Chapter 9: Rationalization of Mankind

Page 6

The Concierge at the Marriott recommended that I go check out the

Sharper Image store in the Galleria across the street. A couple of days earlier I had ventured out into the neighborhood to check out the lay of the land. This is fun just to find out what the local shopping area looks like. I had wandered down the street four blocks and just past half way is where I

had seen a huge Galleria sign [point “a”]. So that is where I thought the Galleria was located.

I wasn’t particularly interested in the Sharper Image store albeit their

catalogue is filled with very interesting products. I entered the Galleria at point “a” and proceeded down towards the Neiman Marcus store. The Galleria turned out to be a sprawling three level complex that occupies at least a four-block by two-block area. When I got down to point “b”, I found a directory and noticed that a B. Dalton bookstore was located close to the

Sharper Image store on the opposite end past Saks 5th Avenue. Bookstores are one of my favorite places to visit so the B. Dalton bookstore became my primary destination. In Minnesota, we have some large B. Dalton bookstores so I am familiar with them and their signage.

I never realized at the time that the direction I was heading was back towards the way that I came from. My wife is the navigator in the family. I am the adventurer. She likes to go boating but my desire to check out the

weedy lily patches and remote areas of the lake stresses her out. Likewise when I want to go off the paved road onto the dirt road, she doesn’t get very excited. And often I am on cruise control not really paying attention to the navigational details of the road. Just enjoying the cruise and the visual

aspects of local spots of interest. When I started walking towards the bookstore, I had no conscious awareness of its physical relationship to the Marriott. I didn’t even realize that the Saks 5th Avenue store was the same Saks’ sign that was directly across from the Marriott. Duh! I was just trying

to pass some time away before the airport shuttle arrived.

I meandered down the sprawling retail complex. Along the way toward B. Dalton, I stopped for a white-hot chocolate at the local cappuccino

cafe and also to observe some ice-skating in a lower level ice rink.