You'd think we'd be bored with all of this retail hoo-haa by now, and believe us-- we're as shocked as you are that the ongoing Apple grand openings can still get us all charged up. After all, it's not exactly "A-list" material anymore; whereas the earliest store openings prompted the Mac-centric media to publish week-long sneak previews of the blessed event (complete with artists' renditions of the predicted interior, innumerable photos of the dumpsters outside, and incisive interviews with the mall janitorial staff), these days a grand opening is more likely to win little more than an obligatory blurb beneath the day's shareware release listings. Luckily, the fans aren't yet as jaded as the press, and people (though fewer of them) are still lining up to see the latest local slice of Mac heaven-- as depicted in faithful viewer Matthew Shull's photos of last Saturday's grand opening in Clarendon, for example.

So, yes, every time a new store or three throws open its doors, if we're not physically there and cheering in line, we're usually frantically reloading Apple's retail page, anxiously waiting to see where the next stores will be opening. We're pleased to note that, yes, there are two more waiting in the wings; while no date is yet posted, it's a pretty safe bet to say that this coming weekend heralds the magic day for Apple's Palisades and Rockingham Park locations, both "coming soon" (in West Nyack, New York and Salem, New Hampshire, respectively). If you're near either of those two stores, clear your calendars and start warming up your waiting-in-line muscles.

As it turns out, this particular announcement has us juiced even more than usual, because the Rockingham Park store is only about 35 miles away from the AtAT compound-- just ten miles further away than our current "local" Apple store at the Northshore Mall, and-- more to the point-- just across the border in sunny tax-free New Hampshire. That means if we're ever seized with the notion to drop a couple of grand on a new Mac, we can save ourselves a hundred bucks or so by going the New Hampshire route. It's just one more thing to pick up on those traditional Bostonian runs up north: a few cases of liquor, a couple of tattoos, and a Quicksilver Power Mac. (Actually, we don't drink, and Massachusetts marched boldly into the 18th century on the whole tattoo issue recently, so we can now get ink locally. But there's a tradition to preserve, here.)

But wait, it gets even better... well, for us, at least. Faithful viewer David Nagler was poking around Apple's site and discovered that the page for the long-awaited CambridgeSide store has quietly gone live, though it's yet unlinked at the main retail page. (Incidentally, if anyone at Apple happens to be listening, the city name is "Cambridge," not "CambridgeSide"-- see the address at the CambridgeSide Galleria site.) That hints strongly at an opening in less than two weeks, which is fantastic news... not only because that store was originally supposed to have opened back when pet rocks were all the rage, but also because the Galleria happens to be just eight miles from our front door, making it a real "local" Apple store. But don't get us wrong-- we're not gloating, or anything. We're just mentioning. Casually. Offhandedly. And with huge frickin' grins on our faces.