So very, very true . . .

[mojosmom]

Ann Behrens, Waterfront Journal
Thursday, April 27, 2006
Believe it or not, I had never taken a ferry from the Jersey City waterfront to Manhattan until recently, when my best friend Kelly whisked me off on my birthday for a celebratory surprise.

She didn't say where we were going, just that it would involve a ferry ride to partake in our favorite sport: Shoe shopping.

It was the sunniest day of the season. We took a train from Grove Street to Exchange Place, rode the mile-long escalator up to the promenade and strolled over to the Colgate Center Ferry Station. We got on the ferry and were in New York in two seconds flat having a snack in a sweet café in Battery Park.

To describe our destination? DSW as a shoe store is an understatement. Located in a skyscraper across from the World Financial Center it's so big it's mind-boggling. I've never seen so many shoes under one roof.

According to its Web site, DSW, which originated in Dublin, Ohio in 1991, has 203 stores nationwide. Most of their stores, certainly this one, have more than 30,000 pairs of shoes in more than 2,000 styles on display. You'll find this season's hottest brand names and designer styles for both men and women for 30 percent to 50 percent off retail.

And if that's not remarkable enough, wait until you discover all of these wild, wonderful shoes by cool companies like Nine West and red-hot designers such as Kenneth Cole and Beverly Feldman are at your fingertips. Neatly stacked under each design are shoeboxes, ripe for the picking, in different sizes. No need to wait for a salesperson, dive in and try on whatever you desire.

As we perused the aisles, admiring every cork wedge and bedazzling sandal, I looked for the one pair of shoes I couldn't live without. A fastidious shoe shopper, I can waltz into a shoe emporium, no matter how large, and choose the ultimate treasure via love at first sight.

After studying hundreds of shoes with the same intensity with which I look at fine art, I happened upon them. Basic in their simplicity, yet as multifaceted as an English garden. I tried on the black Thai silk flats by Rocket Dog with the 3D peach roses, chartreuse and lavender embroidered vines, and they were mine.

At this point we were beyond exhausted and in need of a cocktail ASAP. But we couldn't leave DSW until we checked out the sales rack, where edgy fashionistas find the best buys. The killer pair of Italian high heels by Franco Sarto matched Kelly's caramel suede jacket as if they were made to order.

She got them for a song: a sweet $80 lullaby marked down to an unbelievable $14.