Ian and Melanie "On the Road": Day 6

We had a lovely, late, slow morning today. While Ian showered, I updated the blog. While I showered, he loaded the pictures. By the time we left the hotel it was after 11! That would be normal for us at home so it feels a bit like a Sunday today. It's pretty overcast here today, and windy, but we put on our walking shoes and our jackets and went for a walk.

First, we walked to Japan Center which is really close to the hotel. Basically it's a mall of Japanese stores and restaurants. It was cute, and I was tempted to buy a cute little tea set, but we ended up just taking a few pictures and heading on our way. We walked from Japan Center up Post Street for a while, and then we switched down to Geary Street until we got to Union Square. Union Square is a label-shopper's dream. You're surrounded by Sak's 5^th Ave., Tiffany & Co., Macy's, Neiman Marcus, and about a bazillion other huge names in apparel and jewellery. We wandered in and out of several stores for quite a while and finally came to THE BEST Old Navy I have ever seen!! It was enormous! It was bigger than the one in Seattle and I thought that one was huge! I spent about $100 on some summer clearance items, but came out with 11 items! I love Old Navy clearance stuff. It's not expensive to begin with but when you get tank tops for $5, and dresses for $20, it's really hard to resist! Besides, I didn't buy anything in the expensive stores. However, all I really need to buy are shoes and do you think I can find any? Not yet!

Following my shopping excursion we went for a late lunch at Mel's Diner on Mission Street for good old fashioned drive-in food. I had a BLT and Ian had an Avocado Burger (the patty was meat, not avocado) with bacon, and we both had strawberry lemonades. It was actually pretty darn good, but by that time we were both starving and we hardly stopped to breathe while we ate.

From there we walked up to the Chinatown gate at Grant and Bush. We wandered through Chinatown for a while, and in and out of the shops. They really were fantastic but Ian and I couldn't bring ourselves to buy anything that we figured we could probably get at home for about the same price. I'm considering getting one of the silk, hand-painted "Happy" coats (like a light housecoat, cover-up thing) but as they start from about $50 here I'm not in any rush to get one. I'll look at home. Besides, Ian and I really are planning on coming back sometime. We still haven't been through Golden Gate Park!

From Chinatown we walked down to California Street and enjoyed the view from Nob Hill. We walked past the Fairmont Hotel (also the location of the Fair's mansion before the 1906 Fire) and the Flood's mansion, then over to Van Ness, down Van Ness, up Sutton and finally back to the hotel!

Doesn't sound like a very exciting day but we sure covered a lot of ground and we're spending the evening relaxing at the hotel. Ian picked up some beer on the way "home" and I grabbed a tea from the lobby and here we sit. Neither of us are hungry after our late lunch so we've snacked on some chocolate and some chips and I'm feeling pretty happy to just be relaxing a bit today.

Tomorrow, on to San Jose to spend more time with George and Sue!

*Note* Photo of Mel's Diner is the location closer to us on Van Ness, not the one we ate at.
*Note* Photo directly after the Fire Alarm is of the exterior of our hotel.