Black Sunday - Oxford Street

December 1st is the English equivalent to the day after Thanksgiving in America. It's the official first day of the holiday shopping season. Oxford street is closed to vehicles and the crowds take over.

Boots - Canterbury

While some may find it appalling to find a Boots in a Tudor building, I find it quite fitting. Isn't that what Canterbury Tales is all about, the commerce and trade that sprung up around the pilgrims?

10 The Marlowes
Canterbury
Kent
CT1 2LE

Cheltenham

There's nothing much remarkable about the shops in Cheltenham. It's got the usual shops seen on every high street, plus a few department stores like The House of Frasier and M&S. What's special is the setting. Cheltenham is a historic spa town in Gloucestershire that has been a health and holiday spa resort since 1716. It's also the site of the annual Cheltenham Festival of Literature.

As this photo suggests, many of the main streets are closed to traffic on the weekends, making the shopping district particularly pedestrian friendly.

Chinatown - San Francisco

Speaking of Chinatown. This optician gets the prize for creative use of decorative fireworks and pig signs in a window display. The glasses are almost hidden by the New Years' display.

Chinatown
Grant St.
San Francisco