INTEL: Go Shopping (Alden DC)

In 2005, DC's Alden, located for years on K Street, moved a few blocks nearer the buzz at Gallery Place to 9th and F Streets. Somehow, I'd managed to miss it until last week. As you can see, the place is exactly what you'd hope for - sort of a cross between a library and a high-end locker room.

To be sure, Alden's website is an absolute disaster. Maybe they're trying to add to their classic image or something - "Yeah, um, we don't exactly do the Internet" - but I really can't see myself ever releasing credit card information to that travesty. So I was delighted to check out the real thing and super impressed by the bargains.

They didn't have rack upon rack of clearance items, and thank god for that. Digging for deals sucks. Instead, they had four shoes or so, marked down anywhere from 50 - 75 percent, including a gorgeous pair of cordovan wingtip brogues in oxblood for $200. (They retail for something like $600.)

It was also a treat to talk to the saleswoman. She knew and loved her product, was happy to chat, and did not once push me to open my wallet. Plus, she schooled me; there are only two Alden retailers on the East Coast - one in New York, one in DC. That's it. Despite popular belief, there is not one in Massachusetts. (Only the factory lives there.)

The lesson here is that we need to get off our asses once in a while. Shopping on the net is convenient and fun, but the best deals out there are still, well, out there. Good hunting.

INTEL: Cold Feet

It seems as though we've only got two seasons here on the East Coast anymore - Hot-as-Hell and Friggin'-Freezing. And though we're stuck in the throes of the former at the moment, the latter is just around the corner.

Last fall, I bought my first pair of Clark's Original Desert Boots.

I absolutely loved them from the start. They look good with everything. Then it poured one January weekend in Manhattan and I might as well have been bare-footed. I know. I can hear you from here. "Dude. Desert Boots."

Don't get me wrong, these are still my favorite shoes and I think every guy should have a pair. But as much as I'd love to see what trench foot is all about, I've got to upgrade before things get ugly around here.

BDC'S CAN'T MISS BOOT PICKS
Alden Indy Boot

Alden is one of the oldest shoe manufacturers in the United States, and you won't find a better boot than this. The bomb-proof waxhide leather will keep you dry and warm for years, and the more miles you add to them, the cooler they'll look. Just ask Dr. Jones.

I really, really want a pair of these. But at $400+, I'm not sure I can spring.


Bean Boot by LL Bean, 6"

This is the product that started the entire LL Bean empire. They now carry several versions of the boot at their regular store, and a few more in their Signature line. (ACL just featured one from the Signature line which looks particularly sharp.)

If I were taller, maybe I'd go for a higher boot, but I don't have much leg to surrender. I'm sticking with the basic 6" chukka in brown. And at $80 a pair, you could outfit yourself and four of your friends for what you'll drop on the Indys. Oh, by the way - Life. Time. Warranty.


Red Wing Gentleman Traveler

Red Wing manufactures real boots for men who work for a living. With entire lines called "Logger" and "Lineman," this, apparently, is their fancy boot. It seems the Red Wing gentleman knows how to handle an oxy-acetylene blow torch. And why not?

Of course, there are many, many others. Let me know what I'm missing.