Out of nowhere a Bed, Bath and Beyond and a Best Buy sprung up within spitting distance of the Costco. To give you an idea how close that is to me, I gauge my trips to Costco by how much stuff I need to carry. If it is a “real” Costco run (you know those ones where the grocery list is a a 30 lbs of kitty litter and year’s supply of detergent), I can’t walk there.
After exchanging the ladder at the OSH with one that actually fits in my hatchback—note to self: six foot ladder good, eight foot ladder bad—I demanded Caitlin drive across the street so I could visit the latest concrete and asphalt addition to Mountain View. Along with those two stores, I noticed another Starbucks. I decided that this was not relevant, except that it places better odds on there being a Jamba Juice within walking distance: line-of-sight to a Starbucks is a necessary (but not sufficient) condition for a Jamba Juice.
Which is a long way of excusing how I was distracted enough so that Caitlin had to point out to me this:
REI, Mountain View, California
Nikon D70, Nikkor 18-200mm f/3.5-4.5G VR
1/350 sec @ f/9.5, iso 200, 18mm (27mm)
(Getting the 18-200mm is already starting to pay dividends since I can now carry my dSLR around with me without having to hire a porter.)
What that you say? Someone set us up the bomb?
Hmm, let’s look a little closer:
REI, Mountain View, California
Nikon D70, Nikkor 18-200mm f/3.5-4.5G VR
1/500 sec @ f/5.6, iso 200, 135mm (202mm)
Ahh! Finally, I don’t have to drive down to Saratoga for some last minute supplies before heading out. I can actually exploit the 20% off 1 retail item week without relying on blind luck. My compass now points north by northeast instead of south by southwest. Yes, my mecca of all things outdoor is within walking distance.
This is better than the Whole Paycheck that is opening across the street from Trader Joe’s.
The Bed Bath and Beyond is a joke. I spent my time laughing at all the Dyson literature and marvelling on why anyone would stock so many different pastel shades of bath towels when it clearly is half the size of a regular Bed Bath and Beyond. Guess I’ll be getting 20 more 20% off coupons to enter some landfill somewhere.
The Best Buy is tiny, especially in an area inundated by Fry’s Electronics. They did put a mini version of their subsidiary, Magnolia, inside and all the cameras are new and actually power up and stuff. But the customer to salesperson ratio is inverted, and I got a lot of strange looks whenever I pulled out my Nikon to take a photo of something.
They did have a Geek Squad bug parked outside. I wonder who, in the land of Google, is going to take advantage of that? By the way, there is another Best Buy 2 exits down 101 in East Palo Alto so I guess Best Buy is giving their crack at the McDonald’s model of putting one every hundred yards or so.
The REI on the other hand? Did I mention it’s two stories?
REI, Mountain View, California
Nikon D70, Nikkor 18-200mm f/3.5-4.5G VR
1/250 sec @ f/8, iso 200, 18mm (27mm)
I was wondering just how long it took REI in MV to get open after the building was done. We are having one built here in Fresno and they are scheduled to fininish late this monthor in early June. One of the construction dudes said a September was the opening. Did it take 2-3 month of waiting??? We don’t have one down the street like in the BA.
John
I think it took about two months for them to clean up the place and stock it for their opening.
NIce to hear Fresno is getting one. I moved up to SF so I’m now almost driving distance away (3 miles). I can live with that.