AnthroTour--Palo Alto

 

 

When you approach the Palo Alto store by car, you could easily pass it if you weren't tracking your GPS like a maniacal hawk.

After all, it's not in a mall or even a trendy outdoor shopping district, like Santana Row. It's across the street from a railroad, and surrounded by nondescript storefronts like insurance agencies and a rogue dentist office. Notice I said, like--simply because I don't remember specifically. It was that nondescript.

But the Anthro store is beautiful--zen-like. It's got a small rectangular trench filled with water in front--fed by a stream above the sign. It's painted red--it looks warm and welcoming.

First Anthro-moat I've seen. So far.

 This is how I felt at the time. Apparently, a big thumbs up.

Then you step inside and suddenly your world fills further with color and light and happy Volcano fumes in your nostrils.

 Of note: I quite enjoyed their paper flowers. Mostly because I've noticed everyone else has roses (Del Amo, El Segundo, Santana), but Palo Alto's Anthro, much like PA itself, wants to distinguish itself as different but still elegant. They are the home of Stanford, after all.

 So, red-centered daisies? Or red-centered parched chrysanthemums? and these lovely petals around the windows, which caught the light in such a wonderful ethereal way.

Which was made even more lovely and ethereal when I enhanced them on iPhoto.

But honestly--a lovely, unique place.