In Which Filene Saves My Shins

I need running shoes because my Sketchers just do not cut it, and so I set out to find the cheapest ones I could find after work today. This is no small feat, since I bought my last two pairs of shoes at Sports World, which is always slightly overwhelming and would land on anybody's list for most incomprehensible and seemingly unprofitable chain in Europe. When I was in Belgium a few years ago, I got a pair of shiny black Umbro soccer cleats for like six euros, and those lasted me until I spent like five pounds two years ago on a pair of blue suede Everlasts that were so thin that you could feel every paving stone in Oxford. In New York, I figured it would be difficult for me to find comparably cheap shoes without a) stealing them or b) making them out of tinfoil and floss.

So I went to DSW and found a pair of New Balance shoes for $27. Success! They do look like a pair of shoes that my mom had in the mid-80s - in fact, they may actually be women's sneakers, so that's fun - but they are so comfortable I can barely stand it, and since the goal was to replace my Sketchers and not destroy my shins, I consider that a success.