Once in awhile, we like to take a break from Fashion and write about things that make life more efficient, or even things that remind us of where we came from.

Here are two apps I found and loved, whether I was traveling or reminiscing:

iNorthshore – Efficiently Find Retail Store Information About Chicago Area Stores From Evanston To Lake Forest.

Okay, I grew up in the Northern suburbs of Chicago, and this took me back to the days when I’d drive down LSD (not take LSD, drive down Lakeshore Drive). The iNorthshore iPhone app knows your current location; it will help you determine where you want to go without typing an address. iNorthshore identifies your current location and regularly updates the nearest store’s list as you walk, drive or bike. Then select a gas station, restaurant, grocery store, health club, etc. to get store details including address, distance, phone, website and business hours. iNorthshore displays a complete list of stores so you can browse by type or select an area on the North Shore map. Turn off the ‘Track Me’ feature to access the ‘Select Area’ feature, which allows you to move a ring on a map of Chicago’s North Shore and provides the stores closest to that location. The UI needs a little work, but for Evanstonians, it’ll work.  Download Here.

iNapa – Explore Wineries and Tasting Rooms in Northern California

There’s a reason I live in California, and it’s not the Los Angeles fashion industry. Its the Central and Northern Valley wine industry. If you enjoy wine, this is an indispensable tool for exploring California wines. iNapa efficiently finds vineyards, wineries, wine tours, tasting rooms, and the top wine lists from Napa to Kelseyville and Sonoma to Fort Bragg, CA.  This app finds the wine you want or places others you may have missed while visiting the Napa area. As one travels through the wine country, the default screen will automatically update the screen with the 10 closest wineries as you move. In addition, the user can turn ‘Track Wine’ off and tell iNapa where they want to go by moving a red ring on the map in ‘Select Area’ as iNapa then presents a list wineries. Also, one may just browse by wine alphabetically. Download Here.