Upon being sent to San Francisco for a work conference, I tacked on a few days on the front end of my trip to take in the city. Lucky me.Welcome to the City by the Bay.
The neatest thing about my experience, was that I was traveling alone. To some, this is no big deal. To others, the thought of being alone causes trepidation. To me, it was an exciting challenge, all be it just a few days, exciting nonetheless.
Dia Uno
Upon arrival, I took the BART to the Palace Hotel downtown (not too shabby a place). Feeling energized and alive, I took to the sidewalks and walked to the waterfront. I walked past an artists market closing down for the day, and to the ferry building. As I continued down towards Pier 39, I began to notice how insanely international the city truly is. The people in San Francisco were of many tongues and many faces. I began to love it, picking up my pace. Awesome culture.
The bustle heightened as I got the the touristy area of Pier 39. Hungry, I ordered a healthy meal of a fresh crab cake and deep fried vegetables. (Breaded in what else, but SF's pride and joy, sourdough)yum...
Dia Dos
I walked through the Ferry's Farmers Market which featured many growers of local and organic foods. I couldn't pass up a local and organic bakery, and settled on a "seasonal fruit crisp" and organic fair trade full city roast for breakfast. I was loving this GREEN city.
Back to the culture piece of this amazing city, I loved this random guy making an honest buck making people smile on a gorgeous Saturday morning outside the farmers market. (rocking out to your left)
LIFE is GOOD
FEEL the BEAT
SHARE the LOVE
I like it.
The most random part of my trip occurred as I was walking near Fisherman's Wharf. A retired fisherman (Darryl, below giving the thumbs up) driving a really beat up "restored" fishing boat, was offering unofficial bay tours for $11.
But he could only take 6 guests at a time, the tour lasted 80 minutes, and because he was busy, the price just went up to $12. I figured what the hell, and boarded Darryl's boat.Sitting up front (where the view is), I met 2 of my mates on this voyage into the bay. Peter and his wife (I couldn't spell nor pronounce her name - some Polak I am!) from Warsaw, Poland, and they were traveling Chicago, NYC, and SF for 2 weeks on holiday.
Peter turned out oddly enough to be my age, and what else but a Polish Congressman! We chatted about American culture and politics, and contrasted to what they told me about Polish culture and politics. Per Peter, I need to come visit their beautiful country.
I think I will someday.
Dining on a delicious Ghirardelli banana dark chocolate hot fudge sundae followed by a hot slice of cheese pizza, I decided to wrap up my day.Not so healthy, but what the heck? I figured I walked about 100 blocks that day. My quads and calves were feelin' the burn from the mileage and incline (a good feeling, reminding me they were still there).
I was loving that I was back in a "pedestrian city".
A lovely day.
I walked back through Chinatown, taking in the sights, sounds, smells, and storefronts.
A little more San Fran...
I cozied up to the quaint bar, and enjoyed a glass of pinot noir, and a perfectly fresh and wonderful al dente plate of Pollo Parmisano con penne.
My server was so charming, I had to order dessert, too. Vanilla bean gellato with espresso and toasted hazelnuts.
Bon appitito. Simple pleasures, baby.
___________________________
Back to the thought of traveling alone, the most intimidating thing to me was sitting down to dinner at a restaurant, surrounded by couples, families, groups of friends. Asking for a table for 1. Just me. (One hostess at B44 in the French Quarter tried to direct me to the bar, passing prime patio seats. I was politely told her no, I'd like to sit right out front on the charming, bustling patio.)
I realized how you can choose to feel conscious or unconscious of the fact that you are "alone", and choose to relish it if you wish. Being present in the experience.
I enjoyed the fresh, crisp air of the patio at B44 in the French Quarter, the neon ambiance of a Thai restaurant in the Castro neighborhood, the intoxicating smells of an Indian restaurant in the financial district, and of course the lovely, perfect meal at Pellegrini in Little Italy.
A few more pictures...A wonderful week in a lovely city. Signing off. Ciao.
