Hold the Ice Please!

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We went downtown again. I just can't resist going downtown. I love it down there so much. My friend says that there is a lot of competition, so the prices are cheaper. I would have to agree with her. The prices are cheaper and the selections are phenomenal. You just have to be adventurous and check out all the little nooks and crannies.

Oh yea, they have an Apple store there too. I'll post more about that later. It's a little difficult to find, so I'll dedicate an entire post on how to find it.

Now back to my story. Once we got off the bus, we got handed some free roasted chestnuts. Now, I'm from the "Buckeye State" and I've never had a roasted Chestnut. Let me tell you something, they are good. Kind of starchy, but I'm sure it is loaded with lots of good stuff. I tried to buy one quai's worth, but I guess I insulted the vendor. He refused to sell only a quai's worth. I just wanted a few to munch on while we were walking down the street. I'm not sure how they will taste when they turn cold.

Since one of the girls was hungry, we wound up going to C. Strait's Cafe. It's a coffee shop that sells food. Mmmmm...it smelled so good in there. The prices were a little high, but we decided to splurge anyway. I got a "fruit pizza' which in reality was only a fresh tomato pizza with onions. It was good, but I think the cheese had MSG in it. I also ordered a fresh watermelon juice. My first reaction was to send it back after the waiter served it with ice, but I was assured that the ice cubes were made from purified water, NOT! Yea, so much for my digestion. I'm still suffering the after effects and that was two days ago! A word to the wise. If they serve you a drink with ice in it, send it back or tell them NO ICE. I actually did that at a hot pot shop and they refused to serve me a glass of soda-pop. I ordered a bottle of Wahaha water instead. And don't listen to those people that tell you, "Your body has to get used to the germs." Hog wash! Do what any sane traveler would do and don't drink the water from the tap or accept ice. Enough said.

BTW - C. Strait's Cafe will be closing at the end of the month, but don't worry there are lots of great places to eat downtown and I'll tell you all about them...

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Photos

This is Not a Dog
I thought this was a dog, but apparently not. It's a lion! To me, it looks like a bull dog scrunching it's face up because he feels all itchy.

Fresh Watermelon Juice with Ice
If they serve you a beverage with ice, send it back, no matter now yummy it looks and/or tastes.

Beautiful Granite Medallion
It's just amazing here. The craftsmen in Shandong really know their stuff when it comes to making these beautiful works of art.

C. Straits Cafe
The cafe is on the 3rd floor, but it is closing at the end of October, 2010.

Check out this store
This is an awesome store.

Fresh Fruit Juice
This stand uses a Vit-a-Mix juicer to make juice from fresh fruit. Yummo!

The Stairway to the Bus Hub
Don't let these stairs intimidate you. The steps are small and you can always walk up the ramp.