successfully shopped for a winter coat

[redbird]

I decided a few months ago that I wanted to buy a new parka early in the winter coat shopping season, while there was plenty of choice. So I went out to LL Bean this morning. The trip is bus to subway to bus, or three buses, but straightforward except for the unexpected wait for the 73 bus.

I found a helpful saleswoman, and told her that I wanted a parka, with a hood and pockets, for dealing with a Boston winter. She brought me a few things to try; I liked one, and asked if they had other colors than brick red. Happily, they do and it wasn't in stock in Burlington, so they are shipping it to me, and I didn't have to schlep a heavy coat around on my way home. I also bought a bag of chocolate covered blueberries, and three pairs of socks, having noticed that SmartWool is making solid-colored socks again.

After shopping at LL Bean, I took the bus to Arlington Center, where I had lunch and then a cup of tea. The staff at Caffe Nero were friendly and helpful: when I pulled out my paper Caffe Nero card, with eight stamps out of nine, and asked if they were still taking those, she said yes, and gave me my tea for free, rather than charging me for it and handing me a fully stamped card.

Looking around while I waited for my tea to steep, I was thinking "this is why we're not dining inside restaurants right now": lots of people who had settled in, unmasked, with laptops, and at least one making a phone call. But I sat outside to drink my tea, took a short bus trip to East Arlington to buy coffee for cattitude, and then home. Amusingly, I got the roughly monthly email about the MBTA customer survey while I was on the 350 bus, so my "most recent trip" was one I almost never take, Burlington to Belmont with two stops in Arlington.

Comments

[thistleingrey]

SmartWool is making solid-colored socks again

Ooh, that's good to know. I like some of the patterned ones visually, but they wear out faster IME.

[pameladean]

That's been my experience with the patterned ones as well. I really love all the striped ones, but I don't think that they wear out faster just because I like them more.

P.

[pameladean]

L.L. Bean makes very good coats, and it sounds like they have good customer service where you went, too.

It also sounds as if you are recovered from your cough, given your list of stops and errands. That is really good.

P.

[minoanmiss]

Excellent hunting!

[coth]

Both B and I did Transport For London surveys about pre-, current and post-pandemic use of modes of transport yesterday - it was fairly exhaustive in its way, and quite tedious. It took B about 45 minutes because he was at home all day on the sample day. It took me 80 minutes, because it included going step-by-step through Monday when I did two trips on foot and bus in the local area, one out-and-back, the other to Post Office, clinic and shop before returning home, which was actually a very typical weekday for me. They did give vouchers for the time, but I let them give mine to charity.

[rafiwinters]

Do you happen to know how big LL Bean's coat sizes go to?

[redbird]

Not offhand, sorry.

I do know that the store I went to, which is big, didn't have the full range of styles or, I think, sizes, at least on display. It's probably worth looking at the catalog online or calling them to ask, and then go try things on if you want. And asking how big the selection is in the store you'd be going to, unless you're planning on a trip to Freeport, Maine.

[rafiwinters]

I'm not even sure there are any LL Bean stores around here (in RI). Of course could look them up. But going to Freeport isn't real likely, unless we go up to Maine to visit some cousins of mine who live there.

[adrian_turtle]

They have plus sizes going to 3X, which they say is 24-26. (Their XL or 1X usually looks like it should fit me, but is always wrong in one dimension or another.)

[rafiwinters]

"Wrong in one dimension or another." So common and such a PAIN!

[cmcmck]

Something I'm going to need too!

[otter]

I like the sound of chocolate covered blueberries!

I like LL Bean, and Eddie Bauer. I still sometimes wear the EB parka my mother bought for me 40 years ago. I hated the color then, and it was huge on me as a teenager. Now, I've nearly doubled in weight and it fits just fine on those super cold days when I need it for shoveling snow.

[redbird]

I bought a new parka because the previous one no longer fits (I was heavier when I bought it). I need to take a closer look at it, and see if it's too worn out to be worth donating to charity, or whether the only problem is the layer of cat hair.

[otter]

Cats do let a person know they belong to them :)