Surviving The "Union Square Shoe Shopping Trip"

Summer is nearly here, and this is the time when the ladies are looking desperately for new shoes. These can not be just any shoes, they must be strappy, open toed, fun, bright and sexy. They are required to have names like Icon, Jimmy Chu, Kate Spade, or Manolo Blahnik. Most of you now are asking what does this have to do with “Fathers Day”. Well I am going to share my secret for surviving the dreaded “Union Square Shoe Shopping Trip”. If you are from the Bay Area you know about Union Square and the surrounding blocks. If your not, lets just say there are more shoe stores than most people have brain cells. I normally lose it about an hour into the trip, that’s when I say I am going for a short walk. I sneak away too “Mocca on Maiden”. Mocca is a small café with outdoor seating, a good wine list (by the glass), cocktails, and gourmet deli foods. This place goes mostly un-noticed on the weekends (during the week is another matter). Easy to find, just go to the east side of Union Square, in the middle of the block you will find Maiden Lane, look east and you will see it. Find a table, order a drink and chill. You are not more that two minutes walk from any of the stores on the square, and the staff understands if the cell phone rings and you have to “slam and jam”.