tricia r.'s Profile

paolo carries luscious italian-made shoes that haunt me in my dreams.  yum yumness.  sort of on-trend and past it.  funky and classic at the same time.  actually not as expensive as other shoes i've lusted over, but i suppose that sort of thing is relative.

i bought a pair of fab yellow t-strap flats at paolo last summer.  i've worn them fairly frequently.  they are still holding up quite nicely, and still look beautiful.  and...i walk everywhere, so they have some miles on them, too.  worth the money, in my opinion.

i bought another pair there this past saturday.  the service was decent.  kind, helpful, not overbearing.  they seemed quite busy and were juggling a few customers, so i understood a little wait.  i've worked retail...i know it's not always easy to do and i don't expect someone to kiss my ass just because i'm spending money...that doesn't make for good service for me, anyway.

i have taken several pairs of shoes to the pioneer renewer to be fixed.  generally, they do a decent (though not miracle worker level) job of giving my used shoes new life (meaning, shoes i loved and bought used, intending to give them a new life...with me!).  they are within walking distance of my hood, and thus super convenient for me.

my only caveat:  i brought 2 pairs of shoes in 9 days ago, and went back to retrieve them today...and they weren't done!  well, one was, but the most important pair was sitting in a pile looking less than done and i left feeling forlorn.  i'm willing to wait 9 days for my shoes, but making me wait longer kind of sucks.  perhaps they could call people to let them know it's going to be EVEN longer?  common courtesy and all, ya know?

and they could be a tad more organized.  the place always looks crazy and cluttered.

my favorite shop in NYC, hands down.  

they are very trend-forward, carrying a lot of amazing foreign labels you would be hard pressed to find elsewhere:  jessica ogden, sonia by sonia rykiel, eley kishimoto, plus NYC/us labels like mooka kinney, ladies of the canyon, spring and clifton, etc.  small, thoughtful labels, or slightly bigger ones with a unique take on fashion.

the clothing and accessories they carry for women have an irreverent, sexy, smart, girlish, and colorful aesthetic.  everything seems carefully hand selected with an eye for that which is amazing.  they also have clothing for men, as well.

i wish i could clone this store and have it in san francisco!  or...it would be quite amazing if they actually sold their clothing via the internet.  that would make me a happy, happy person!

i had a tattoo done by chris o' donnell in march of 2006, back when i was still residing in NYC.  he's an amazing artist: extremely talented, kind, personal, not a shred of attitude.  professional and clean.  if i still lived in the city, i'd be going back to chris again and again.  he's worth every cent and whatever wait you have to endure.  TRUST ME.  if something is worth getting...it's worth the money and time.  and chris' work is worth it's weight in gold.

the staff there was upstanding and nice.  i didn't ever catch attitude from them on any of my visits...so i'm not sure where the heck people are coming from when they say that.

and the jewelry is beautiful, sophisticated, exotic and stylish...so even if you aren't in the market for any sort of body manipulation, it's worth looking at the adornments.  i bought a lovely cocktail ring there carved from one piece of labrodorite that consistently garners me compliments to this day.

beware:  i got food poisoning from eating a shrimp burrito from here this weekend!  not sure if it's just some bad seafood and a fluke, or if there are deeper issues with this Puerto Allegre.  

i have eaten there several times before, with no problems.  also, this is the first time in my 31 years i've had food poisoning, and i know it was directly related to that dish/this resturant.

i just wanted other people to know about this...just in case it might have happened to them as well...and to warn other people, so that it doesn't happen to anyone else.  i wouldn't wish how i felt the past couple of days on my worst enemy.

be well.