Happy shopping!

A little known fact about Pompeii: Among the finds of the archeologists who unearthed this once-thriving metropolis buried in the fury of Mt. Vesuvius' ashes were the frozen-in-time denizens still waiting patiently on line for the big annual sale at The Shops at Caesar's Palace, hence the origin of the phrase, "shop til you drop." No, I didn't think you'd buy this story either, but it does illustrate how seriously all, well, some of us take our shopping!

I am an inveterate shopper (note I did not say wildly successful at ferreting out bargains -- sadly this gene which I should have inherited from my shopping maven grandmother skipped me entirely and went directly to my daughter).

Having exhausted (slight exaggeration) the stores on Long Island (my original home turf) and relocated several years ago to Central Jersey (truly the shopping capital of the world!), I am still in my honeymoon period of exploring locations that are new, different, quirky, reliable, unusual, "mom 'n pop", historic and so on. Places that are almost hidden right under my nose and if it weren't for a conveniently-placed red light I would never notice (like the Courtyards at Pluckemin or The Shops at Bedminster).

In all seriousness, while I do shop the big box stores, I am a big proponent of our downtowns--this is where the real finds are often unearthed. Enough out of me in this maiden effort; please post suggestions of where you enjoy shopping around here, which places merit a mention and etc. I see this blog as a great opportunity to unearth brick & mortar as well as web-based shopping destinations in this region (and it will further expand my driving directional skills in the Garden State for which my husband will give his grateful thanks.) Happy Shopping!