~ San Francisco ~

Josh and I took a long weekend to spend time in San Francisco. We had been due for a vacation and had San Francisco on the brain, remembering what a wonderful time we had when we went there three years ago. In addition, we've been talking about moving to California and San Francisco was near to the top of the list. The idea of moving to San Francisco began after we saw Klunkerz a documentary about the origins of mountain biking, which started outside of San Francisco in Marin County. This prompted us to consider that mountain biking in San Francisco might be comparable in terms of accessibility as in Boise. As such, in preparation for our trip, we packed mountain biking gear.

The other reason we did this trip was that we were able to get a really really good deal on the flight and hotel. Such a good deal, in fact, that we would have been fools not to go. That said, we picked the hotel because it was the cheapest one on the list. Because it was the cheapest one on the list, I was prepared for not-luxury accommodation. Josh and I normally stay at one or two star hotels anyway, so we're used to not-luxury accommodations. In spite of this, we were surprised by HOW SMALL the room was - - it was actually only slightly larger than the full size bed. And then there was the shared bathroom and shower facilities, which we shared with 20 other people on our floor, which were also very very small. Other than that, the bed was comfortable and the rooms were quiet.

The best feature of our hotel was its location half a block from a major bus and train station. San Francisco has a great public transit system, which Josh and I used extensively. It was also very easy for us to use - - I've visited other cities where the transit system was confusing or difficult in some way, but in SF it was straightforward and seamless. Also, the locals had no trouble telling us which bus to take to get to a certain part of the city - - I remember in New York, no one was able to give us directions about which bus to take because either they didn't take the bus/subway or it was too confusing to have memorized.

Day 1, Thursday July 2nd

We arrived about 10:00 in the morning on Thursday. We took the train from the airport right to our hotel and then proceeded to get some lunch. Upon David's recommendation, we had lunch at Tu Lan, a Vietnamese restaurant at 6th and Market in the Tenderloin. It was DELICIOUS. David had indicated that the restaurant was a hole-in-the-wall sort of place in a not very nice part of town and that it was very very small, but that the food was DELICIOUS. And it was. I had a chicken curry dish and Josh enjoyed a sweet and sour pork. mmm... Afterwards, we walked all around the Tenderloin and got to know it pretty well.

That afternoon, we took the bus out to a bike shop to rent some mountain bikes. The people at the shop were helpful and friendly, and we rented a pair of Gary Fisher Ferrous, steel hardtails. From there we navigated several miles through the city and along the Bay... during which time the spicy curry I had enjoyed for lunch was having a bad reaction in my tummy and fortune came our way in the form of a clean public restroom. There was a visitor's center on the city side of the Bridge for the Golden Gate State Park where we took a moment to purchase some calorie packed pumpkin bread with chocolate chips and got some treats to go. From there, we rode across the Bridge.

Three years ago, we rode a tandem mountain bike over the Bridge and it was great. Apparently San Francisco has been really windy this year. Riding across the Bridge this time was somewhat terrifying because the wind was so strong that it was whipping me from side to side. There are a few corners to ride around and the wind brought me to a complete stop on my bike and I had to dismount and push myself through the wind. Also, it is generally known that the Golden Gate Bridge is kinda high, and wind plus high above the water is scary. A couple weeks ago, wow morbid, Josh and I watched The Bridge a documentary about people who commit suicide by jumping off the Golden Gate Bridge. Josh and I stopped a few times to gaze all the way down to the water and contemplate our mortality - - I'm sure we were both remembering the footage of the people jumping and imagining what it might be like to fall and hit the water.

Once on the other side, we rode up Panorama Highway and stopped at the Battery, an old fortress thing, to look at the view and explore.

From there we continued riding up Panorama Highway, which was likewise really really really windy until we came to Rodeo Trail at the start of the Marin Headlands. The Marin Headlands were what we had thought might be comparable to Boise's foothills. By the time that we arrived at the trail, however, we realized that they were not nearly as accessible as the foothills. Riding through the city, over the Bridge, and up Panorama Highway took quite a bit of time and effort. Nothing compared to the 5 minutes it takes us to get to the foothills from where we live in Boise.

We rode Rodeo Trail and Bobcat Trail in the Headlands. They were not quite what I had expected - - much more hardpack than Boise's foothills, and they were fireroads, not singletrack. We were also surprised by how few people were on the trails - - Boise's foothills are usually packed, but we only saw two or three bikers and a couple of runners. Also, it was a sunny day, but it was pretty cold. I was so glad that I brought my arm warmers and wind breaker, both of which I wore for most of the ride. I did forget my gloves and my hands were freezing.

The scenery was pretty. The trails took us up some pretty good climbs to a ridge, with valleys on either side.

It was after 8:00 by the time that we got back to the bike shop to return our bikes. We took the bus back to our hotel, showered (tiny though the shower room was, it had plenty of hot water), and then got dinner at another Vietnamese restaurant. I enjoyed garlic noodles with lemongrass chicken - - and at one point, I accidentally slurped a noodle in such a way that it flipped up and slapped me on the face and the spice of the noodle burned my eye for a time.

Day 2, Friday July 3rd

On Friday, we got up early and had coffee and a morning treat at the Starbucks across from our hotel. We then took the bus to Golden Gate Park. Our original intent was to go to the de Young Museum which is in the park and see the King Tut exhibit, but it was sold out. We purchased advance tickets for Saturday and then wandered around the park. There was even a carousel that we rode.

We then wandered the Haight area. That was an area we missed the first time. We had lunch at the Blue Front Cafe on Haight Street (potato and pesto pasta salads). We went into all of the thrift stores and Josh found several clothing articles to buy. I found none. Also, Josh remembered that the Tour de France was to start the next day and so we located a bike shop to ask about where one might watch it. They directed us to a bar just down from Haight on Stanyon, the Kezar. We walked to the bar where Josh had a discussion with the person on duty, learning that this bar opens at 5:00 in the morning and that it would be possible to watch the first stage of the Tour live (which I think was 6:30am SF time).

From there, we got on a random bus and rode its full circuit. The random bus was actually the bus that would eventually take us back to 4th and Market, where we met up with my friend Aimee and had dinner at a sushi restaurant.

Spending time with Aimee was very nice. She used to live in Boise and was my best friend for a while. Like all of my long distance friendships, we haven't kept in contact over the years but whenever we see each other it's "like old times." There weren't any awkward moments, we had loads to talk about, and it was very pleasant and comfortable. We still get each other's sense of humor. We also had some good conversations about heavy topics - - in the past year, we've both had some deaths near to us and could relate about that.

Anyway, after dinner we got drinks at a few different bars. One was a lounge place and the other was the Tunnel Top, a bar that is over the tunnel that leads into Chinatown. We sat upstairs on some rusted chairs and enjoyed some pale ales. It was here that we talked about death and stuff.

After our beers, we crossed to the other side of the Tunnel and explored Chinatown at dusk. I was mildly intoxicated and it was a surreal experience.

Day 3, Saturday July 4th

On Saturday, Josh got up at 6:00 a.m. and went to the bar to watch the timetrial prologue of the Tour de France. I stayed in bed until about 7:30, at which point I got a coffee and a treat and took the bus out to the Haight area to meet him. I had something of an unpleasant bus experience. As we were travelling through the Tenderloin, a number of homeless people kept getting on the bus without paying and the bus driver kept having altercations with them about how they need to pay or get off. I felt it was too early in the morning for so much yelling. At one point, a noticeably drunk homeless man gets on, open beer in hand, and sits near me. He and the bus driver yell at each other for several blocks (the homeless man was yelling very obscene racist things at the bus driver) and finally bus driver stomps back and throws the guy off the bus. It was a lot of hostility right next to me, and I was disturbed and uncomfortable.

Once in the Haight, I made my way to the bar and found Josh enjoying a bloody mary at 8 o'clock in the morning. To my surprise, the bar served breakfast, and so I ordered some eggs and toast and watched the Tour with Josh. I also learned that when Josh arrived at the bar (at 6:30 a.m.), it was packed with people drinking beer and watching a rugby game. I found this amusing. And as much as I enjoy beer, I stuck to coffee for my morning beverage.

Then we returned to the de Young Museum and went through the King Tut exhibit. The exibit was disappointing in that (1) there were WAY TOO MANY people and (2) it had a poor bang-to-buck ratio. For $30 and a specific time slot, I was expecting a quality experience. Instead, I was herded around like cattle, could barley see the exhibits over everyone's heads, was pushed around, and felt very claustrophobic in the rooms filled to capacity with people. And in spite of the slow pace at which we moved, we finished the exhibit in under an hour - - for $30, I was expecting something more substantial. Other than that, however, I found it very interesting.

After that, we took the bus over to the Sunset area of town and had lunch at an overpriced pasta restaurant. I had some butternut squash ravioli, which was good, but paled in comparison to the cheap Vietnamese food in the Tenderloin.

We then took the train to the Castro district. On the previous trip to SF, I was not impressed with this district. Looking back, however, that time we only walked up and down Market. This time, we really explored Castro and it became one of my favorite areas. Josh and I watched Milk a few months ago, and from that film I had decided to give the Castro another look-see. We wandered up and down many of the side streets, saw a brass band play on Castro and Market, and smelled the flowers at Harvey Milk Plaza. On 18th, we had strawberry nutella crepes and Orangina at Queen Malika's and played chess. It was a very nice afternoon.

Aimee met us at Queen Malika's. "The Plan" was to make our way to the Mission District for burritos, but Josh's wandering instinct kicked in and we ended up spending the time very differently.

Tangent: one of our major discussions during the tip was the gender/personality difference (no consensus on whether it's gender or personality) in which some people feel this instinctual urge to explore. Me, I don't have this. Yes, I enjoy exploring and I like adventure, but I can also be perfectly happy going to the same places day in and day out. Josh, on the other hand, reminds me of a blood hound in the way that he is compelled to sniff out new places - - he points his nose in a certain direction and says "Let's go that way!". I enjoy exploring if it takes me to areas that I will otherwise enjoy (ie, if they are scenic or pleasant to be in) but Josh derives enjoyment from the pure act of exploration, regardless of whether the place is scenic or pleasant. I kinda wrote about this when Josh took us up this trail where we got all of the thorns in our bike tires - - for me, it wasn't a great trail to ride and then I got sour about all of the thorns, but Josh was excited about being somewhere he had never been before. So for me, if a place is unscenic AND unpleasant, then I don't get a kick out of exploration, but if it is scenic OR pleasant, than I will enjoy the exploration. /end tangent.

Anyway, so while Aimee and I were under the impression that The Plan was get some burritos, Josh convinced us to check out this park that was in the opposite direction of the Mission. By "check out this park," I incorrectly assumed that we would go there, "check it out", turn around, and go get some burritos in the Mission. So I consented to "check it out" - - and I was glad I did. The park was tucked away in the Castro neighborhoods and featured a cool cement slide. It took us a moment to figure out why there were so many scraps of cardboard at the base of the slide - - that they were necessary to silde down the cement. We each took turns and it was fun. Josh's exploration instinct definitely pays off - - it was both scenic and pleasant!

Instead of turning around and heading towards the Mission to get burritos, Josh then convinced us to "check out" this garden area above where the slide was. It was a small plot of garden that made great use of the land along the slope of the hill - - it was nice looking at all of the sweet little plants and HUGE succulents.

From there, Josh decided that he wanted to "check out" a hill off in the distance, a desert-like hill featuring singletrack that got us farther away from the burritos. We hiked up the singletrack and were rewarded with a stunning view of the city. Again, Josh's exploration instinct served us well. Above us, a much larger hill, Twin Peaks. Not wanting to miss an even better view of the city, Josh convinced us that we should make our way to the top of that hill... you know, just to "check it out." To do this, we navigated the steep hillside streets, using these very steep and long stairways connecting the neighborhoods. My fear of steepness kicked in and I held onto the railings for dear life, trying to motivate my legs to continue climbing even though my knees were feeling wobbly. At the top of the neighborhood area, we had one final ascent up Twin Peaks, along some narrow and steep singletrack and it took my last bit of courage and willpower to make it to the top. Burritos were suddenly far from my thoughts. I might also mention that, whereas both Aimee and Josh were wearing hiking-appropriate footwear, I was wearing flipflops. At times, it was a bit precarious... There were a lot of other people enjoying the top of the Peaks. When we got to the top, Josh announced that he had to pee, and even though Aimee and I recommended that he find a bush, he insisted on using the public lavatory that had a long line. Aimee and I stood along the overlook, enjoyed the view, and talked for a very long time while Josh stood in line for the bathroom. He waited for well over half and hour and when he finally joined us, said that he should have just found a bush.

Having thoroughly enjoyed the view, we made our descent back to Castro. Josh was kind enough to hold my hand down the steep singletrack and staircases. Once in the Castro, we were so hungry that we decided to get burritos there instead of the Mission. Actually, only Aimee got a burrito - - I got chicken mole which was so good I almost died from satisfaction. We took the bus back downtown and Josh and I watched an action film in our shoebox of a hotel room.

Day 4, Sunday July 5th

Having missed the Mission district on the previous day, Josh and I decided to get our morning coffee there on Sunday. The Mission is apparently known as a place in SF worth visiting. On the previous trip to SF, we walked a long way on an unpleasant strip to the Mission for sushi, and my memory recalls a particularly dirty area with nothing of interest for me. This time was not much different. We took a bus most of the way and then walked several vomit covered blocks to a coffee shop. During our walk, it occurred to me that the Mission is probably a lot of fun at night, what with all of the cool bars. During the day, however, the barf and pee smell along the sidewalk take away some of the charm. But maybe that's just me, me and my not enjoying areas that are unscenic and unpleasant.

We went to Ritual Coffee shop where I had a hardened scone and a strange-tasting coffee. Josh was unable to get his vanilla latte because they don't subscribe to flavoring. Rolls eyes.

We then walked over to Noe Valley where we perused some shops and had lunch at Joe's. This area of town was 'nicer' but it seemed like the sort of place where rich middle aged people would hang. I went into several clothing stores, for example, and promptly exited because the fashion was not in accordance with my age group.

We took the train back downtown and went our seperate ways. I walked around for a bit, went into some of the stores, but ended up going to a coffee shop to hang out until it was time to catch the train back to the airport. For some reason, I felt really groggy and drowsy that day. Josh went down by the Yerba Buena area and eventually met me at the coffee shop. Then we got the train to the airport and made our way back to Boise. Overall, it was a really good trip. We have ruled it out as a place to move, however, because of the weather and because mountain biking is not as accessible as we had hoped. We had heard that SF has the most consistent nice weather year round, but I had to wear a wool sweater and windbreaker for almost the entire trip and still felt chilly. The fog I can handle, the wind isn't a total deal breaker, but wearing a wool sweater and windbreaker in July and still feeling cold would not work for me. And from what I was able to tell, the mountain biking outside of Boise is FAR SUPERIOR. All in all, it was a wonderful trip and I am glad to be home.

Here's the link to my photoset

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