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Show - 30 - aroma that only San Francisco could produce. The doughnut shaped loaves sprinkled with Sesame seeds were the special favorites of the Greek community, not to mention the numerous pasteries such as cakes, sweet rolls, doughnuts, muffins and countless others that met the eye. On the other side of the great room were rows of glass counters containing sea food trucked in from the San Francisco wharves, where the fishermen plied their nets in the Bay. Crabs, lobsters, octypus, mussels and sea food of every variety nested on beds of chopped ice to keep them fresh. The smell of spices permeated the entire building; garlic, onions,dill, and a multitude of others. Oregano, thyme, rosemary and bay leaves, In between this conglomeration, the walls were stacked from floor to ceiling with canned goods. The highest shelf could be reached only by a ladder propped against the wall which slid along the front of the shelves. An assortment of shops lined the street. There was a department stores for ladies' and gentlemen's clothes, shoe repair, restaurant, drug store and candy shop where the younsters never failed to congregate after school for an ice cream soda. The public library and fire house were adjacent to one another on the busy little street. Just a few shops further down was located the Avenue Theatre which was the only source of movies for the people living in that area. It was owned and operated by the four Silverstein brothers. Amidst the commotion of the business district was the constant clanging of the street cars. The big old rattling contraptions were the sole form of public transportation. They clattered along San Bruno Avenue, disgorging their passengers, who did their shopping on the Avenue, and then waited for the cars to travel up the hill and come down again. Once the streetcar passed the Avenue it continued on until it reached the aeart Of downtown San Francisco, some five mile3 away. |