Week in San Francisco

For world-class shopping, the place to go to is UNION SQUARE. There you'll find Macy's, Neiman Marcus, Tiffany's, Saks Fifth Avenue, The Disney Store, FAO Schwartz, Levi's, Nike, Burbury's, Thomas Pink(for deluxe English men's and women's shirts), Armani, Three Bays Full (for wonderful, unique sweaters!) and on and on and on. You can shop 'til you drop. No doubt about it. A great place for lunch or dinner is the Postrio Restaurant at 545 Post Street (415-776-7825), one of world-famous Wolfgang Puck's (of Spago fame) restaurants. Farallon Restaurant at 450 Post (415-956-6969), with its imaginative underwater theme and highly acclaimed menu is a popular spot. Don't forget to call for reservations! La Scala Restaurant in the Sir Francis Drake at 450 Powell (415-392-7755) is another good bet-- excellent ambiance, service and food. Yet another great restaurant is The Grand Café, at 501 Geary at Taylor (415-292-0101) in the Monaco Hotel, with its French Art Nouveau décor. A few blocks away down there's plenty of opportunity for more shopping at The San Francisco Shopping Centre, at Fifth & Market, whose anchor store is famous for its top-notch customer service, Nordstrom. There are plenty of other stores there as well, such as Williams Sonoma, Victoria's Secret, etc. Further down on Market street is the Virgin Megastore, and then you'll come across the huge Metreon entertainment complex built by Sony. It has a movie theater, one with the gigantic IMAX screen, restaurants, all kinds of stores, including a music store when you can listen to about any CD before you buy it, game rooms, cocktail bars, two Starbucks coffeebars and more. Something for just about everyone. It's a lively place, that appeals especially to the younger set, including kids, so, it's a good family destination, but also good for a date. Ready for some culture? Just a block down is the dramatic-looking, very popular San Francisco Museum of Modern Art at 151 3rd Street. Just down the street is the new Pacific Bell Giants Ballpark, for you baseball fans.

For more shopping opportunities elsewhere in The City, UNION STREET, off Van Ness, is very popular, and there are plenty of great restaurants to dine at as well. Not quite as well-known is HAYES STREET, off of Van Ness, for a more alternative, more hip kind of shopping experience, AND wonderful restaurants AND interesting galleries. I recommend it highly. FILMORE STREET in Pacific Heights is also a good bet for shopping and browsing.