14th St Between 10th Ave and 9th Ave

I think sometime, maybe 20 of 30 years ago, a group of high-end stores and designers must have gotten together and said the following:

"Hey you cheaper places...yeah we're talkin' to you Forever 21, Circuit City (RIP), Virgin (RIP), Staples, Lucille Roberts, and especially you Taco Bell...you can have the middle of 14th St. Frankly we're just to good to be anywhere remotely accessible. So you guys stay there, and we're going to create this little safe-haven on the far west side.  If anyone asks for us, just tell them to walk west forever.  If they fall into the river, they've gone too far...but that's where we'll be."

So amongst the cobblestones and rustic buildings you have boutique after boutique (most of which I've ever heard of...which should give you some idea of my Gap-infused lack of fashion sense) surrounded by more well-known brands such as Apple and Hugo Boss. Even though it's a prime shopping district, it really just struck me as another tourist destination...like SoHo. With so many big (and obscure) names packed to close together, it's almost as-if the area is designed to be an area for out-of-towners to visit, gawk at, and take pictures around. I could be wrong...but that's how it felt to me.

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