The first weekend of December brings things. If you're like me and try to avoid the holidays as much as possible, those things aren't great. For example, Christmas music: unavoidable. It can also bring cold cold weather to town, but fortunately this weekend was incredibly mild (continuing into today; I wore just a t-shirt and leggings home from work). But it will always bring cookies. Up and down Butler street and other nearby locales in Lawrenceville.
The idea behind the Cookie Tour is great: encourage people to shop locally for the holidays by offering free cookies at each shop throughout an entire neighborhood. OMG. This is, like, way better than going to the mall. [hair flip] (Or shopping online. Unless I'm buying my dad tickets to an event, which is generally what I give him for the holidays now, a bunch of weird events in Pittsburgh he might not otherwise get to experience. Remember Strata?)
The best way to start any holiday shopping venture (cause you can hit up Butler Street any weekend between now and the big day, there will just be fewer cookies along the way) is with a quick carbo-load from La Gourmandine. I picked up a cinnamon roll and a bit of brioche.
I didn't go for the coffee option here, as I knew Espresso a Mano was down the road and in my future. We hit up a good number of stores on our trip down Butler: 720 Records, Pavement, Pageboy, and one of the furniture stores. At the new record store, Rather Ripped Records, I found what appeared to be an Allison-like heaven:
A corner of used CDs, prices $2 each or 3 for $5, all mostly from the 90s.
I don't think I even have a working CD player, but I picked up the Spin Doctors, Starship, and an album by a band I don't even know, but the title of the album was Zombies! Aliens! Vampires! Dinosaurs! What? Don't act surprised.
At Divertido I bought myself a nice-smelling candle, as cold weather brings closed windows, and closed windows bring the constant fear that my apartment smells something terrible. One of my favorite shops in Pittsburgh, Wildcard, was crazynuts inside. Close to panic-inducing crowded. But I braved it and picked up a t-shirt for my brother (don't worry; I don't think he reads this), a bookmark for a faraway friend, and a set of letter stamps and an inkpad for myself!
What?! Listen. I have to get through the holidays somehow. And, like last year, I'll do it by indulging myself in a new craft. Be prepared to be barraged with photos of stamped/stitched creations soon, friends.
So, where are the cookies? Well, as with the stamped/stitched creations, they are forthcoming all month. I've decided another way to survive December will be through baking cookies. I'm hoping to do two batches a week. Be prepared to be barraged with ooey-gooey cookies soon, friends.
You had me at "new record store."
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