Glen had an ASM conference in SFO from June 16th to 19th and I wasn't sure I'd attend until I learned many of my friends would be there. Three of them having roots in the city. So we rose early Saturday morning and had an uneventful flight south. As we approached the city, the plane headed out over the ocean so we had a perfect view of the Golden Gate bridge.
San Francisco was founded in 1776 by the Spanish who established a mission to St. Francis Assisi (hence the city's name) there but it was the gold rush of 1849 that really put it on the map. Now, many visit to see its incredible architecture, cable cars and Chinatown which is the oldest such area in North America (Victoria has the second oldest Chinatown).
Our plane landed early so after getting our bag, we waited for our friends, Tim and Ed. They took the BART (Bay Area Rapid Transit) to meet us and it was great seeing them again. Although we had enjoyed Tim's company in Maui, we hadn't seen Ed in two years. They led us through the maze that was the airport to the BART station. This is a cheap and convenient way to travel to and from the city but it often breaks down so factor that into your travel plans if you wish to use it.
The stop at Union Square was not far from the Hilton where we'd booked a room. Ours wasn't ready so we stashed our bags in Tim and Ed's room then headed out. First stop was lunch. They had not had breakfast and ours had been at 3:30 am so we were all hungry. Ed, who spent many years living in SFO, suggested we go to a sandwich shop near the convention centre. This would allow Glen to get his name badge etc, after we'd eaten.
The Grove Cafe Yerba Buena was a busy place so while Ed staked out a table, we ordered lunch. I had pastrami and Glen opted for a 3 cheese, grilled cheese sandwich. Both were excellent and we washed them down with Fat Tire (Colorado) beer.
Afterwards, Glen headed to the convention centre and we toured the Museum of Modern Art gift shop. Tim wanted me to see the photos of Diane Arbus which were supposed to be on exhibit but we'd missed the show so checked out one of her books instead.
Glen met us in a park a few minutes later since there were no lines to get his information. We then headed to the Saturday market at the ferry terminal. We, with Meg and Geoff, had taken the Sausalito ferry from here when Geoff was still at UC Irvine. The stalls of food were a feast for the eyes but the prices were not cheap. Artichokes being much the same price as what we pay in Calgary despite being grown locally.
We then wound our way through Chinatown which was also alive with shoppers hunting for a bargain. By this time, we were hot and sweaty. San Francisco was having a heat wave and everyone was suffering. Tim spotted an Elephant and Castle pub where we had a couple of beers.
While we cooled down, Ed tried to get us reservations for dinner with his friends and several choices were vetoed because they were booked up. The PGA's US Open was being played in San Francisco so there were more tourists in town than there'd normally be. He finally got us at a table at the Beretta, deep in the Mission District.
On our way back to the hotel, we bumped into Neil. He and Jennifer are dear friends and so we wanted to coordinate an evening out with them. That done, we headed back to the hotel and I had a micro-nap (15 minutes) before getting ready for dinner.
We took the BART to "Mission". As the name suggests, it's where the Spanish mission still stands. At this time, the area is undergoing a renaissance. There are many fine dining restaurants but the surrounding neighbourhoods are poor. Ed said it's an area where you walk in a group or not at all.
Just as we entered the restaurant, May, Steve and their son, Nate arrived. We were lead downstairs to a small, quiet dining area. This disappointed Tim who wanted to be where the action was but it was more conducive to talking. The restaurant serves a traditional Italian dinner with multiple courses but the food is very Californian. Ed suggested we each order an antipasto and share as we'd do if eating Chinese. This turned out to be an excellent way to sample the menu. Everyone's favourite was fava (broad) bean bruschetta although an eggplant dish I ordered was delicious. Glen wanted chicken liver bruschetta which was also tasty. We followed these with two types of vegetarian pizza, two wild mushroom risottos and a saffron rissotto. By this time we were full but the sweet tooths (or is it teeth?) decided gelato would serve as dessert. I don't usually indulge but vanilla gelato drizzled with olive oil and sprinkled with sea salt sounded intriguing. It was a taste sensation!
We then wandered through Mission looking for an alleyway with murals done by local artists. Everyone was 'out and about' enjoying the warm evening. It reminded us of summer in NDG, Montreal where my aunt used to live. After viewing the murals, we said good-bye to Steve, May, and Nate then headed back to the hotel.
Comments for this post
