Little Shop Around the Corner

Winding in and out of little alleyways and piazzas while in Rome was one of my favorite things.  The anticipation of what might lie right around that corner.  The store fronts all lined up in pretty little rows.  Every one with their own unique heart and personality.  Few chain restaurants and behemoth department stores to be found.  It's interesting how the tables sitting outside on the piazza are actually more desirable and come with a price.  As you go further into the restaurant, towards the kitchen, the price goes down for the table.  Here you can barely get anyone to sit on the patio without some grumbling.  Sad.

I came across these pictures from Paris.  I want to go all the more so now.  All the thought and care that went into creating these shop fronts, almost an overload for your senses.

{Images via Mr. and Mrs. Globe Trot}

You must not let all the gorgeous colors, lights, and sounds pull you in and make you overlook some of the other hole in the wall places that don't have all the glitz and glamour.  

For example, in Malaysia there were the upper scale restaurants mostly catering to some of the foreigners with the appropriate Western decor and ambiance.  Better to eat where the locals do to get the best food for your buck.  Most places looked like this.  

{via}

What's interesting is that one shop might be amazing, best food ever and the one right next door would be dirty or sub par.  Made it very hard for us to know where to go since they all look pretty similar, as you can see.  Somehow we were steered in the right direction though.  Kept our Malaysian friends close by.  Only got sick once, even after eating at the street stalls at the night market.  Some of the best places I've been are the hole in the wall, nothing to them places.  It's fun to find the diamonds in the rough.  So much better to step out of your comfort zone and try new things.  The pretty places definitely have their place too.