The Silent "I"

San Francisco Chinatown: Fun Things to Do on a Budget

One of my favorite movie musicals as a child was Rogers & Hammerstein's Flower Drum Song, mainly because it was the first movie I ever saw that had Asian and Asian-American actors in leading roles. It didn't matter to me that the plot was ridiculous or that some of the actors weren't even Chinese (or even Asian in some cases).  I just remember being proud of the fact that people who somewhat resembled people in my family had made it to the big screen. 

One of the most memorable songs was the song called "Grant Avenue".

A western street with eastern manners,
Tall pagodas and golden banners
Throw their shadows through the lantern glow.

You can shop for precious jade
or teakwood tables or silk brocade
Or see a bold and brassy night club show,
On the most exciting thoroughfare I know.

We call it
Grant Avenue, San Francisco,
California, U.S.A.
Looks down from Chinatown
Over a foggy bay.

I had this romantic notion of San Francisco's Chinatown as a child.  I thought of it as an exotic, bustling thoroughfare of commerce and cable cars in the town where they invented Rice-a-Roni, quite possibly on Grant Avenue itself.  I think I made up that last part, but it made sense to me, since that was all I knew of San Francisco as a kid in Ohio in the 1960's was what I saw on television.  When I was about five, I used to stomp around the house singing "Grant Avenue! San Francisco! Cal-i-forn-i-a! U! S! A!" until my mother informed me that we were not Chinese and I needed to knock it off.

Anyway, San Francisco's Chinatown holds a special place in my heart.  Last weekend, we did a little mini-vacation and spent the weekend in San Francisco.  We stayed at the Orchard Garden Hotel, courtesy of the We Blog Travels Travel Writing Contest that I won last year with this post about San Francisco for kids.  We decided to see what we could do in San Francisco on a tight budget, and we started off with a walk through Chinatown.

The Orchard Garden is located next to the the Chinatown Gate, on Bush and Grant Avenue.  We were able to walk down the famed Grant Avenue, checking out a thousand and one souvenir shops, selling everything from silk purses to shoes to sculptures to tourist trinkets.  I have to admit, I had the "Grant Avenue" song stuck in my head as we walked along, stopping at nearly every souvenir shop along the way.

Althought it's called "Chinatown", the wares sold on Grant Avenue are sort of Pan-Asian, so you can find imports from Korea, Japan, India, and Thailand as well as China. Some of the best buys are comfy shoes and slippers, porceline dishes, and souvenirs of San Francisco. Alex salivated over racks of reproduction Samurai swords in one shop, and we beat a hasty retreat out of another that featured posters of nude Chinese women from the 1940's.  Every time my mom comes to town, we go jewelry shopping in Chinatown. The jewelers are usually open to bargaining on prices if you chat with them, and will usually throw in a jade bracelet or earrings if you press them. 

Some of the shops feature upscale artwork, Buddha sculptures, pottery, and fake designer bags.  I like the more Zen-inspired ones, with incense, stone garden Buddhas, and inspirational paper weights. 

Heart of Haiti Campaign

The Clever Girls are at it again, and this time, the cleveristas are putting efforts towards supporting a cause close to my heart: Heart of Haiti, a non-profit dedicate to helping rebuild Haiti.  The group is selling  handmade arts and crafts from Haitian artisans through Macy's Heart of Haiti: Shop for a Better World program.

The program is the brainchild of Fairwinds Trading Company CEO Willa Shalit.  Willa's company is dedicate to bringing the work of artists in developing nations to a wider audience, providing a much-needed source of income and support to people across the globe.  I've bought jewelry and small bags in local shops from Fairwinds, and love that they have turned their attention to the grave situation in Haiti. 

The earthquake that devastated the country on January 12, 2010 made it nearly impossible for many to make a living or rebuild what they had lost.  These artisans found a way to take simple, and often recycled materials, and turn them into a celebration of Haiti's culture, and make a living for themselves.

We have been to several islands in the Carribean over the years, and purchased a number of colorful, decorative items for our home.  The selection in the Heart of Haiti "shop" reminded me of the markets we visited in the Bahamas, St. Maarten, and Aruba. Even if you've never been to Haiti or other islands in the Carribean, you can add a little local flair to your kitchen with colorful bowls, wall art and jewelry from this collection.  By doing so, in a small way, you help the people of Haiti to rebuild after the devastating earthquake of 2010. 

Disclosure: I was selected for this very special “CleverHaiti” opportunity by Clever Girls Collective, which endorses Blog With Integrity. All opinions are my own.

Target-to-Go Hits San Francisco

Yesterday, I got a special preview of the Target to Go shopping experience in San Francisco, and was able to do about half my remaining Christmas shopping in about 20 minutes.  Target pioneered the "Pop-up" store concept a few years ago, but living in the 'burbs where Target stores abound, I didn't really know what that meant.  Essentially, a "Pop-up" store is a temporary shopping site set up for a special occasion, with a limited product line, primarily in urban areas that are not so lucky to have a Target.

At the Target to Go store, you're given a menu of about 50 items to choose from, and can walk past a display window showing the various gifts, mostly grouped by price.  If you see something you like, you mark it on your order form, and take it to the cashier.  The gift comes out wrapped in a lovely candy-striped bag with a gift tag on it for you to fill out, and voila! you are DONE.

This weekend, Target-to-Go stores will be open in DC, New York, and San Francisco.  If you live in or around San Francisco, follow @TargetToGoSF on Twitter for clues on where to find some special Target Gift Tags hidden around the city.  If you find one, take it to the Target to Go shop at Mint Plaza (on 5th, between Mission & Market, next to the old US Mint) and you will be rewarded with a Target Gift card, redeemable at any Target location. As a bonus, Target will donate $100 to the Salvation Army for every gift card redeemed at the SF location.  If you plan to do some shopping in the city this weekend, this could be a fun little scavenger hunt to go on!

I was delighted to be invited to this event, because as I explained to one of the Target PR people, Target is my "happy place."  It's like a little vacation from the world for me to go to Target on my own, and just wander the aisles, picking up laundry detergent, throw pillows, a cute top, or Legos.  You can find just about anything there, and I have been a devoted Target shopper since the 1970's, when our local Ayr-Way turned into Target.

Disclosure:  I received a $25 Target Gift Card for attending the Press Preview, but no other compensation for writing this review. Opinions expressed herein are solely my own.