San Francisco - quick trip

tacos and hipsters (no hipster pictures they would have charged me)

Quick trip to San Francisco solo. I spent a lot of time in SF in the late 80's, 90's, early 00's, but have not been there recently.  Pauline of course has been visiting since 1963 when Aunt Beaty moved to San Carlos.  But the chance to go for a quick visit, to cross paths with Kathleen and Marek (Boston) and John McArdle (SF based) and Alicia (near Berkeley) was too much to pass up.  And I got the window of 6 days of sunshine between what everyone told us were severe rare monsoons.

arriving Paris to San Francisco
JD had to go to Budapest right before I left for work.  Vincent enjoyed mapping out my flight route which is quite different from Paris - DC.  For San Fran, an 11 1/2 hour flight from Paris, they fly up over Greenland and down over Canada.  I have never flown from Europe to the West Coast with a 9 hour time difference and I was intimidated.  The first night I stayed near Union Square which is similar to Times Square meets the Bowery.  And some very cool old buildings.  My first hotel was built in 1910, as they were proud to tell me, "right after the quake".

Friday the 13th
Kathleen and Marek arrive, change hotels to Wyndham Canterbury, and we can't get to the Mission district fast enough to get us some tacos and Marek a shave at the hipster barbershop.  Buca di Beppo for dinner, Ace's bar.  We are only beginning to see San Fran.

Saturday and Sunday
Gorgeous sunny day, lots of eating and walking and walking and eating.  Saturday ends at this yummy place called Rove Kitchen Marek found and a short rib burger.  Sunday, more great weather and walking, on Sutter Street from the Tenderloin, through Japantown, lower Pacific Heights, and Inner Richmond with this really cool farmer's market.  More tacos, hipster coffee...uh, can we talk about the trust fund hipster and the lines, lines, lines to buy their $8 artisinal ice cream?  yes, we saw it, it exists,  Not sure what to make of it.  Pricey good food, so many lines.  Do we want to go where the crowd is?  Not really....

Monday
Alicia comes to town (my college roommate, I have know her for almost 30 years!) and we all have a wonderful day of walking, eating at Nanking in Chinatown for dumplings, another Marek find we thought was called "Spanking",  Back through Chinatown, some shopping, more visiting, So much fun!  Then back to Paris on a not very full flight, up over the Rockies and Canada, then back down over England to France.  Good to be home but so much fun.  Can't wait to go back.

Things I don't see in France (yet) - the needle deposit container is in the airport restroom:



Alicia! NYU class of '91.

up and over Greenland...