The parking gods blessed the rosy vessel once more with the prime spot right in front of the entrance. For a Saturday afternoon with a football game and rowing competition in town, this 32-year-old indie music spot was surprisingly alive with customers. Crammed with records, CDs and even tapes, the Princeton Record Exchange moves music hunters up and down the aisles as they pleasantly excuse each other's gentle bumps.

Unfortunately, the storm took control of our featured duo's quest and shut down the power to that side of Tulane Street. Less-hearty souls quietly left the darkened shop, but the more determined fired up their cell phones for just enough light to read an album cover or three. This would bear fruit in the form of the neo-swing CD Hot from Squirrel Nut Zippers and Cheech & Chong's first LP to match the previously discovered sophomore release. With the electronic cash registers and credit card readers silenced, it was a cash-only day at the Exchange. One CD and one LP came to a grand total of five bucks and change.

Downing a slice at Iano's Pizza, topping off the tank, grabbing a box of Munchkins, and the refueling was complete. It's at this point that the weather finally took its toll on the music-themed road trip. With the freak snow storm now traveling rapidly up the East Coast, driving back into eastern Pennsylvania would have stalled the rest of the trip. For this reason, Double Decker Records in Allentown, Pennsylvania was bypassed. Perusing the wares at that indie retailer would require a dedicated trip.

Instead of heading north, the Juke pulled a 180 pointed south on I-95. Temperatures eased a bit and rose above freezing, changing the sleet into rain. Almost as suddenly, New Jersey gave way to Pennsylvania. With four stores and two states down, there was one more state and two more music vendors to go. Across the Mason-Dixon Line, the Juke wound its way to Baltimore.

In a nondescript building on Hickory Avenue resides The True Vine. Settled deep in a comfy chair was a man flipping through a lapful of old records. Record memorabilia plastered every wall, with the most prominent visual the 1960s-era three-record set that forms a three-foot long picture of a nightgown-clad blonde.

With its racks and racks of blues, soul, country, and rock albums, The True Vine looks like it could have been plucked out of a movie set where the script called for a "period record store." Selection and pricing are excellent, but it's the atmosphere at this indie music retailer that evokes the sense you've stepped back in time