I had a very enjoyable day in Cincinnati meeting many local entrepreneurs, angels and accelerators. I was here to see one of our LPs (limited partners are the people who invest money in VC funds) called Fort Washington.

Theyve been a long-term investor in our fund GRP Partners and it was important to me to spend time with them in their home market and meet the people with whom they deal locally.

We had lunch at a restaurant that sits atop the old Riverfront Stadium where the Cincinnati Reds played ball when I was a kid and the site where Pete Rose broke the record for lifetime hits. I felt nostalgic. They have a marker where first base was and where Pete Rose hit his record-breaking 4,192nd hit. If I wasnt on a flight I would post the pic I took but when I land Ill put it on Instagram.

I met with Dave Knox whom I had previously met when he worked at Pamp;G in marketing. He is now involved with an accelerator called Brandery in Cincinnati who focuses on helping local startups get off the ground and figure out how to get access to the huge brand dollars unlocked by working with big ad agencies and with brands directly.

I met with local seed fund investors like Mike Venerable who is the MD of CincyTech (a local seed stage fund), Tony Shipley who is a director of Queen City Angels as well as some local entrepreneurs including Blake Shipley of CoupSmart and Sameer Mungur of ZipScene.

Its easy to discount Cincy its a flyover state. And those in CA and NY are quick to dismiss that which doesnt feel like home. But I found resonance in meeting the local investors and startups. They spoke of a need to prove out revenues in order to raise capital and a stark contrast to many Silicon Valley firms whose goal is user numbers over revenues. In that sense it felt very LA.

And when I heard them speak of how they organize as angels (pools of capital up to $2m per deal) and accelerators (direct access to large Fortune 100 companies) I must admit it sounded as sophisticated as what were trying to achieve in LA.

Already this week Ive been in Dallas, Austin, Houston, Dayton and as I mentioned Cincinnati. Its Wedneday. I have a full calendar in LA Thurs/Friday and then I spend Tues-Friday of next week in the Bay Area.

I mention this for a reason.

In the age of Skype, email, cheap telephony and collaboration tools its all too easy to sit in your office and connect with people remotely. Its even easy to justify it to yourself, its such a productivity drain to spend time on the road and I can accomplish everything I need using modern tools.

Yeah, thats tempting.

I hate travel, too. I have two little boys and a wife I adore. I hate being away from them. I hate crappy hotels. I hate flying. I detest airports. Im sick of rental cars. I eat out too much. Im sleep deprived. My ride picked me up this morning at 3.30am California time. I have bags under my eyes (or so everybody always tells me).

Still. You cant make any impact in business without shaking hands and kissing babies. You need to be out amongst people. You need to press the flesh. On the first level its how you learn. Its how you avoid your local echo chamber. Its how you gain customer insights. All of that matters.

But the deeper point is that all business is built upon human relationships. Ive built my career by 20+ years of looking people in the eyes, making promises and then delivering against what I said I would do. You dont build trust, friendship and human bonds on Skype.

The interesting thing about pressing the flesh is that once youve broken bread with people and spent personal time getting to know them it is then much easier to build long-term relationships through email, phone, Twitter, Skype and the like. There is a certain trust that exists and a certain leeway granted to you since they really know you. I believe in the Blink perspective where we as humans are really programmed to know whether to trust people by the short amounts of time we spend in person with them.

But you cant meet once and have infinite chemistry. Time weakens bonds in the way that your high school friends whom you havent seen in years seem like distant friends until you reconnect in person and remember why it was you were so tight in the first place (or not).

Relationships have elasticity. They stretch over time and you need to replenish their strength. You do need to travel. You do need to rekindle bonds. You need to look into eyes.

You need to shake hands and kiss babies. Its part of being a leader.

Why am I going off on this tangent?

I was in Houston on Monday night. I was spending the evening eating room service so that I could meet with a potential investor for my fund the next morning. Were a couple of months away from closing our 4th fund as has already been reported in the press.

I could have easily done a phone call. Or a Skype. Or relied upon the fact that he had already met my three partners. But he was very important to me. I wanted to meet in person.

And as I was out of town it was a great chance to attempt to get caught up on email. I received a note from a friend who was raising a seed round. He asked me for an intro to an investor friend of mine. I wrote to my friend asking if the intro was OK. He said yes.

So I did the intro.

The founder whom I introd wrote in the email to the investor, let me know if youd like to set up a phone call or we could meet in person.

I was bccd.

I wrote back to the founder (in private), no fucking way. Theres no chance youre doing a phone call. You asked me for an introduction. I was happy to do so because I believe in you. Now get your ass on the road and go meet them in person. Dont give them an easy out to do it as a quick call.

I know the potential seed investor wasnt bothered by a call. In fact, its probably easier. You commit less time and feel less obligated most people hate to make other people travel. It makes you feel obligated.

But a phone call for a first meeting is SO under optimized. You MUST be there in person. Its a cost of doing business. Its a learning process. Its how you build long-term relationships.

You need to shake hands and kiss babies.

Yes, there is inefficiency to physical travel. Get over it or keep your day job. Plan your travel and see multiple people and companies while youre there.

But, Mark, the [investor, biz dev parter, customer, Mamp;A buyer] told me a telephone call would be fine for the first meeting!

OF COURSE! They dont want to feel obligated. If they feel they put you out then they feel they owe you something. Of course they dont. They shouldnt. But its human nature. Werereciprocitymachines.

So I never make travel a big deal. Of course Ill be in Austin next week. I need to be there anyways. I travel there regularly. Not a problem. Hey, I already need to go to Dallas anyways so its no skin off my nose to come see you.

I went even further when I was an entrepreneur. If I had really important clients I would call them and say, I need to be in Chicago in 4 weeks. Which date that week would be best for you?

Of course I needed to be in Chicago to meet THEM but I didnt word it that way. If they couldnt do that week then I would change my trip to the following week.

Ok, so this is starting to feel like a rant. I dont mean it that way. I mean this as a soft kick in the arse not to take the easy route. Not to be lazy. Not to succumb to the false argument that Skype is good enough (it is, of course, once you have a relationship).

So get out there. Stare people in the eyeballs. Make commitments that you know you will keep. Shake hands. Press flesh. Kiss babies. Find out how local markets differ from yours. Win over customers. Raise cash more easily.

And stop buying into conventional wisdom. Its true that distance has collapsed. But its also true that humans are programmed to judge other people by being able to meet them directly.

I promise it will be enriching to your experiences.

And remember Business travel is sexy. To those who never do it. For the rest of us, its a necessary process to become successful.

Read more posts on Both Sides of the Table raquo;

The Forest is an ecological thriller which deals with the dynamics of human relationships against the dangerous and wild background of a forest. The plot of the story revolves around a couple who meet the wifes ex-lover while on vacation in a forest. They are also haunted by the presence of a man-eating leopard in the background.

In The Forest I played a character much older than any role Ive ever been cast in till date. I incorporated into Radha a great deal of interiority and maturity – sharp-tongued but soft-hearted, confident yet fragile, Radha is all silk and steel. Honestly, I would not play her anydifferently were I to play the same role now, said Nandana, known for her role as Rani Mukherjis 17-year-old sister in Sanjay Bhansalis Black.

The cast includes Javed Jaafri and Ankur Vikal.

Ashvin Kumars films are always based on serious messages and themes. His previous works include Little Terrorist, Inshallah Kashmir and Inshallah Football. His characters often hold metaphorical significance and this is true for Nandanas character as well.

Ashvins film has a powerful message about the environment. If we destroy our wildlife and natural resources, we will have to pay with our lives. And we will lose that fight, because even all the trappings of culture can never add up to the raw power and glory of nature, she added while talking about the subject of the film.

The Bengali diva seemed to have mastered the art of looking glamorous. In fact she has recently become the brand ambassador for designer Ritu Kumar.

I loved working with Ritu and Label, the line she created for The Forest shows a great combination of casual practicality and ethnic elegance, she said.

Jeff Glor: What inspired you to write the book?

Nick Arvin: Im an engineer, and some years ago, I stumbled into a field known as forensic engineering, working on reconstructions of car crashes. We applied the principles of engineering and physics to determine the events that led to an accident and, ultimately, who was at fault. The work was incredibly interesting, but also discomforting in the way that it required taking a purely analytical approach to events that were full of coincidence and human drama. The Reconstructionist was, among other things, an effort to explore this paradox.

JG: What surprised you the most during the writing process?

NA: This is my third book, but Im surprised every time by how hard it is. I had great material in hand, from the details and stories of working in accident reconstruction, but it took a great deal of work to develop characters and a larger story that made the material meaningful. I also felt a real obligation to do my very best to honor and do justice to the stories I was working with, which arose after all from events that were terribly painful to the people involved.

JG: What would you be doing if you werent a writer?

NA: Im engineer, as well as a writer. I no longer work in forensic engineering; Im now in power plant and gas facility design. The easy assumption is that if I werent writing, Id just be an engineer. But I dont know. If I didnt have my writing to explore stories, human relationships, larger themes, and my own creative instincts, I might have lost my marbles and run off to start a fish farm in Bolivia or something.

JG: What else are you reading right now?

NA: I just finished Faulkners novella Spotted Horses (a great, funny, fast read) and Im looking forward to starting The Reeducation of Cherry Truong, by Aimee Phan.

JG: Whats next for you?

NA: Im well into a collection of stories about engineers and other technical types — the kind of people who are creating the technologies and machines that are rapidly remaking our world, and yet dont get written about very much. Its tentatively titled An Index of Human Properties.

For more on the Reconstructionist visit the Harper Collins website.

There’s totally nothing wrong with a bonding between man and beast, but it feels like such relationships are often trivialized thanks to how sensational we make them in films. Teaching your dog to sit and stay is cool, but in the movie world you’d need to at least teach him to solve crimes or play basketball to really turn heads.

Anything less is just everyday stuff.

It’s because movies tend to over-personify animals that we often forget just how extraordinarily talented they’re portrayed as, and how weird some of the relationships are. Here are some of the weirder ones…

8. Indiana Jones and the monkey double agent in Raiders Of The Lost Ark

It’s not a terribly big role as far as monkeys in films go – but when you think about it, this little capuchin played a huge part in the film’s plot. First of all – it was a Nazi monkey. Seriously – we see it give a little salute at one point in the film, so it’s learned to affiliate itself with the party of Hitler… that alone is a little much for one monkey, but more importantly – out of all the Indiana Jones films, this monkey is the only character to betray Indy and never be exposed for doing so.

Sure – in the end karma does its thing and the little traitor gets itself poisoned, but even in death Dr. Jones never suspects that this little shit has not only been leading the enemy right to them during its recon mission, but that it’s also solely responsible for getting Marion kidnapped. When she hides in a wicker basket it’s the monkey who shows the bad guys which one she is under.

After Marion is presumed killed, Indy finds himself drunk and in mourning, the monkey being his only comfort at the moment. Little does he know that what he’s using to remember his fallen love is the very creature responsible for it all. That’s some sneaky monkey business.

7. Linguini and his secret rat chef in Ratatouille

There’s a lot wrong with what’s going on in this film. When you think of the words ‘rat puppet’ put together you’d normally assume it to be describing a puppet that resembles a rat as opposed to a puppet controlled by a rat – and most importantly you’ve never assume a human being to be the said puppet. It’s all messed up. But Linguini is the kind of lost soul that will allow a found rodent to physically control him through pulling on his hair while hidden under a toque blanche.

How does that work exactly? Clearly Linguini has some medical problem if yanking on his hair causes him to lose control of his limbs, but hey – it’s a cartoon.

All that aside, what personally would scare me if I were Linguini wouldn’t be the realization that there’s a rat that perfectly understands English and knows how to cook, but rather the realization that would come later in the film when the one rat then teaches a whole army of rats to help him.

What else could these rats learn to do?

He never seems to be disturbed by the sudden discovery that rats can organize and operate tools while working toward a common goal. How would that not keep him awake at night?

6. Ann Darrow and her giant friend-zoned ape in King Kong

Seriously ladies – this is what happens when you string along a guy for too long. Although in all fairness it’s not exactly like Ann had a choice in her actions when it came to her relationship with the big ape – like most real world cases, it seems like Kong is really leading himself on. Fellas, if she runs away from you into the jungle before a bunch of her friends chloroform you, it’s probably not going to work out.

What makes this kind of weird is that we see a whole pile of Ann’s skeletal predecessors when the monster first captures her. That makes her the first sacrifice that Kong didn’t feel the need to kill. Instead of hulk-smashing her or sucking the meat off her bones like a cartoon fish, Kong kept this one because he thought it was kind of pretty or something. It’s kind of weird when you think about it, like suddenly befriending a lobster at a seafood restaurant.

I can see the appeal of course; who wouldn’t want their own little pocket-sized lady that did vaudeville tricks? And if you’ve spent your whole life trapped on some shitty island, that’s probably worth killing and dying for. Hell, I write for the internet if I got a tiny lady that juggled and did flips for me that would be 100 times the excitement I normally get in a day.

5. Willard and his rat army in Willard

This is exactly what I was talking about before with Ratatouille – the film Willard is essentially its dark sequel. You spend an unhealthy amount of time not just training, but also socializing with rats and you see what happens. That’s kind of what makes Willard’s story so silly in the original film the rat army eventually kills Willard, and you can’t help but wonder what the police report said about the whole thing. Can you imagine the people in the town? “Hey what happened to that Willard guy?” “Well rumor has it that he started a camaraderie with a bunch of rats in his house and then it all kind of went sour.”

It’s really one thing to do battle with rats, it’s a whole other thing to have a violent falling out with them – that actually means that you’re so unpopular that the rats you used to hang out with don’t like you anymore. And then to lose to the rats! That’s inexcusable. It’s worse in the remake because he barely escapes the rats and then gets committed. Imagine having to be all crazy jacket in your cell knowing that people are walking by saying shit like “Oh yeah, that’s the guy who got beat up by a bunch of rats.” I’m surprised they would even feel the need to restrain someone like that.

It’s still not the weirdest human/rat situation in a film though…

4. Ron and his rat that’s really been some dude all along in Harry Potter

This is just painfully awkward. It is revealed mid-series that Ron’s rat, Scabbers, is actually Peter Pettigrew, a dude on the lam. By dude I mean… like some guy. Just some guy that’s been disguised as this little kid’s rat for years and years. Think about the things you allow your pet to be privy to that you wouldn’t allow some random dude to be a part of. Ron’s essentially has had his entire personal pubescent years shared with this guy. Yikes.

Can you imagine making eye contract after that? Ron takes it pretty well when he first finds out, acting more betrayed than anything else. Very surprising because personally if a pet that witnessed all my intimate teenage hours suddenly gained the ability to talk I would have no choice but to immediately kill it.

Then there is the talked about fact that all these years his two brothers have been carrying around a map that locates everyone’s whereabouts in real time at all times, which means that they no doubt have been seeing some dude’s name come up next to Ron’s at all times. ALL TIMES – in class, in the bathroom, in bed… there’s just so many layers of the onion here, and every one of them is unsettling.

3. Carol Johnson and her dead husband dog in Fluke

This is certainly a random one. The film follows a dude who gets in a car accident and wakes up a dog – pretty awesome so far, right? Later on the dog/man befriends another dog that has the voice of Samuel L. Jackson getting even more awesome isn’t it? Then all of a sudden Ron Perlman kidnaps him and things go a little south. It’s a weird film. At some point Eric Stoltz shows up and Samuel L. Jackson’s dog character reincarnates as a squirrel later on as well, which is what I now assume every squirrel would sound like if they talked.

Anyhoo – the point is that the dog/man eventually seeks out his old family and pretty much haunts them in dog form – desperately trying to make his ex-wife see that this golden retriever is really her dead husband. The weird part comes when he actually freaking manages to succeed at this. Can you imagine the realization not that your dog is your dead husband, but rather the realization that you just realized your dog is your dead husband? That’s an instant trip to a hospital. In the end our hero dog decides to leave his human family and go pursue life, no doubt resulting in some of the most crazy-sounding ‘lost dog’ posters in history.

2. Elwood P. Dowd and his giant drinking-buddy rabbit in Harvey

Technically not an animal but rather a mischievous mythological creature in the form of a giant rabbit, but it’s close enough. Of course for a lot of the film there is also the possibility that Harvey is simply the deranged delusion of an alcoholic mind, the Tyler Durden of tiny mammals.

Real or not, what makes Harvey the best buddy around is his ability to stop time for as long as he likes, mixed with his total willingness to piss the day away getting mega tight with James Stewart. How is that not the American dream right there? Sitting in a bar with a happy-go-lucky Stewart and knocking back martinis with an invisible figure of Celtic folklore that has a penchant for rabbit impersonation and total command of space and time.

Watching this film it’s hard to relate to those who find such an activity unhealthy. That being said, he is a bit of a freeloader so it’s also not hard to imagine putting him in a sanatorium – if only to knock down the food bill. It’s really a matter of being buddies with someone vs. actually having to live with them – while Elwood and Harvey are probably not the best roommates out there they surely are a blast to have a night out with.

1. Cinderella and her little animal servants in Cinderella

Seriously, this chick is messed the hell up.

Much like Willard she has a whole army of rodents – only she dresses hers up and makes them help with her morning routine. What kind of messed up dynamic is that? When she rescues Gus the first order of business to get him a shirt to wear (no pants, by the way [what exactly is she wanting to cover up with just a shirt?] but just the top) along with a little Steve Zissou cap as well, the same as every other mouse. She uniforms and indoctrinates them into her little way of life – but at no point does anything beyond that. She doesn’t really help them deal with the cat at all, does she? She’ll feed them and clothe them and that’s it – just like servants. What kind of sicko is she?

Then comes the point in the film where the mice and birds all get together and make her something to wear! Luckily it’s more than just a shirt and a cap, and she prepares to bring it to the ball only to have it torn up by her sisters. Let’s say for a second that she did manage to take it with her, can you imagine the small talk that would follow? “Hey nice dress!” “Thank you! It was made by mice and birds!”

Watching this movie, has it every occurred to anyone that maybe there’s a reason her stepmother keeps her locked away inside all the time? Just throwing that out there.

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Suman, who will be directing the film, wants to concentrate on this love story and more so, on the characters not forgetting the aspect of puzzlement in all human relationships. Since the film will be based on the characters, Suman needed good actors who could also step into the shoes of the characters that Tagore has created.

Besides both characters are erudite and have a strong intellectual background. Hence, Sumans casting of Rahul and Konkona. The films shoot will take place in May-June, in Kolkata, Shillong and Oxford. Confirming this Rahul tweeted, Looks like @konkonas and I will be in a love story again. Based on a famous Tagore novel. More details anon!

For starters, Shesher Kabita recounts the love story of Amit Ray, and Labanya. Amit who is a barrister educated at Oxford, meets Labanya in a car accident and their love blossoms in the hills of Shillong. Their love, however, does not culminate in marriage.

Source: Bollywood Hungama

See also: “Green” shopping bags could make you green around the gills

See also: Practicing safe sacks may not mean plastic baglessness

Recently, the Oregon Public Health Division released the information that an entire girl’s soccer team was infected with an outbreak of norovirus, a foodborne illness that causes severe symptoms including projectile vomiting and diarrhea. The source: a reusable grocery bag that they passed around and ate cookies from.

The Journal of Infectious Diseases says this represents the first verified occasion in which the virus was transported by an inanimate object, and that, “this also illustrates one of the less obvious hazards of reusable grocery bags.”

Dr. Charles Gerba, a professor in the Departments of Soil, Water and Environmental Science at the University of Arizona who conducts research about the transmission of pathogens through the environment, issued the following statement:

“The latest outbreak of norovirus reinforces the research we have conducted about the propensity of reusable grocery bags to act as hosts for dangerous foodborne bacteria and viruses. In reality, reusable bags are likely at fault much more often than we realize: cases often go unreported and uninvestigated.

“The cause of roughly 70 percent of foodborne illness cases, the norovirus spreads very easily and symptoms include projectile vomiting and severe diarrhea. It can have such sweeping consequences as school and emergency room closures. This incident should serve as a warning bell: permitting shoppers to bring unwashed reusable bags into grocery and retail stores not only poses a health risk to baggers but also to the next shoppers in the checkout line.”

So don’t take my word for it. Listen to Dr. Gerba. The danger is real.

Norovirus, sometimes referred to as “the stomach flu”, is something many of us have unfortunately experienced. It is unpleasant and miserable, but we may minimize its seriousness because of its familiarity. However, the fact is that it is responsible for 21 million illnesses, 70,000 hospitalizations and 800 deaths a year in the US. It’s likely to have a more serious effect on the elderly, the young, and those with compromised immune systems.

If you like your reusable bags, don’t despair. Just make sure to buy the kind that can stand up to washing in hot water, and be sure to throw them in the wash between uses.

Sanjay Gupta too said, Mahesh is not only a friend but also a super filmmaker. I am backing him all the way. It will be heartwarming to have him back in Hindi cinema. A few days ago, I saw Kaksparsh and was bowled over.

It is learnt Manjrekars film is likely to start as soon as Gupta is free from his directorial comeback, Shootout at Wadala.

My clients, the experienced and the naïve, always ask do we really need to get a permit for this small project? Construction by its nature is disruptive. The process of applying for and obtaining a sanction from the local authorities is challenging and as far as I can tell one municipality is as thorny as the next.

In Chicago, it is assumed that you will need to retain a permit expediter to get the plans approved. Horror stories are ramped about the unexpected and potential cost implications. Of course there are two sides to each story, with the staffing reduced at the building departments responding to the current recession we have slower response time. This is maddening to the architects, builders and owners where time is money.

The building department states on the Oak Park village website, Home improvements and building upkeep are favorite pastimes in Oak Park with its historic districts, architectural heritage and older housing stock. Building projects must meet village code and zoning requirements, and permits and inspections are the mechanisms in place to assure compliance.

To help managed the time for review we suggest the following strategies:

One, keep it simple. Limit the amount of information on the drawings to what the reviewer needs to know. Omit design details, schedules, interior elevations and unneeded sections focusing on the code, ADA, energy and zoning issues.

Two, schedule a walk thru with the building inspector to discuss the scope of the project. This service is encouraged in Oak Park by the chief building inspector to reduce frustration and speed reviews.

Three, avoid the temptation of fighting city hall. Few of us have time for a war, although we all have the right to challenge the building department interpretation of the zoning and codes. This is not our objective, nor expertise. Most departments work as teams which can result in conflicting judgments. Sometimes two inspectors review the drawings and often more than one perform the on-site reviews, causing conflict. Your best hedge against this issue is to retain an experienced builder that has good sub-contractors, thorough knowledge of the codes and knows all the inspectors of which they have earned respect. Our building department is known as going by the book regardless of who you are or what the project is.

Four, if you are in a historic district see Doug Kaarre the preservation staff liaison for a review and advice on any issues concerning historic materials. Basically, if the work or addition cannot be seen from the street preservation has no power. Doug and the Historic Preservation Commission are available for advice and consultation regarding best practices. Following his review, see Mike Bruce in zoning. Both are readily accessible on the upper level of Village Hall. This can save you a week by being proactive. From there, one can go directly to submit three approved plans for the building permit.

Five, forget the phone. The staff is over worked and understaffed; therefore they answer questions as they get to them. In contrast, the building process is always a fast paced schedule. I have never had the luxury of time to wait two, three maybe four days for a return call. I have been waiting for two weeks for a preliminary review of a renovation project. Something is clearly broken here and our leadership should be aware of and working on the problem.

An excellent reference to have is a seven page document written by seasoned architect Frank Heitzman entitled How to procure a building permit in Oak Park, IL., for the Oak Park Architectural League. This is an insider point of view based on a career of residential and commercial work in Oak Park. Unfortunately, not much has changed since its writing in 2007.

Change needs to happen to this important service. This is intended to be a bit of a squeaky wheel. And by oiling the process, improving professionalism and relieving the intimidation factor, I hope we can bring the fine back to the art of the building department.

Moving on, sunglasses and handbagslike a black leather Marc Jacobs top-handle bag priced at $379.99are all marked at additional 30% off. If you are shopping for mom, there are Jonathan Adler ceramic vases, mugs and coasters for an additional 40% off, colorful scarves priced at $99.99 plus a whopping 60% off or, for the deep-pocketed among us, Puccis colorful silk scarves for $179.99.

If you come up empty-handed after perusing Off 5th, stroll over to Neiman Marcus Last Call right next door. Through Tuesday, theyre having a big sale on accessories, which are marked at additional 30% off. If youre shopping this weekend, you should know that they just received a fresh new shipment of designer shoes from the Neiman Marcus store. Roll call: Manolo Blahnik (who needs to go to the big sale in NY?), Tom Ford, Lanvin, Alexander Wang, Chanel, Jimmy Choo, Givenchy. We spotted Lanvin leather burgundy pumps for $445, Manolo pink suede kitten heels for $290, Manolo aqua shimmer criss-cross sandals for $389, Alexander Wang black leather sandals for $211, Stella McCartney two-tone strappy shoes for $353, Manolo bronze sandals with peacock feathers for $389, Tom Ford black suede and patent pumps for $337, Tom Ford pink tie sandals for $805 (orig. $1790), Charlotte Olympia piano pumps for $398 (orig. $885), Chanel sandals with a split wedge for $945 (orig. $2100) and Chloe brown leather boots for $357 (orig. $795). Whew.

On the contemporary side, there were Rag Bone natural leather open toe wedges for $169, Elizabeth James sandals for $168 and Loeffler Randall copper metallic flat sandals for$165. Oh and by the way, ALL the shoes mentioned above were an additional 30% off the marked price!

Mega-bargain hunters will also find past-season shoes in clearance that are color-coded for additional discount of 30% to 65% off (not counting the aforementioned extra 30% off). We found Elizabeth James, LAMB and Dolce Vita sandals all marked with 65% off stickers, plus 30% off.

Jewelry and handbagsby Juicy Couture, Nanette Lepore, Charles Jourdan, and morewere additional 30% off.

Lastly, and new to the Outlets at Orange, is Nordstrom Rack. We didnt find any special sales or markdowns here, but there was a pretty solid selection of clothes, such as T Alexander Wang (tops ran $39.97, skirts $69.97, pants $139.97); Michael Kors colorful dresses ($76.97); Cynthia Vincent dresses ($119.97), and Elizabeth James (dresses $119.97, blouses $69.97).

Of course, we had to check out the shoe situation, where we found Tory Burch (espadrilles $99.90, leather sandals $199.90, jelly flats $79.97), Donald Pliner beaded driving shoes for $119.90 and DVF heels for $149.90. Other brands we spotted included Coach, Hunter, Cole Haan, Via Spiga, Vera Wang Lavender and Badgley Mischka, all priced from $99to $199.

If youve never even been to the Outlets at Orange, now would be a great time to visit and its only about 30 miles from Los Angeles.Ruthie Cwik
Outlets at Orange Get a Nordstrom Rack; Dior Digital Mag Launch [Racked]
Desert Hills and Camarillo Outlets Plan Big Memorial Day Sales [Racked]