With the power of Fab, Gilt Groupe, and the dozens of other designer flash sale websites at my fingers, it takes a lot of persuasion to get me to an actual in-store sale.  But with crazy deals on this season brands like Alexis Bittar, Burberry, Helmut Lang, and Brian Atwood, I committed to quite the commute to get to the Nordstrom Anniversary Sale.  Read about my adventure after the jump. 

"This post is brought to you by Nordstrom."

Living in NYC, the closest Nordstrom store options are in New Jersey.   This posed my first issue: how on earth do I get myself there? I don't have a car. I don't even have a driver's license. And I definitely do not know how to get to New Jersey.  The inconveniences however well all trumped when I found out that the Garden State doesn't have sales tax.  Double jackpot.  After a few clicks on the store website, I jotted down instructions to take the subway to 175th St. then walk to a bus that would plop me at the Garden State Plaza mall in 20 prompt minutes.   Not too bad when clad with some fashion magazines. Plus I had this little one legged pigeonguard to keep me company.

The Nordstrom at the Garden State Plaza Mall is beautiful.  Wide open spaces, warm lighting, and friendly staff. There was even this lovely little cafe where you could get espressos and a light lunch.  But I mean... we're at a mall.  I couldn't help but do this instead:

Boom goes the Food Court dynamite!  I don't even know what genre of quasi-asian cuisine this is.  I do know that it was delicious and it only cost $6.  Another plus was that this meant I had even more money to spend on my discounted Fall 2012 Jeffrey Campbells! Voila: 

After spending quite a bit of time gasping at the insane pre-season discounts (we're talking B Brian Atwood heels for $120 off, Marc Jacobs watches for $75 off, and Burberry trenches for $700 off!) I finally decided on my prize of the day:

<These insanely awesome J. Brand stretch twill leggings  for $100 off.  The fit is amazing and the color is perfect for the upcoming fall season.  Totally worth the long commute.   After a waltz through the beauty department for deals on MAC and a quick stop at Auntie Anne's pretzels, I was back in NYC by early afternoon with my tax-free discounted Fall 2012.  This is one sale that was definitely worth leaving your laptop for.  But be sure to get there ASAP because it is almost over!