And Here Is What We Did Today

[ellendare]

I went on a "date" with my older daughter today (age 7). Here is what we did.

• Got a Decaf Nonfat Misto and a kids' hot chocolate in the Starbucks nearest the Sutter/Stockton Garage. By her own words, she hoovered it. Hers was gone before I had the fake sugar stirred into mine.
• Went up and down the streets of Chinatown, mostly looking, but a little buying. I am a sucker for silk brocade and anything shiny -- and she definitely loves her the shiny.
• Bought a cheesy cheongsam outfit suitable only for tourists from Kansas City. She chose turquoise, with matching brocade Mary Janes. She looks adorable in it.
• The child has more shopping stamina than anyone I've ever seen. It's Chinatown. They got the same exact stuff in every store. But (and she gets this from her Grandma Dee) -- we just had to look. In. Every. Single. Store.
• Of course, when it was my turn (I found a brocade jacket I thought might work on me), she said to me, "Mom, can we please move on now?" At least she said please.
• She had several new tastes: Botan Rice Candy (which I've loved since I was a little girl), cha su bao (which I loved but she didn't, which was sad -- I thought it was a no-brainer) and a Lotus Paste Moon Cake. She hoovered that, too.
• Saw a human Chinese dragon troupe, with one guy carrying the head and the rest of them laughing and following along.
• Guess we missed the parade.
• Saw the Brown Twins on Powell Street right in front of the Sir Francis Drake Hotel. Doesn't get any more San Francisco than that.
• We rode the cable car to Russian Hill, where one of my favorite restaurants, I Fratelli, is no longer. Guess I should have gone there more often.
• Took the cable car the rest of the way to Fisherman's Wharf (what was I thinking?) where there was no place I wanted to eat. Caught a cab back to North Beach.
• Because I love her so very much, allowed her to lead me in to a Pasta Pomodoro, even though we were in North Beach. I made her promise not to tell. The food was delicious and priced right, but I still feel ashamed.
• Bought a cannoli, two of the best amaretti in the world, and a croquembouche (don't know what the Italians call it, but it's a croquembouche in French) at Mara's. Cannot pass by there without purchasing a cannoli. I don't really know how the rest got into the bag.
• Rode the bus down Stockton back to the garage.
• Got home. Younger daughter is first shocked, then furious, then bursts into tears because we didn't buy her a cheesy cheongsam outfit of her own. "There are lots of colors. We didn't know which one you would like best," we say, placatingly. "PINK!!!!!" she howls.
• Looks like I'll be repeating this day tomorrow, with the younger one.