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<p>[QUOTE=&quot;silverthwaite II, post: 238792, member: 4291&quot;]From the memory bank:</p><p><br /></p><p>My favorite shopping day (aged 6 onward) was to go with my grandmother on the trolley to 69th street in Philadelphia.&nbsp; A short walk through the station brought us to the shoe polish man (Loved that!), and then to the subway.&nbsp; First to Gimbel&#039;s, to shop and wander a bit until it was time to meet my Great Aunt, who was the Buyer for the Silver Department.&nbsp; (See, it&#039;s in my genes!)&nbsp; Then the three of us went to the dining room for lunch.&nbsp; The dining room had 18&#039; ceilings with enormous long windows with pale yellow silk draperies; there were tablecloths and silver and crystal, and chicken-salad-sandwiches-on-white-toast for me.&nbsp; Dessert was often doubled, as there was a tiny closet sort of space outside the dining room that made macaroons -- the kind with long strands -- to serve fresh and still hot.</p><p><br /></p><p>Afterward, we went to Wannamakers&#039;s to shop some more, and, if it were Christmas time, we stood by the Eagle (I think it may be much bigger than the Wall Street bull), to sing carols with my grandmother&#039;s friends (Professionals, like her) who appeared up on the balcony with the giant organ. (And It WAS huge!)</p><p><br /></p><p>After that we usually went to the nativity play in Wannamaker&#039;s theatre, where I could hobnob afterward with all the above-mentioned singers.</p><p><br /></p><p>The last visit was around the corner to Leary&#039;s Bookshop, which snuggled up to Wannamaker&#039;s on a cobblestoned street.&nbsp; Bins of books on the outside, and troodles of goodies on the inside, usually including a Nancy Drew for me.</p><p><br /></p><p>On the way home, I pillowed my head on my grandmother&#039;s huge fox fur collar...and napped.&nbsp; <img src="styles/default/xenforo/smilies/smile.png" class="mceSmilie" alt=":)" unselectable="on" /></p><p><br /></p><p>The only thing that marred the day was getting thirsty.&nbsp; All the stores had water fountains, of course, but Philadelphia water is absolutely VILE.&nbsp; In later years, I figured that somehow we were getting the runoff from the Manhattan Project.[/QUOTE]</p><p><br /></p>

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