san francisco: final thoughts
it looks like maybe we should have cut our vacation shorter than it was. we haven't been doing anything our last night here except watching tv in the hotel room. I've come to the conclusion that we're pretty much homebodies, so this isn't surprising. I think our next vacation should be going to visit some friends in port townsend, and staying in a bed and breakfast. it's more of a small town, supposedly very pretty, and with nothing as touristy as alcatraz or fisherman's wharf.
we had lunch today at top of the mark. the walk there was brutal, especially for miyuki in her dress shoes. I was annoyed to see that the "dress code strictly enforced" wasn't. hell, there was one girl there in ratty jeans and flip-flops. miyuki could have wore more comfortable shoes, but we thought we should play by the rules. the food was really tasty, even if the sammiches cost $17. but the view was incredible. we had a great view of alcatraz and fisherman's wharf, we really did get the nice half of the city to look at. we also got dessert, and I don't think I'll be able to eat chocolate for a week, it was so rich.
we went up to fisherman's wharf this afternoon, but couldn't catch a cable car either way. they were too full every time we tried to catch one going up the hill, and here was an hour wait coming back. we ended up taking a cab each way, for the same cost as the trolleys. sure, it wasn't as kitschy, but it was a helluva lot faster. the trip home we went down lombard street, but I suspect that was more the cabbie trying to pad his fare that anything. he must have tacked on two bucks in a block and a half. we did manage to get a sourdough round from boudin sourdough company, that will be a tasty breakfast tomorrow.
I'm looking forward to heading home. I'm tired of being a tourist. we're going to pack up everything tonight and shower and all that, so we can check out and leave first thing in the morning.
we'll be stopping at my parents' house again tomorrow night, and heading home wednesday morning. when we finally get home, I'm supposed to go back into the old employer and talk about a new job. I'm not sure what to expect out of everything, I don't know if I have a job waiting for me to accept it, or if there are more hoops to jump through. they know what I'm capable of, both good and bad, so I imagine they know what they're getting into by calling me back. guess we'll see. I've been talking about it with my family, and I've realised that I'm not just blinded by current job frustrations. I remember how much the old job sucked, the politics and how shitty the benefits were... it just happens to be the lesser of two evils.
posted by christian @ 8:15 PM
1 Comments:
What a shame; you had experiences similar to my own when I first came to the city. After years of living there, though, I learned about some other stuff that is (in my opinion) more enjoyable.
If you ever return, try the following:
1) Have coffee at "The Warming Hut", a small cafe right at the base of the Golden Gate Bridge. I think it's one of the best views in the city. You can see the Palace of Fine Arts, the Trans-America pyramid, Alcatrazz, both bridges, and much more. And it's free. Well, not the coffee. And the coffee is just okay, not great. So bring a Starbuck's or Pete's. But the view is spectacular, and it is a nice place to hang out.
2) Have a cheap dinner in West Portal, at Spiazzo. Chicken Marsala, $10.95, and the best I've ever tasted. The bruschetta is also stunning (two pieces with fresh tomatoes and garlic, two pieces with mushrooms and pesto).
3) Check out the view from the top of the hill at Twin Peaks. You see the city, the water, every neighborhood. Fantastic, and free.
4) Go to the ruins of the Sutro Baths, next door to the Cliff House. Walk down the hill and look around. It's like being in some after-the-holocaust movie (the beginning of Strange Brew, eh?). The place was wrecked by some killer storm and subsequent fire, I think. Walk through the tunnel and check out the waves crashing against the cliffs. Again, free.
5) Golden Gate Park, skipping the overpriced stuff. You already experienced the Tea Garden; also skip renting a boat, skip the neat flower-filled building that looks like the Justice League of America's "Hall of Justice". They are very fun things, but not free. Instead, go look at the herd of bison. Walk down to the western end of the park and check out the Windmill and Ocean Beach.
There's more, but that's enough for a blog entry comment. My wife and I will be visiting the Seattle area soon; maybe we'll have your experience in reverse! ;)
I stumbled across your blog recently, and have enjoyed it. I don't remember how I came across it, but it must have been in response to a Google search on something you wrote about (I can't imagine what). It's been a fun read.
mmissire@gmail.com
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