Two escapes, one destination

Lighting candles in front of my Cher shrine and praying to the weather gods ahead of time did little to help the situation. Shortly after arriving on a Saturday morning with my travel partner-in-crime, Patrick, the skies opened. We were walking toward Commercial Street when the thunder started rumbling and lightning streaked a violent gray sky. The clouds began unleashing the kind of rain that makes umbrellas a cruel joke. With soaked feet, ankles, and other parts, we ran into Utilities, the amazing kitchen store on Commercial Street. This was the game we played for the rest of the morning. The rain stopped, we attempted to run to the next store. The rain would start while we were outside, and we would again be trapped and soggy.

Rainy day deals

It didn’t take long before I was miserable, wet, and ready to head back to Boston. Instead, we ran to the Marc Jacobs store, where I picked up a $28 pair of rain boots. Because my socks were soaked, I bought a $10 pair of cashmere socks (such a bargain!), and I shelled out another $10 for a pair of underwear that I didn’t really need, but thought were kind of cool. Worried that my purchases were cutting into our food budget, Patrick said, “You’re not going to include these in the story, are you?’’ Instead of telling him that we could survive on cans of tuna fish for the weekend if I blew through our budget on cute underwear and overpriced cocktails, I smiled and assured him that we would be fine.

After changing into my new boots and socks in the store and feeling more content, we waited out the rain at Cafe Heaven, where I devoured a plate of dreamy French toast and listened to the locals gossip. Despite the miserable morning, I was enjoying the lackadaisical pace of a rainy day. Because the town was not over crowded, we were not competing for restaurant tables or bumping elbows with fellow out-of-towners while shopping. The weather had scared off even casual weekend visitors.