Yes, I think that I loved it more this time than I ever have..
Somehow that sounds weird because for the first time, I went alone....Go figure...
I had a wonderful and VERY SHORT visit...
I met friendly and interesting people everywhere I went...
There was the financial whiz from New York, the opera singer from San Francisco, the electrician that told me that he was a rarity, since he was born and raised in San Francisco...He proceeded to tell me just how it had all changed...There was the couple vacationing from Texas, and a woman who does the registration at the hotel, an artist, who called me her "sister", who wanted to know my website address to read some of my poems...There was the guy at the corner that was waiting for a bus while I was waiting for a taxi, and we struck up a conversation after witnessing a horrendous scene involving two probable schizophrenics on the other side of the street..After viewing this outburst he commented " I HATE this city...This is the SECOND worst city in the world!!!"...I asked "What's the first", and he said "Tucson, Arizona!" Suppose that I will never visit there, as this guy seemed pretty passionate about his opinion...I won't test it...Just won't visit there...
Saw a wonderful attraction at the Modern Art Museum...The very best of Richard Avedon's collection...If you are not familiar with the photographer Richard Avedon, you would be familiar with some of his work, as it has been seen here and there for many, many years...Although he was known for photographing famous people and cult classics, I especially liked his photos of the "common" people...the everyday set...His artistry captured amazing thoughts, feelings, lifestyles, etc, without a word...just a photo....I adored this show...
I bought a new bracelet there...The new lucite that has the silver behind it so that it "shines".. Beautiful...Art museums always have the most wonderful jewelry...My favorite pieces over the years have all come from different art museums and galleries...
I also bought a coin or makeup purse made out of silver beer or coke can tabs strewn together with thick blue thread...Very cool, though sounds weird...Very futuristic looking....
Bought some other goodies as well, including my sister's birthday present for September....At first I thought that I simply could not part with it, but then my "other voice" told me that I should give it away and practice less selfishness...Hmmm...hate that "other voice"...
She will love it...A splendid reproduction...Beautiful....Don't think that she reads my blog, but just in case, will not say exactly what it is....
The hotel was beyond my expectations...I got upgraded on arrival though I am still not sure why...Asked for their biggest deluxe and a corner room, and stepped into my room only to see a place that was almost as big as my apartment...The closet itself was almost as big as my bedroom! Two chandeliers! Fantastic room...History surrounded me...Amazing photos from the turn of the century all down the hallways, which were curiously about 3 or 4 times wider than any hallways that I have ever seen....(Speaking of photos, I had not even been to my room yet, when I saw the very photo that Stanley Kubrick used in the last scene of "The Shining", the one that has Jack Nicholson's face superimposed on it...with all the gentlemen in the grand dining room...that was from the St. Francis....I had to call and tell my son that....He freaked...) I could certainly feel the many spirits that resided there from the past....It really added to the entire atmosphere...I truly loved my stay at the St. Francis...
The lobby was filled with antiques, chandeliers, huge vases, rugs, all from the grandeur of the past...
The "Clock Bar" in the lobby, new, with outrageously wonderful cocktails and warm and friendly bartenders...
Restaurants...A trip to the "Tadich Grill," a favorite of mine, was a disappointment...The fish suffered from lack of crispiness and the sourdough tasted more like rye...The infamous tartar sauce suffered from an overly added amount of dill (so easy to do when using dill)....
I cannot complain about the dining experience though...That is where I had two very interesting conversations with two very nice and intriguing people...(the wall street guy and the opera guy)
Somehow that sounds weird because for the first time, I went alone....Go figure...
I had a wonderful and VERY SHORT visit...
I met friendly and interesting people everywhere I went...
There was the financial whiz from New York, the opera singer from San Francisco, the electrician that told me that he was a rarity, since he was born and raised in San Francisco...He proceeded to tell me just how it had all changed...There was the couple vacationing from Texas, and a woman who does the registration at the hotel, an artist, who called me her "sister", who wanted to know my website address to read some of my poems...There was the guy at the corner that was waiting for a bus while I was waiting for a taxi, and we struck up a conversation after witnessing a horrendous scene involving two probable schizophrenics on the other side of the street..After viewing this outburst he commented " I HATE this city...This is the SECOND worst city in the world!!!"...I asked "What's the first", and he said "Tucson, Arizona!" Suppose that I will never visit there, as this guy seemed pretty passionate about his opinion...I won't test it...Just won't visit there...
Saw a wonderful attraction at the Modern Art Museum...The very best of Richard Avedon's collection...If you are not familiar with the photographer Richard Avedon, you would be familiar with some of his work, as it has been seen here and there for many, many years...Although he was known for photographing famous people and cult classics, I especially liked his photos of the "common" people...the everyday set...His artistry captured amazing thoughts, feelings, lifestyles, etc, without a word...just a photo....I adored this show...
I bought a new bracelet there...The new lucite that has the silver behind it so that it "shines".. Beautiful...Art museums always have the most wonderful jewelry...My favorite pieces over the years have all come from different art museums and galleries...
I also bought a coin or makeup purse made out of silver beer or coke can tabs strewn together with thick blue thread...Very cool, though sounds weird...Very futuristic looking....
Bought some other goodies as well, including my sister's birthday present for September....At first I thought that I simply could not part with it, but then my "other voice" told me that I should give it away and practice less selfishness...Hmmm...hate that "other voice"...
She will love it...A splendid reproduction...Beautiful....Don't think that she reads my blog, but just in case, will not say exactly what it is....
The hotel was beyond my expectations...I got upgraded on arrival though I am still not sure why...Asked for their biggest deluxe and a corner room, and stepped into my room only to see a place that was almost as big as my apartment...The closet itself was almost as big as my bedroom! Two chandeliers! Fantastic room...History surrounded me...Amazing photos from the turn of the century all down the hallways, which were curiously about 3 or 4 times wider than any hallways that I have ever seen....(Speaking of photos, I had not even been to my room yet, when I saw the very photo that Stanley Kubrick used in the last scene of "The Shining", the one that has Jack Nicholson's face superimposed on it...with all the gentlemen in the grand dining room...that was from the St. Francis....I had to call and tell my son that....He freaked...) I could certainly feel the many spirits that resided there from the past....It really added to the entire atmosphere...I truly loved my stay at the St. Francis...
The lobby was filled with antiques, chandeliers, huge vases, rugs, all from the grandeur of the past...
The "Clock Bar" in the lobby, new, with outrageously wonderful cocktails and warm and friendly bartenders...
Restaurants...A trip to the "Tadich Grill," a favorite of mine, was a disappointment...The fish suffered from lack of crispiness and the sourdough tasted more like rye...The infamous tartar sauce suffered from an overly added amount of dill (so easy to do when using dill)....
I cannot complain about the dining experience though...That is where I had two very interesting conversations with two very nice and intriguing people...(the wall street guy and the opera guy)
When you are by yourself, they won't give you a table...you must eat at the bar...In this restaurant it is THE PLACE to sit and eat anyway, it's just that in my travels, I have NEVER been refused a table for one...Only at the Tadich...a place KNOWN for their attitude...Kind of goes with the place...I said..."Hey isn't that discrimination...against the law?" and they said "Probably"...Can't help but love the place though...Oldest restaurant in San Francisco...Talk about atmosphere...
"The Slanted Door" was also slightly disappointing, although maybe my expectation were a bit high...This has been one of the most highly touted restaurants for the last few years in San Francisco...The restaurant itself was very cool..Beautifully modernistic Asian approach...Gorgeous lighting...Packed with beautiful people...all quite impressed to be there...Great drinks (they use a pick to break their own ice)...Great app...rice dumplings that were extremely unique in texture and taste...Ordered their "signature dish", shakin beef, think that is what it is called, and it was good, but not GREAT....Expensive, of course...Dessert was a small slice of butter pecan homemade pound cake, with a bit of homemade gelato and drunkin cherries scattered about...The pound cake was sublime and so was the gelato...I could have inhaled the cherries, but...umm...another time...another place perhaps....
The Swan Oyster Depot...an infamous, small, unpretentious and dark little raw bar near Nob Hill. Here one can sit on wobbly barstools and feast on fresh crab and shrimp cocktails ( you make your own sauce) along with sourdough and have a beer if you care to... You are joined by a lot of characters...That adds to the place....
I met and enjoyed my conversation with folks there that come in everyday, and have for years...The staff is really tight, like family...When I got home, I saw them pictured in my one of my travel magazines...Great crew...Incredible seafood....
"Boulevard"...a very impressive popular restaurant in San Francisco...Gorgeous decor...tons and tons of beautiful people (I could REALLY do without this but it comes with the territory, besides, I live in Dallas and it's par for the course here...)
"The Slanted Door" was also slightly disappointing, although maybe my expectation were a bit high...This has been one of the most highly touted restaurants for the last few years in San Francisco...The restaurant itself was very cool..Beautifully modernistic Asian approach...Gorgeous lighting...Packed with beautiful people...all quite impressed to be there...Great drinks (they use a pick to break their own ice)...Great app...rice dumplings that were extremely unique in texture and taste...Ordered their "signature dish", shakin beef, think that is what it is called, and it was good, but not GREAT....Expensive, of course...Dessert was a small slice of butter pecan homemade pound cake, with a bit of homemade gelato and drunkin cherries scattered about...The pound cake was sublime and so was the gelato...I could have inhaled the cherries, but...umm...another time...another place perhaps....
The Swan Oyster Depot...an infamous, small, unpretentious and dark little raw bar near Nob Hill. Here one can sit on wobbly barstools and feast on fresh crab and shrimp cocktails ( you make your own sauce) along with sourdough and have a beer if you care to... You are joined by a lot of characters...That adds to the place....
I met and enjoyed my conversation with folks there that come in everyday, and have for years...The staff is really tight, like family...When I got home, I saw them pictured in my one of my travel magazines...Great crew...Incredible seafood....
"Boulevard"...a very impressive popular restaurant in San Francisco...Gorgeous decor...tons and tons of beautiful people (I could REALLY do without this but it comes with the territory, besides, I live in Dallas and it's par for the course here...)
The food was not only excellent, but almost too pretty to eat..
Starting with a composed and artistic salad that was sprinkled with shaved truffles, followed by
a silken tenderloin that could have almost been cut with a fork, and a dessert of a very small but delicious double chocolate pudding tart topped with a toasted homemade marshmallow, that was drizzled with chocolate sauce, and sprinkled with chocolate "curls"....Yummy meal...
Think that I was the only single diner there...Bothered by that? No....As I travel more by myself, I really do enjoy the positive aspects of travelling alone, and I have found that there are many...
I walked the entire length of the wharf, enjoying the sights of the performers, the sounds of the musicians, and the smells that surrounded me...I loved the sound of the waves...the sea animals...the site of happy people all around me....
The weather was beyond perfect...At home it raged in the 100s'...Here it was typically in the upper 60s'...wearing a light sweater was a dream come true....I have decided that it is the weather that causes those in San Francisco to be in perpetual good moods, and it is the weather in Dallas that causes many to stay in a bad one...(especially those behind the wheel of a car...don't get me started)
I got home and made plans immediately to return in August...
September everything goes up price wise...
I couldn't help myself and won't...
Getting ready for more overtime at work starting tomorrow, it makes it all worth it to be able to think about spending my days off there again in just a few weeks...
Such a glorious place...
Starting with a composed and artistic salad that was sprinkled with shaved truffles, followed by
a silken tenderloin that could have almost been cut with a fork, and a dessert of a very small but delicious double chocolate pudding tart topped with a toasted homemade marshmallow, that was drizzled with chocolate sauce, and sprinkled with chocolate "curls"....Yummy meal...
Think that I was the only single diner there...Bothered by that? No....As I travel more by myself, I really do enjoy the positive aspects of travelling alone, and I have found that there are many...
I walked the entire length of the wharf, enjoying the sights of the performers, the sounds of the musicians, and the smells that surrounded me...I loved the sound of the waves...the sea animals...the site of happy people all around me....
The weather was beyond perfect...At home it raged in the 100s'...Here it was typically in the upper 60s'...wearing a light sweater was a dream come true....I have decided that it is the weather that causes those in San Francisco to be in perpetual good moods, and it is the weather in Dallas that causes many to stay in a bad one...(especially those behind the wheel of a car...don't get me started)
I got home and made plans immediately to return in August...
September everything goes up price wise...
I couldn't help myself and won't...
Getting ready for more overtime at work starting tomorrow, it makes it all worth it to be able to think about spending my days off there again in just a few weeks...
Such a glorious place...
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