palms16

April 17 2016

Boost Over Air Max

Gee Why Passion adidas, air max, boost, kicks, Nike, palms16, shoes, sneakers

So my shoe tech of choice for trips has been Nike’s Air Max, preferably a full length Air Max setup ala Air Max 360. Several years back, the red-bubbled Air Trainer 1.3 protected my feet at Disneyland. In 2013, the Perry the Platypus-colored Air Max 90 rocked Alaska and Disneyland. Last year for HIChina15, I was hoping for the Nike Air Max PacFly but could never find them so instead, the old faithful (and Air Max-ed out) Griffey’s traveled China. But in 2016, finding a full length Air Max is not that easy.

As a default, there’s the annual Air Max runners but the 2015 didn’t feel right in the right places. Only old school retro Barkley’s and Chris Webber’s included Air Max in the forefoot. However, these were full priced and bulky so I passed them over. But I would have considered the crazy olive, bright crimson color way of the Webber/Air Max Sensation if I saw them.

Anyways to get back on track, I couldn’t find a suitable Air Max shoe to provide that endurance and support I like while on travel. So instead, I looked elsewhere and saw that popular Adidas Ultra Boost runners were available in a stability model, the Adidas Ultra Boost ST. While there’s a general consensus of the plush ride of the Ultra Boost, the regular models don’t work with my flat arches but a stability model addresses the shortcomings so I committed and went with Boost over Air Max.

What can I say other than not bad at all. Yep, the prices of the Ultra Boost are still at a premium, but I wanted to see what the hype was about. Ultra Boost did not disappoint and provided a soft cushioned ride. A running shoe, the Ultra Boost ST isn’t made to take a daily beating, but it held up fine while traveling even through light rock climbing, hiking through slushy trails, and walking miles of amusement parks. Along with the mega-padded Boost, Adidas’ Primeknit is definitely a draw. Supple, form fitting, and breathable, I love the knit upper and have gotten spoiled by it great qualities. The sizing of the ST seemed half a size big at first and not true to size, but I went with my typical size 10 though it seemed like I could have gone with a 9.5.

In general, Boost provides a different feel than Air Max, and I’m not sure which I like better. The Boost is pillowy while the Air Max feels more solid. To me, the Boost is passive, absorbing the weight and pressure via the foam nodules. Air Max seems aggressive with the encapsulated air fighting back against your weight creating a supporting underlying structure. There’s less of a sinking in feeling with Air Max compared to Boost. While it’s purely preferential, the stance provided by the Air Max just feels more supportive, creating a solid foot bed.

But hey, you really can’t go wrong with either. But since Ultra Boost is now the marquee of Adidas, it’ll be some time before discounted Ultra Boosts show up. You can find regular Boost shoes at a cheaper price but not yet with the Ultra Boost. Air Max, on the other hand, should be easier to find on clearance, but you’d just need to see if those Air Maxes work for you and your feet.

I’m still undecided over Boost or Air Max. Right now, if I find the right Air Max, I’d go that route with the nod to that solid base and slight fit issues with Adidas.

April 12 2016

Dispelling the Illusion of the Nike Factory Store

Gee Why Passion kicks, Nike, palms16, shoes, sneakers

Don’t get me wrong. If I’m ever nearby a Nike Factory Store, I’m going in. But… after visiting three Nike outlets recently, I’ve come to realize that their offerings aren’t that good. While on vacation at Palm Springs, Hollywood, and Anaheim (with a stopover in Long Beach), I managed several (unplanned) visits to Nike Factory Stores at Desert Hills Premium Outlets, Long Beach, and the Outlets at Orange. While each location offered something a little different, they were pretty much the same.

The stores have the “walls” and the “racks” as I call them. The racks and shelves have the inventory stuff, usually older models or stuff that didn’t sell well. There’s usually a lot of sizes with a modest discount. Predominately, there are the running shoes and trainers. Sometimes, you can find even steeper discounts, but it varies from store to store. The walls is where the good stuff is at, meaning you can find some rare items there but in limited quantities. Some items are really marked down on the wall while there are many one-of-a-kinds. So grab something if you like it.

But that’s when the revelation set in. I looked at Nike’s online clearance site, and you know what I saw? Pretty much the same shoes at the factory stores. But then again, why should I expect different? I guess I had always assumed that the Nike Factory Store was a potential treasure trove of great deals. Well, you can find them, but it’s not easy or as convenient as periodically scanning the online clearance items.

I thought I had found some great pickups at Desert Hills that had lots of Kobe X.

nike-factory-store-1 — My favorite, the Easter colorway, marked down to $109

nike-factory-store-6 — Black Crimson and Opening Night

But again, compared to Kobe X on clearance online, the prices and selection were pretty much the same. Only the Easter colorway was unavailable online and not discounted an additional $30.

This LeBron collaboration with Doernbecher was an anomaly with so many of these $200 pairs at a discounted price.

The main difference with the physical factory store and the virtual clearance area was the in-store specials. From the three locations, each had different colorways at well reduced prices. Say the KD8 for example. Each store had a bunch of discounted KD8 colorways, but one location had a black colorway for even cheaper than another store while the third store may not have had that black colorway but had a different colorway on markdown. It was really weird.

By far, the Desert Hills location had the best offerings. The store was buzzing with people, especially tourists who would buy new suitcases to fill up with their outlet purchases. Their walls had a good variety but turnover of merchandise was brisk. I went there three times and each time, new (different) items took the place of bought items.

I was hoping for some great finds at Long Beach since this location is somewhat isolated even though the mall is trying to develop the shopping area. This location is smaller than Desert Hills and didn’t have great stuff at the time, but I did spot a Kobe 11 Black History Month but in a size 11.

Lots of KD8 and more clearance Kobe X at Long Beach, but you could have found these online as well.

Truthfully, I wasn’t expecting much at the Anaheim factory store at the Outlets at Orange. With close proximity to Disneyland, I was guessing that frequent visitors would wipe out the store, and I was correct. Bigger than Long Beach but I think smaller than Desert Hills, there were a lot of shoppers going through an okay selection. I thought I had a find with these LeBron 13 All Stars. There was only one on the wall, but I checked online and sure enough, I saw that the LeBron 13 ASG had been added to the clearance section. So not a find, and they didn’t fit well so back to the wall they went.

Amazingly, with several trips to three different Nike Factory Stores, I still walked away kicks-less. I loved that Easter-themed Kobe X, especially since Easter of 2016 was coming and this pair was reduced to $109, but I was too slow to buy them. The other Kobe colorways were okay but not good enough to pay $140. Now I just gotta hope I can find any pair of the elusive Kobe X at a Ross at a great price. 😉

April 11 2016

The Largest Starbucks?

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This is most likely the largest Starbucks I have ever seen or been in, and this is at Universal Studios Hollywood. Keep in mind that Universal has several Starbucks locations. There’s one undergoing renovation at the CityWalk.

universal-sbux-city-walk — Starbucks on Universal CityWalk

If you’re going to ride all those escalators to the Lower Lot, Universal has your Starbucks needs covered there.

universal-sbux-lower-lot — Starbucks at Universal Studios Lower Lot

But the biggest location is in the Upper Lot. Its signage doesn’t give away anything about the interior size.

But when you walk in, you’ll see an expanse of people in line, waiting for orders, and dining in.

While the ordering line may look daunting, it moves fast, mainly because there’s like four dedicated registers going at the same time.

I had to stitch together a panorama to capture the vast dimensions of this location. When you really take a look, you’ll realize how big this place really is.

There are some cool highlights of this Upper Lot Starbucks. The ceiling lights are distinctive.

The product wall has interesting artwork.

And I especially like its look at night.

Even though inside an amusement park and servicing crowds of caffeine-deprived parkgoers, this Starbucks menu was up-to-date featuring the Caramelized Honey Latte that launched that day (March 22, 2016). Now, if Starbucks collaborates with Universal Studios for unique combinations that would be super cool. Butterbeer Latte anyone? A Chocolate Frog Frap?

April 8 2016

Wizarding World of Harry Potter Is Now Open

Gee Why Passion harry potter, palms16, universal studios, wizarding world

April 7, 2016 marked the grand opening of the Wizarding World of Harry Potter at Universal Studios Hollywood. Before the actual opening, there were “technical rehearsals” to work out any kinks. During our #palms16 Spring Break vacation, we got to explore Hogsmeade and Hogwarts before the full effect of the crowds. Very impressive!

The attention to detail is great. Lots of little things that add to the overall effect. Even in that high roof tavern area where the owls are perched, there’s owl “poop” marks covering the rafters. Funny! The Wizarding World is kinda small although it looks big. Hopefully Universal expands it over the years and adds more attractions. Right now, there are essentially two rides, the Flight of the Hippogriff and the Forbidden Journey. When we were there, both rides glitched, especially the Flight of the Hippogriff. For some reason, this outside rollercoaster kept stopping, making for a long backlog. To make matters worse, the ride is very short, not really worth the wait of 30+ minutes.

The Forbidden Journey is way more interesting though. On this 3D ride, you fly around with Harry and company. Because of this, you aren’t allowed to bring pretty much anything on the ride. There are lockers to store your personal items, but these lockers are small. Even the large lockers on the bottom are quite small. Just a warning if you have a medium sized backpack. But when you’re on the ride, you’ll understand why you shouldn’t have anything with all the simulated aerial gyrations. Most surprisingly, riders even dip backwards, traveling with your feet higher than your head, not upside down but reclined pass level. And that was the fun part when the ride stalled during our flight. I was stuck in that reclined position for a few minutes with a Dementor howling in my face.

Of course, you gotta try the Butterbeer both cold and frozen. Getting the commemorative mug might be worthwhile with a reduced refill fee.

If you have the time and want a wizard wand, you should wait in line at Ollivanders. There’s no ride in the store, just a dramatization of one audience member being matched with a wand. The acting during our performance was top notch and accordingly, many guests purchased $30+ wands. There’s two types of wands, a regular one and an interactive one that can perform magic in marked shop windows. While kinda cool, the magic tricks are simple and don’t always work so you can save some money and go for a regular wand.

If you want to save time, forgo Ollivanders and find the wand stand outside towards the Forbidden Journey. No show, same prices, and importantly, no line.

Like I mentioned before, the Wizarding World is small so you’ll be able to explore it all in an hour or two (without going to any attractions), but you may want to return at dusk as night falls. The lighting and look is different.

Having gone through the Harry Potter experience at the Wizarding World, I’ll stay away for awhile and avoid the crowds. During our visit, the crowds were manageable, but now, I can’t imagine all the fans and long lines.

Oh hey, not inside of the Wizarding World, but in Universal itself is the largest Starbucks location I’ve ever seen. There’s one location in the CityWalk and one in the Lower Lot too, but the main location is huge. I gotta blog about that later.

April 2 2016

Cookie and Cocoa Swirl Contraband

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A tip for travelers flying to your destination, pack that Cookie and Cocoa Swirl from Trader Joes. Don’t transport this jar in your hand carry with the intent of protecting the cargo. The TSA screeners at airport security will confiscate your swirl. Well, they’ll give you the chance of eating it before proceeding through security. Unfortunately, we didn’t have anything to thickly smear the cookie and cocoa combo on so to the amnesty bin it went (with someone else’s confiscated swirl).