Columnist Muriel Stevens: Shopper’s guide to San Fran

Wednesday, Jan. 17, 2001 | 8:52 a.m.

Muriel Stevens' shopping columns and travel columns appear Wednesdays. Her dining column appears Fridays. Reach her at 259-4080 or muriel@ lasvegassun.com.

The week before Christmas was an ideal time for shopping San Francisco. Unlike past trips, when an umbrella was my constant companion, the weather was perfect. Just right for a shopping excursion.

My friend and I walked almost daily to Union Square and the surrounding area. Turn down any street that borders the square -- Geary, Post, Powell or Stockton -- and find all kinds of boutiques, speciality shops and art galleries.

On Union Square are many upscale stores, as well as the newly revamped Macy's (bigger, but not better), Saks Fifth Avenue and Neiman Marcus.

Macy's has finally completed the upgrade of the Union Square store. There are escalators to most floors and the decor is lovely. What was once a bunch of disjointed departments is now tied together. Unfortunately, it's still not user friendly. At least not like NM and Saks.

Street performers are always part of the square's color, especially so during the holidays, when the metallic mimes make an appearance. Covered from head to toe in silver paint, these tireless "statues" remain motionless for hours. We saw them most afternoons. In the morning a copper-painted female was a pretty sight. Anyone can strike a pretty pose. Maintaining the same pose for hours is a feat of self-discipline and control.

On every corner street performers were providing a cacophony of sounds. Even more colorful were the flower vendor stands offering gorgeous blooms for surprisingly little money. It was a beautiful sight.

The first few days we mostly window-shopped, biding our time until the day-after-Christmas sales. Except for NM and Saks, we were not tempted by shops that had clones in Las Vegas. Too much of the same old, same old.

One shopping day was spent at the San Francisco Center on Market Street and Fifth. Our guidebook advised that Nordstrom offers free limo service to and from the store. We called the shuttle number and within minutes we were picked up at the hotel. A terrific service.

The center itself is an eight-level mall with more than 90 specialty shops. Nordstrom occupies the top four floors. There must be elevators, but we chose to go up via the only spiral escalator in the country. It wasn't until we were well on our way up that I remembered how much I disliked the dizzy ride and the roundabout way shoppers have to go to get to the next level.

From the center it's an easy walk to Sony's Metreon movie and game complex. We saw quite a few movies there. It was always filled with the best-behaved teenagers and smaller kids I've ever seen. Their behavior during the films was remarkable, too. They chattered away until the film began and then, except for laughter at appropriate times, there was silence. Good parents teach good manners, including movie behavior, to their kids and we all benefit.

The day after Christmas Saks opened early and we were there. I filled all the empty space in my traveling bag with splendid new fashions. Never did shop NM. Couldn't get in the door! Maybe next time. And I'll bring a bigger bag.