Macy's Flower Show

Every year, on the weekends surrounding Easter, San Francisco hosts the marriage of flora and commerce.

I'd never seen it before.

But, once our teams were out of contention, 

the NCAA Men's Basketball March Madness held less interest for me than it has in years past.  

I left the boys and set out on an adventure.

I took a cab to Jackson Square and visited with my favorite vintage poster-meister before

heading to Union Square for some retail therapy.  I strolled through Ferragamo and admired wildly expensive purses and blouses and shoes... oh, the shoes.... and then I looked up and saw this 

through Macy's front window.

The unrelieved starkness of Big Cuter's Tenderloin  neighborhood left me hungry for growing things.

With no intention of spending a dime, I walked around the first floor, drooling.

Where was the elevator?

Beneath the turquoise faux-stained glass, beneath the azaleas.

The usual downtown mega-store noise was dampened.

I decided it was due to the calming effect of all those blooms.

I rode the elevator to the sixth floor, but exited on the fifth floor, so I first saw this

as it appeared inch by inch from the bottom up,

 as the escalator took me up and up.

At the top, I saw this.

I was in the housewares department, so I was not surprised to see the elephant tent covering china on a lovely lacquered table.  .

I'm not too sure I like the leopard print squooshy legs, though.

Turning around, I saw these gigantic hydrangeas attached to the ceiling.

Those are flowery streamers 

above another fabulous table setting.

Yes, those are flowers creating the rug.

On my way out, I laughed at the osteospermum over the earrings.  

I'd grown those along my Marin driveway; I hadn't seen them since then.

The third venue was outside, on O'Farrell Street.

The sunshine reflected the scene, making it a 360 degree experience.  

I was in front of myself and behind myself at the same time.

See what I mean?  

The building is across the street, and so is the man... or is he?

Every detail was made of flowers.

Those are TBT's (Tiny Blue Things... the technical term) creating the larger blue flower.

I would have liked descriptive signage, but that might just be me.

I was hungry, and Pinkberry was right there, offering grapefruit soft and wonderfulness, a broken cookie (which meant it was guilt free, since there are no calories in crumbs)

and as many toppings as the delightful server could fit into the crevices.

(

I walked all the way back to Big Cuter's apartment.... a mile or so of immersion in the City.

It was a perfect day.