San Francisco Shopping Center

Extensive shopping, scrumptious dining, authentic cable cars and delightful street performers. These are just a few characteristics of Union Square. Hotel accommodations in and around Union Square make touring downtown San Francisco easy and convenient. Are you planning a visit for business, pleasure or both? Because of the central location, you'll benefit greatly from finding a Union Square hotel near Moscone Convention Center. This will grant you access to everything downtown San Francisco offers.

Union Square is most famous for it extensive collection of retail stores. The third largest shopping area in the United States, you'll find some of the finest premium department stores, specialty shops and high-end boutiques in the country in Union Square, including the newly opened Westfield Centre, home to San Franciscos Bloomingdales.

A taste of classic cooking: School offers something for all

It was the ultimate cooking demonstration and the atmosphere was festive. There were occasional surprises and an abundance of great food. One of the 700 attendees won a magnificent recliner. Others won bags of groceries, cooking items, cookbooks, hair care products, gift certificates and more. Tuesday night’s Taste of Home Cooking School was all about good food, classic cooking and having fun in the kitchen.Culinary specialist Michelle Roberts, who travels to more than 250 communities coast to coast, said, "I always enjoy coming to Orangeburg for the Taste of Home Cooking School."The audience is very receptive, the sponsors are supportive and the cooking assistants are well-organized. Carla Hall and Missy Hutto of the Times and Democrat have everything exactly in place and ready to go when I arrive."While the doors to the Cinema Rooms at the Orangeburg Mall did not open to the public until 5 p.m., people began camping out in the parking lot as early as 3 p.m.

Coming soon to a town near Lewis

For years, southwestern suburban Bolingbrook, a neighboring suburb of Romeoville, has consisted of a string of subdivisions, lacking a 'main street' or a locale its residents could name 'downtown.'

However, later this month, Bolingbrook will get its first real downtown marked by a two-block shopping center called The Promenade Bolingbrook. The grand opening ceremony of the shopping center will take place Thursday, April 26. The shopping center, located at Interstate Highway 355 and Boughton Road, approximately eight miles from Lewis University, will offer a variety of shops and restaurants.

The Promenade, anchored by a Macy's and a massive Bass Pro Shop, is described as a place where trees, sidewalks and sky meet shops and cafés. It will feature a Village Green where shoppers can relax in an open park-like setting that includes a performance stage and a giant outdoor fireplace.

Mmmmm. . . tastes good

Uh oh, time to put on my "nice clothes" and "good shoes," head up the street to my Montgomery County church and place my nickel in the collection plate.

That's how I remember Easter as a kid — goodies! There was no significant religious meaning or overtone to this "holy" day in the households that I was raised by.

Paramount fire ruins cleared

ESCONDIDO ---- It's as if The Paramount inferno had never happened. All evidence of the worst structure fire in Escondido's history has been cleared at the site next to the Signature Pavilion shopping plaza between Centre City Parkway and Escondido Boulevard.Not a piece of debris remains where three months ago the twisted metal skeletons and charred ruins of four buildings had been. Demolition was begun in early March at The Paramount, and workers at a neighboring construction site said Monday that Friday was the last day they had seen any activity there.