Specialty Shops, San Francisco

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Yes, I bought all the souvenirs in this shop.
It was an accident to walk into this gift store after I had my lunch at Polk Street. The samurai umbrella in the window got my attention. This umbrella looks like a real samurai. I mean it does exactly. You can carry it like a Japanese warrior. I was told that policemen will stop you on the street if you carry it like that. It happened to its other customers. That is so cool. I know what I will dress like during the Halloween.
In the back of the store, it has lots of odd toys, like Rubik's cube flashlight and pens, vintage slink dog, star trek 3-D kites, Mr. and Mrs. Potato heads. I got the slink dog toy for my cousin. I bought some Hello Kitty; Batman and Green lantern wallets for my friends. They are so thin and mighty. They are made of some kind of recycle materials. The store somehow looks like a small-scale museum gift shop.

The store also has lots of beautiful beautiful greeting cards. Unlike what you get in Walgreen or in Wal-mart, the cards are letter-press and very artisan. They are some 3-D as well.

If you travel to San Francisco, I recommend you to stop by in this store by taking California cable car. It is very convenient. There are lots of good restaurants around it too.

What to buy: -Stationary
-Greeting cards
-Toys
-Accessories
- Lego flashing lights

What to pay: The store has the items from $0.99-$299. Its price range is very reasonable.

Mansour has the most amazing selection of antique, reproduction and modern rugs. These are investment quality pieces at excellent prices.

What to buy: Buying an antique rug whilst visiting one of the most beautiful cities in the US might not seem the obvious thing to do but for me it was a must! I'd been searching for a while and most dealers near me only have a small selection, but I heard about Mansour opening a new showroom in the Galleria at the Design Center. A short cab ride later and I was in rug heaven - antique Sultanabad's, Serapi's, Khotan's and Tabriz. The process was made easy by the helpful staff and I found the perfect piece which they are shipping home for me.

Coming to San Francisco there are a lot of listings for antique shops, but I was having a hard time finding a fine antique rug dealer in the city. I did a bit more on-line research for antique rugs and found out that Mansour had opened a shop in San Francisco. If you like antique rugs, you know Mansour, who has showrooms in Beverly Hills and London. I was very surprised to find Mansour's fantastic collection of antique rugs and helpful staff in a very convenient location in the San Francisco Design Center. They have a wonderful, large selection of antique rugs in a range of sizes and price points. I highly recommend you explore Mansour rugs if you are looking for an antique rug to add warmth and personality to your home, like I did.

What to buy: Antique rugs are their specialty, but they do also offer a large collection of modern and reproduction rugs.

What to pay: It really depends on the rug you are looking at, they range greatly based on age, size, condition and the type of rug.

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Anthropolie is a chain store with locations throughout the country. They sell everything here, from clothing, house goods, candles (my favorite), books, shoes, home furnishings, kitchen cabinet door knobs (some of the most interesting I have seen), as well as an assortment of bags and other accessories.

I'm not a big fan of their clothing, looks cheaply made and too "shabby chick" for my liking, but I totally love their home furnishings and of course their candles. My favorite is the Aloha Orchid which makes our bedroom smell wonderful and reminds us of our trip to Hawaii!!

What to buy: I picked up some of my favorite candles, I also bought an interesting book for a present.

What to pay: About average

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This is the smaller branch of louis vuitton and is located inside Bloomingdales in Westfield Mall. It has a slightly less items on sale since it is only about 1/4 the size of the Branch at Union Square but STILL it is s LOUIS VUITTON!

Louis Vuitton, the Most Copied Brand (and most sought after brand) in the World was Founded by Malletier Louis Vuitton in 1854, never would he realize that it would become a status symbol and a most copied brand in the world! need I need a more thorough explanation?

What to buy: A small business card monogram wallet costs $ 250, a damier florin wallet cost $ 395, A damier melville bag costs $ 1200. A Monogram belt will cost $ 400 and a Damier Travelling Bag will cost about $ 1,800 medium and $ 2,500 large.

What to pay: maxx out your credit card!

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Cool Place for Die Hard Apple and Ipod Techies (like me), thanks a lot Steve jobs

What to buy: Ipod Classic, Imac, Ipod Video Classic, Ipod Touch, Ipod Nano, Ipod Shuffle, I-phone, Iphone 3G (by order only), Ipod Shuffle and A lot more Apple products

What to pay: $ 499 for an Ipod Touch 32 Gigabyte Memory; $ 300 for a 160 Gigabyte Ipod Video Classic; $ 299 for a New Iphone 3g

I knew there was a Sees chocolate store in San Francisco as I received a box of them from an exchange pal a couple of years ago.
When we took an open bus ride of San Francisco, we passed it, and I was excited to see it was down market Street, and walkable from my hotel (oh ooh!!). We then came across a smaller version on Union Square, which sold mainly the already boxed chocolates,, this was on a sunday so when I asked if the other shop sold individual chocolates, I was told that it did but it was closed that day. We went the next day and filled a box with different chocolates. The shop on Market st also does the already boxed chocolates.
Wonderful choc's!
While you are browsing, sales people come along and give you samples of the chocolates, very nice touch!
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What to buy: Peanut brittle is especially good, and you can buy individual bars of these as well as a box of them.
I love chewy toffees and chocolate with nuts in them, and anything chewy, within reason, so I got my fill here!
We actually ate the whole box on the next leg of our honeymoon, in Aruba.

What to pay: You can buy individual chocolates, I think, but I didn't get the prices of them.
Small boxes start from about $5-6 and there are other things like lolly pops also

I am into natural remedies and supplements and this tip is about one of them - Indian honey/jam called Chyawanprash.
I wrote 'honey/jam' cause I do not have a word for that dark, rich, spicy spread made with 43 ingredients (like clove, cinnamon, asparagus, cherry, liquorice, sandalwood, chestnut.., etc).

It`s a few thousand years old recipe, popular in India and among my Russian friends. :-)

What does it do?
Strengthens immune system, helps with mood swings, fights depression/stress/asthma and low libido, lowers cholesterol, reduces the risk of heart attack/stroke, improves memory/brain function/attention, rejuvenates skin.
But, hey, do not take my word for it. Read more here.

How do you eat it?
15-20 minutes before food.
1/2 to 2 teaspoons twice daily for adults with milk, green tea or just water. It is advised to eat it slowly, taking your time.
Kids older than 4 can eat 1/4 to 1 teaspoon twice daily.
It is recommended to take it for 3 months a year.

If interested, I payed $8 for a 17.65 oz (500g) jar at Bombay Bazaar. This place is located right next to a well-known Bombay Ice Creamery selling very tasty ice-creams ($2.5 for a scoop, 0.50 for a cone). My favorite is definitely a Pistachio.

What to buy: Chyawanprash.

What to pay: $8 for a jar.