting to pick up and it took a while, but we made it. They had a very nice 50cm alligator travel Birkin in black and it appears Manuela, the craftsperson is back. Again, more covert pictures and off we were. It was 2 pm and we had time to hit the Getty Center. The museum was packed! We had to park in auxiliary parking and take a shuttle over, but the good news was that it was free parking. The architecture in the Center is gorgeous! Designed in full travertine marble, which held a few fossils that we found, by Richard Meyer. There was a special exhibit on Icons of the Sinai which focused on Byzantine art and iconography in case anyone is interested. Also, this museum holds a fine, but small collection of furniture from the period of Louis XIV through the XVI, which is of special interest to a particular friend of mine. We viewed the gardens, had lunch, and watched the sun set over the Pacific. Then we trudged home another 4 hours. Pictures will be posted later, I promise, when I get back to NYC and have access to my computer where I can edit and downsize the photos myself. I also made a special purchase which I must post later which I know a certain member on here will truly enjoy.
I just wanted to add, and please do not take this the wrong way, it is not meant to be disrespectful to members who live in these areas, but I now understand after seeing these stores how difficult it is to get a Birkin in the rest of the country. The stores were nice, but inventory in each of these stores is woefully lacking. Again no offense to those members who live in these areas, but I now can say I truly feel your pain and frustration in trying to land a Birkin. We members who live in NYC are truly blessed to live by a store that has the inventory that it has. And I can see why so many members have questions regarding colors and leathers. There really is nothing to see and I will now no longer suggest to anyone that they go into their local store and try a bag on for size...........you may actually never get to see one. I also understand the special niche that resellers hold in this market. SF and LA are 2 of the largest cities in the US and if inventory is lacking, one can only imagine the difficulty in obtaining a bag in the rest of the country.
Pics to follow, I promise. Now off to bed..........I am flying back to NYC in the am.
I just wanted to add, and please do not take this the wrong way, it is not meant to be disrespectful to members who live in these areas, but I now understand after seeing these stores how difficult it is to get a Birkin in the rest of the country. The stores were nice, but inventory in each of these stores is woefully lacking. Again no offense to those members who live in these areas, but I now can say I truly feel your pain and frustration in trying to land a Birkin. We members who live in NYC are truly blessed to live by a store that has the inventory that it has. And I can see why so many members have questions regarding colors and leathers. There really is nothing to see and I will now no longer suggest to anyone that they go into their local store and try a bag on for size...........you may actually never get to see one. I also understand the special niche that resellers hold in this market. SF and LA are 2 of the largest cities in the US and if inventory is lacking, one can only imagine the difficulty in obtaining a bag in the rest of the country.
Pics to follow, I promise. Now off to bed..........I am flying back to NYC in the am.