l.l. bean adventure

after decades of receiving mail-order catalogs from l.l. bean, we finally voyaged to freeport, maine not long ago to see the goods in person. once upon a time, i was a cartographer for national geographic maps and design trail illustrated maps sold in outdoor stores across the world. funny seeing a sample of a map that i worked on for a few hundred hours of the adirondack state park hanging in the entrance of the flagship l.l. bean store.

a goosebump experience:

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my dad, moi, my aunt and uncle with the famous boot in the background, fit for a giant:
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in lawton, oklahoma, where my folks live a “sporting goods” store generally sells high school sports gear and guns & camo, NOT skis, bikes, kayaks, climbing gear, and freeze dried ice cream. that’s why we love rei. however, at this flagship store, it is a combination of the two :)
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the place is more like an rei campus on steriods, complete with fish ponds, archery range, fireplaces, you name it!
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what’s wrong with this photo? no door locks. that’s right, l.l. bean is opened 24/7 365. cool factoid.
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