Everyone has a pair shoes that they’ve worn them to the point of falling apart. I’ve had a few of them but none more beloved than my knockoff skater shoes.
knockoff skater shoes from target, circa 1998? the shoelaces are original
I bought them on my first solo trip to Target, just after I got my driver’s license. They couldn’t have been more than $20. My personal style flirted with skater/surfer chic that was semi-cool in the late ’90s, but those shoes were the only thing to stick from that phase. They’re a part of my daily shoe rotation from late September to mid April. I’ve worn those shoes for many more miles than any well-meaning podiatrist would recommend. They’ve been to the East Coast (NYC) and the West Coat (SF) and many places in between and twice hopped across the pond, the first time on a trip to England, Scotland and Wales a decade ago and the second on our Irish honeymoon.
Since then the lining of the shoes have disintegrated in places, and the layer that’s left has worn holes through God knows how many pairs of my socks. Instead of replacing my sock drawer over and over, I figured it was time to replace the shoes. I purchased a fairly cheap pair of Vans (albeit more expensive than those knockoffs). They’re not nearly as skater-chic as my original pair, though they seem to be just as comfortable.
The new shoes made their first trip with me out of state on a work jaunt to Kentucky on Saturday. On the way home Sunday, I decided to take a scenic detour to Cumberland Gap National Park, the spot where Daniel Boone and many others forged across the Appalachian mountains (say it with me, APP-uh–LATCH–uhn) and the spot where the Tennessee, Kentucky and Virginia state lines converge.
the new vans in virginia, with kentucky just ahead
I don’t think I’ll be able to convince myself to giveaway the knockoffs just yet, but I can hope that the new pair will carry me through even greater and more plentiful adventures.
that knobby ridge just below and to the left of the river is the spot where the three states converge. being someone who collects photos of stateline signs on long road trips, it drove me crazy not to be able to access the EXACT spot.
I have a pair of flip-flops I got on a family trip to Hawaii when I was 14, and I refuse to part with them. So I understand your feeling exactly. 🙂
I love this post. I totally have shoes like that. And I love that you also said the shoelaces are ORIGINAL 🙂 And standing on that state line is amazing, I want to be there one day.
Come visit! I’ll take you there. It’s not too far away from Knoxville.
Ha! This should be a commercial for Target. I’ve never had Target shoes last that long! I do, however, have some birkenstocks like your skater shoes (I’m showing my age). I’ve worn them through three pregnancies, they stink, the cork is worn through the soles yet they I still wear them from time-to-time. They ARE my comfort shoes. I just try not to let my friends see me wearing them, especially my best friend who has openly offered to bury them for me.
Rebecca, you wear those Birkenstocks proudly! (I have a pair of Birkenstock mules that I haven’t been able to convince myself to part with. The only reason I don’t wear them anymore is because I’ve worn the cork so unevenly they’ve become impossible to walk in)