We did not really set out to tour the important consumer Meccas of North America, but once on the road, there is a gravitational pull to these attractions that is positively irresistible.  The highlights from our tour include:

• Visit to Starbucks World Headquarters and Work in the Starbucks Testing Kitchen
• Trip to the Ben & Jerry's Ice Cream Factory
• Next Stop on the Mecca Tour - L.L. Bean
• Another Mecca - The Hershey Chocolate Factory

Now we are not claiming for an instant that this is an exhaustive list.  Why - we know that we missed "The Mother Ship" (the REI store in Seattle) as well as a visit to the very first Nordstrom's.  That is why we have to go out on the road again soon.