Saturday in the city with El Naturalista Organico.

I’ve got to be honest here – I didn’t expect to love these shoes. I fully expected to be sending them back, thinking they would fit much like the cute but not very comfortable El Naturalista Nokues I scored on eBay not long ago.

But when the box arrived from PlanetShoes.com, I opened it up with excited anticipation nonetheless. And the El Naturalista Organico mary janes were truly beautiful – so I decided to wear them around the house for a bit because I really, really wanted to keep them.

What passes for autumn in Los Angeles.

And they seemed fine. Better than fine, actually – they seemed absolutely comfortable. So I decided to take a chance and wear them out and about, and headed to Alcove Cafe to meet Rose and Molly, to have a little urban adventure complete with Golden Retriever.

Good dog Molly!

Before I talk about the shoes, I have to talk a bit about the fabulousness that is Alcove. How is it that this place has been around since 2004, but I have never been there? Oh, because it’s always crazy crowded, that’s why. But we got a semi-early start, and the wait wasn’t too bad. And even if it had been, my ham, asparagus and gruyere scramble was well worth waiting for. And so was the olive bread.

Bad picture, good food.

Alcove is also known for their sweets, which most of you know I can’t have. But that didn’t stop me from taking pictures – everything was really gorgeous. I consoled myself by saying that they probably looked better than they tasted.

Temple of Sweet.

From there we headed to Pasadena, where quality time was spent fondling new Mac products at the Apple Store, a couple other stops were made, and then we steeled ourselves for a trip to the giant Forever 21 in Old Town, where I kissed my principles goodbye and emerged with a new top, a new jacket, a couple of scarves, and some cute little owl-printed travel bags, all for less than I usually spend on a single garment. I tried really hard not to think about things like sweatshops and lead poisoning, focusing instead on my new jacket. And the fact that they let dogs in the store. I mean, they can’t be all bad, right?

Entrance to Alcove, with scotty dog doorstop. I am smitten.

By now there had been quite a bit of walking done. My El Naturalistas were still quite comfortable. As we set out to take Molly on a nice long walk around the Rose Bowl, I briefly considered keeping them on, but decided to play it safe and switch to tried and true walking shoes. But it was nice knowing that I probably didn’t have to.

So, at the end of the day? The El Naturalista Organico mary janes were comfortable and supportive for a long day of walking and power shopping. I wouldn’t say they have quite the support of the Iggdrasils, which are probably the best shoe EN makes. And at first I thought they might rub a bit on that tendon on the top of my high arch – this was an unnecessary worry, because the leather is soft and flexible. So I’m giving them a point off for support, but in all other ways, these are a great pair of shoes for a day of gallivanting about, with or without a dog. But preferably with!

Comfort: