10 essentials: ashley

photo courtesy of: mikebaird

1. As a little girl I wanted to be a mermaid—you’d have to drag me out of the water!  I’m not any different as an adult so I learned to scuba dive in 2004. Surfing the ocean is my goal this year.

2. No matter what is going on in my daily life, yoga calms me down.  It’s the one place I can shut it all off and just breathe.

3. I love to read and I love to have books and used book stores share their history.  I wonder about the previous owners of a book—Who were they? How did they get it, what did they think of it?

4. The scan lounge chair is a great reading chair—it’s very comfortable and it looks like an art piece.

5. Discovering what’s happening in the art world.  Gallery walks are a great opportunity to meet artists and gallery owners and really learn about the art.  Plus the people watching is fantastic!

6. Traveling and discovering new places—getting immersed in the culture, even if for just a moment. 

7. Trying new restaurants, tasting interesting recipes, enjoying a great meal.  Living in San Francisco took it to a whole new level—Burma Superstar, Foreign Cinema, Tartine…

8. The ritual of morning coffee and the taste is unbeatable.  Individually brewed cups are the best.

9. Having relocated to California from the Midwest, I appreciate the ability to shop a farmer’s market all year long.  The sense of community when you frequent the market for organic locally grown produce feels as good as it is for you.

10. The simple beauty of white tulips.

photo courtesy of: ComùnicaTIphoto courtesy of: lachshand

Thanks to ashley, store manager santa monica, for this submission.

Comments

[claire]

I like this list a lot! I agree with you about the used bookstores -- so many stories hidden in those books...not just by the author but by the previous owners of the books :)

[Eric]

Just went in the Santa Monica store! wow... One thing stuck out to me was the grey plastic/polycarbonate wall panels you guys had... Can you give any information on those?