Tuesday, August 26, 2008

Near Union Square


There isn't much going on with the conference today (although I did run into Mary Jo Pugh in the hotel lobby and spoke to her for a few moments),so I was out and about exploring today. One place I visited was Britex Fabrics. It is four stories (!) of fabrics of all kinds--cottons, wools, silks, brocades, lace-- trims, ribbons, accessories as well as a collection of over 30,000 different buttons.


There were a number of art galleries. My favorite was the Weinstein Gallery which features the work of Marc Chagall. How thrilling to think that someone, if they had enough money, could actually buy one of these works and have it in their home!








I was very disappointed to learn that the downtown location of Kozo Arts is closed. They offer handmade papers from Japan as well as handmade journals and albums made by San Francisco bookbinders.

I did, however, walk by an antique store which had a window full of intricately carved ivory Japanese figures. I also enjoyed street musicians and singers, listening to people speaking (and some arguing) in languages I didn't recognize, and the chaos of the crowded streets with tourists (like me!) stopping to take photographs, locals walking quickly as they smoked their cigarettes, police walking, in cars, and on bikes, panhandlers asking for change, a few people who seemed as though they might be both homeless and mentally ill, women beautifully and elegantly dressed in high heels and construction workers who took the time to look at them appreciatively.

See more of my photos on flikr.

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