San Francisco

Ok, breaking from my plan (not that it’s going that well) to give a little review about our recent trip to San Francisco. Just wanted to let anyone who cares know what we liked, what we didn’t and just how many bums we counted along the way.

Transportation -
BART (Bay Area Rapid Transit) – we used BART to get from the airport to the Financial District downtown. This was pretty uneventful, though it is loud – an iPod with earphones is highly recommended. Also, we got off at the Powell Street station and immediately started getting hit up by homeless guys “selling” information. Don’t take it, they will want money.

Bus – We took the bus several times and all I can say is pay close attention to the signs at each stop and remember to look down from time to time. Some of the stop markers were on the street so we missed them completely. Also, ask locals, they were all very helpful whenever anyone needed help.

Caltrain – We needed to travel to Morgan Hill so we used Caltrain to get there. It was a nice ride and a cool way to see the Southern Bay Area, but one piece of advice… when purchasing your ticket at the kiosk, make sure the zone is correct. We selected Zone 6, but it gave us Zone 5 which is not far enough. We didn’t notice until the “train police” checked it after we were already on our way. The solution is a zone upgrade. The catch? You can only get one at a stop and there isn’t enough time to hop off, purchase it and get back on. And if you miss the train, you’re done. Thankfully, the “boss” (as he called himself) let us stay on because we looked like good kids who wouldn’t swindle a nice guy like him.

Walking… ah walking – You can walk pretty much anywhere. And there is plenty to see along the way for sure. We went up and down several streets in our few days there and were still noticing shops and restaurants we hadn’t seen the first time around. Always keep an eye on where you’re walking and be aware of your environment. And if traveling with kids or a loved one, hold hands or stay in pretty close contact.

Accomodations – We got to the hotel (Hotel Diva on Geary between Mason and Taylor) in about 15 minutes from the Powell Street Station at Market and Powell and were somewhat shocked at how small everything was from the lobby to the elevator to the room itself. After the first 24 hours, though I was used to the fact that San Francisco is a city of very small spaces and the hotel room started to look huge. There are small restaurants, packed buses, and tiny streets so be prepared for your personal space to get a little invaded. Aside from that initial shock, the hotel was quite nice. Great service and a safe environment, I felt really taken care of. The elevators are either broken or haunted (one of the two always stopped at floor 2, but no one was ever there), but that was a small blip in an otherwise really nice stay.

Food – we ate at several restaurants, here’s the run down:
Osha Thai – on Geary at Leavenworth. We went twice it was so good. They’re open until 1 am so we took advantage of this and went only late at night. The neighborhood is still pretty busy after midnight so we weren’t alone. Friends of ours had recommended this place and wow. Just wow. Amazing food. We had our usual fare, but it was so much better here. Definitely give it a try if you like Thai. Try the Green Curry Chicken, my favorite.

Colibri – on Geary between Mason and Jones (attached to the lobby of Hotel Diva). We went for the tequila and because it was about a 5 step stumble back to the elevator to our room. It was decent though, good service, great selection of tequila and good food. We had only appetizers and dessert, but everything was good. Try the Sopes appetizer, really unique and flavorful.

The Stinking Rose – on Columbus in North Beach. Yep, we had to do it. I had been hearing about this place for years so we had to give it a try. Drinks and foods were very good, but somewhat overpriced, in my opinion. Also, they seated us really close to a wall and other tables so we were pretty crammed in which kind of hurt the experience for me. Either way, the food was excellent and we had a good time. Parking was horrible and we ended up paying $15 a few blocks away after searching for a long time. Make sure you plan ahead.

Dottie’s True Blue Cafe – on Jones Street between Geary and O’Farrell. Yum, yum, yum, yum. Long wait (1 1/2 hours), but soooo worth it. Michael had a Lamb Fennel Sausage Omelet with all the extras and I had the True Blue Plate – scrambled eggs, best bacon in the world, and english muffin. We also split a great sticky bun. Mimosas finished off a great meal. It was a little pricey, but you get a ton of food. See a picture of it here. Definitely take the time to go to Dottie’s. It’s amazing.

Coffee to the People – at Haight and Masonic. We just stopped in for some coffee before catching the bus back to the hotel, but it was pretty good and the atmosphere was cool. I had a Pumpkin Spice Chai Latte and it was super yummy. Perfect Chai flavor which not a lot of places can do. Great end to our afternoon in the Haight.

Crepe Express – on Haight and Ashbury. We got the granny smith apple crepe which was really good. I wasn’t expecting much, but it was a great snack after our travels up and down Haight street. They also have salads and crepes with meat, cheese, etc.

Pompodori’s Pizza – on Geary between Mason and Taylor. We stopped in on our way to catch a bus and had literally 8 min to eat. We each got a slice and it was actually really good. Just a small place with a couple bars to sit at, but the food was hot, flavorful and quick. The guy behind the counter was really nice and it was reasonably priced, too. Would happily eat there again and I’m kind of sad we didn’t.

Johnny Foley’s Irish House – on O’Farrell between Mason and Powell. We were searching for somewhere to watch football and eat a little food and ended up here after eliminating bar after bar that didn’t serve food. Food was decent, service was crappy, but they had Boddington’s which made me happy. Probably wouldn’t eat there again.

Shopping and Entertainment -
San Francisco Comedy College – on Mason between Geary and Post. We were looking for something to do Saturday night and Michael found out about a comedy show at this school. I was skeptical at best. It was $12 per person so I gave in, figured what did we have to lose? This turned out to be one of the best finds of the trip. Two hours of great comedy and it was BYOB so we didn’t have to pay a fortune for drinks during the show, either.

California Academy of Sciences – this deserves it’s own post so that’s what I’ll do. If you want to read about it right now, go to www.calacademy.org. More on that later…

Union Square – since we stayed just a couple of blocks from Union Square I got to see all of the shops around there quite often, but never went into a single one. Shocking – I know!

Hmmm. I think that’s it. The best entertainment was the people, quite honestly. Met some really really nice locals and some very interesting and aromatic homeless folks. Overall, great experience in the city. I’ll probably post more about this later, but for now, this will do.

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