We're So Gorgeous

(Amelia taking a picture of Jackie taking a picture of Amelia)
(Vincent pretending to take a picture, Tristan walking up)

The Downtown Mall is a very pretty place in the spring. You can find a little bit of everything here. Once, it was Main Street. Now, it's an open-air promenade, lined by restaurants and coffeehouses, art galleries and clubs, bookstores and high-end retail shops, most topped with chic penthouse apartments. The main walk is dotted with trees, small kiosks, sculpture, fountains and frequented by strolling street musicians. On one end is a large indoor skating rink, on the other end, The Pavilion--an open-air music venue for acts large and small. About halfway, there's a newly-renovated movie house, which is now an indoor stage for big-name acts. I'm amazed how many well-known musical artists come here to play. Then again, it is very beautiful here. Especially this time of year.
Mind you, I neglected to take pictures of that, I was too busy taking pictures of my family....
Lunch itself was pleasant, with a floor show provided by a banjo-playing street musician. While we listened, a fight broke out between the banjo man and a crack addict who either isn't a bluegrass fan, or (more likely) was trying to steal tips from the banjo case. We heard a big scuffle and twang, saw the two men struggle, the banjo go flying and some one stepped in to break it up. Shortly thereafter, a uniformed cyclist flew in, took statements and hauled the crack dude off. It was all very quick, but provided a bit of excitement (sorry, no pics of that)
Tristan slighly knew both of the combatants. He seems to know everyone downtown--every where we went, someone hailed him or came by for a quick hello. As you can see from this shot, he gamely did the "guy out with a bunch of girls" thing, negotiated food trades with his baby brother (who was totally excited to see his Melia an' Tri-tin) and largely kept his mouth shut. He was having trouble waking up (he works a deep night shift).
Amelia had done some cool egyptian effect with her eye makeup. While we walked, she did the artist thing, taking pictures of interesting things, often using Vincent in her shots. Jackie also posed for several pictures. She seemed happy to be with us, showed off her new (totally amazing) figure and told me about her latest boyfriend.