SAN FRANCISCO

SAN FRANCISCO VACATION

Never in my life have I ever even had the faintest desire to visit California. In fact, I have always assumed that it would be destroyed by earthquake, disease, terrorism, or moral decay. My girlfriend and I only decided to make the trip because we got tickets to see PJ HARVEY. It's pretty rare for her to tour in the U.S., and she happens to be my girlfriends favorite musician. So since we were spending the cash to go to Cali for the show anyway, we figured we would stay a few extra days and make a mini vacation out of it.

THE AIRPORT:
As you all know, to get anywhere worth going, you have to fly there. And THAT was the biggest problem we experienced. Our flights to and from San Francisco were both ones that included layovers in other cities. I set it up specificity so that we would not have to physically change planes. We had to schedule our initial flight excessively early in the morning to make this happen. Our trip to Las Vegas went really smooth, but as we waited for the plane to refuel we were informed by the captain that the planes "check engine" light was flashing and that we would have to change planes after all. We were also told that we should probably "hurry over to gate C-18" to try and get a seat. I guess that was their polite way of saying, "you physically have to run across the airport in hopes that you can beat these other passengers to the plane and squeeze onto a delayed flight." So, we RAN to the terminal and beat the other passengers by around one to two people. We were some of the last to board so we didn't even get to sit by each other. It was a less than awesome way to start our trip. But at least we didn't have to go through this thing:

Our trip back to Kansas City went a similar route. Our flight to L.A. went fine, but then they informed us that we had to switch planes. Though now that I think about it, I don't remember why. Anyway, we went and waited for our NEW plane to show up. Of course it was over an hour later than our original plane was supposed to be so that meant that we didn't get home till after 1:30am.

I don't know. I guess it could have been much worse...

THE HOTEL:
We stayed at the luxurious Intercontinental Hotel. Now, let me preface this by saying that My girlfriend and I both have worked in the hospitality industry. We know what is expected from different sizes and types of hotels.

OUR HOTEL KICKED ASS! I mean, just look at it:

It boasted a fantastic location, a great view, a very competent and friendly staff, a pool and jacuzzi, and nice rooms at a decent rate. It was the best hotel we have ever stayed at and we recommend it to everyone. Our check out was at noon but we still had shopping to do so they held our bags for us until we were ready to leave the area. The concierge was also extremely helpful. I asked him about where the best places in town were to get breakfast and he pulled out a map and told me stories and gave me lots of options. AWESOME.

THE CITY
If you have never been to a major city then you can't really imagine what it's like. The only sort of preparation that I had for the experience were the crowded street scenes that we have all seen in countless movies depicting New York and L.A. The city is a buzz with activity 24-7. It doesn't really stop. Everything is very crowded and everyone is on the go. The streets were loaded with venders and street performers and it was a blast. It was just a really different energy than we are use to experiencing here in a smaller city like Kansas City. My girlfriend and I spent a huge chunk of time on foot just exploring the city in general.

One of the coolest parts was the public transit system. You can get anywhere and everywhere by bus trolly, subway, bicycle guy or taxi. There is ALWAYS some way to get where you are going. It was very convenient. It takes a little bit to get used to but you adapt quickly. Then, you are on your way and the city is yours.

It's also very convenient in the way that everywhere you look there is somewhere to eat. There's name brand fast food, little ethnic eateries, hole in the wall coffee shops, and fancy restaurants. You WILL NOT go hungry my friends.

Now, here is the negative side of the large city experience. Namely, zombie like crowds, and clinically insane bums. They pretty much looked like this in crowds by day:

and like this, individually at night:

Yes, that's right. They looked just like C.H.U.D. Cannibalistic humanoid underground dwellers. I don't know how else to describe them. They also ranted and raved like lunatics. Mostly because they were crazy. One particular bum was sitting on the sidewalk of a heavily populated shopping area punching his self in the face and yelling: "shut up, be quiet shut up." It was almost like there was a demented bum every 20 or so yards.
Be very aware that you have to deal with this kind of thing when you go to San Francisco.

THE CONCERT
Our concert was awesome and we really enjoyed it. We saw PJ Harvey at THE WARFIELD not too far away from our hotel. For those of you in Kansas City, it was kind of like a cross between The Midland Theatre and The Uptown.

It was really nice inside and the sound was pretty decent. It was a little hot and our seats were just ok, but I think we were a little too "high" on the whole "San Francisco" experience to let it bother us too much. Here is the set list for those of you who are fans:

1. Let England Shake
2. The Words That Maketh Murder
3. All & Everyone
4. The Guns Called Me Back Again
5. Written on the Forehead
6. In the Dark Places
7. The Devil
8. The Sky Lit Up
9. The Glorious Land
10. The Last Living Rose
11. England
12. Pocket Knife
13. Bitter Branches
14. Down By the Water
15. C'mon Billy
16. Hanging in the Wire
17. On Battleship Hill
18. The Colour of the Earth
19. Big Exit
20. Angelene
21. Silence

The set was solid and enjoyable for uber fans like my girlfriend and casual listeners like myself. My significant other was a little disappointed that a few old school jams weren't played but that's the way it goes when ever you go see an artist you love who has a sizable catalog to draw from. You aren't going to hear EVERYTHING that you want to hear. I was just happy that PJ HARVEY was looking a little better than she did in the mid 90's. I mean holy shit she was kinda scary back then:

CHINA TOWN
When we were asking everyone where we should go and what we should do in San Francisco, everyone repeatedly told us not to miss China Town. My girlfriend and I walked through the whole damn thing and you know what we found? The same thing OVER AND OVER. There were exactly 4 variations on the 300 or so shops that we passed.

1. Hole-in-the-wall restaurant.
2. Little market full of only things that poor Chinese people would eat.
3. Little dollar store-like souvenir shop
4. Store full of highly overpriced Asian antiquities. (Buddha statues and such)

This was seriously all the place had to it. Now, don't get me wrong. It really did feel like you were crossing over into China. That aspect was kinda cool. It was decent for what it was I guess. But I don't think it is something to write home about compared to the rest of the city.

I guess I was just hoping for a little more of this:

And a little less of this:

THE WHARF

The wharf was a huge tourist area that encompasses all the piers; Pier 39 being the most well known and the most overwrought with people. The area is cool as hell for the very fact that it has a lot of restaurants that serve you up sea food pretty much straight from the sea. My girlfriend and I indulged in fresh dungeoness crab, shrimp, calamari, and of course clam chowder in a sourdough bread bowl. MMMM DELICIOUS.

If you go to visit, be aware that you will have to keep a close eye on your food and loved ones because humanity shares the piers with....   THE BIRDS!!!!!

These little fuckers are everywhere. They do battle with each other over sourdough bread bowls as well as the souls of the innocent. BEWARE.

HAIGHT AND ASHBURY
This is the hot spot where the counterculture takes over in San Francisco. It's a neighborhood/ shopping district full of hippies, young people, freaks and new age enthusiasts. The streets are lined with all sorts of restaurants, bars, head shops, tattoo shops clothing boutiques and everything in between. Unfortunately, we didn't get to really explore it all because we got a late start and things started to close before we could REALLY check everything out. It was definitely an area that I want to revisit next time I'm in the city.

ALCATRAZ

Both my girlfriend and I agree that Alcatraz was hands down the coolest part of our trip. We opted to take the night tour because it was said to be the "most complete" Alcatraz experience. IT WAS AWESOME. First off, we started the tour in the day before sun down so we actually got the best of both worlds. We got to explore the island with and without sun light. It started with a cool boat ride to the island. Then there was a tour of the outer parts of the island followed by an audio tour that let you in on the history of the island and that of the prisoners who called it home. The history geeks out there will soak all that up and come away very satisfied. Personally, my favorite part was getting to walk around freely and being allowed to take creepy pictures. It is also worth mentioning that it would have been EASY to get left behind. I really had a moment of conflict when the boat was loading up. All I could think about was that they don't take a head count and that the tour group was huge. NO ONE would know we were missing. I REALLY wanted to say that I had spent the night at Alcatraz. It would have been worth the arrest. Of course, that's how horror movies start so I'm probably better of for NOT staying behind.


MUSEUM OF MODERN ART

We visited the museum and walked away happy with it. It was really cool to see some art that didn't date back so far into the past that it was hard to connect to. It was great to see art that was current and relevant to the time that I am living in. The museum had a good mix of classical and modern pieces. There was a great exhibit on surveillance, voyeurism and the nature of privacy that we really enjoyed. Another thing I liked about the museum was the fact that it didn't take an eternity to get through. It took up just the right amount of time in our day. It's definitely worth a visit.

THE FOOD
I all ready mentioned that we ate fresh sea food at The Wharf. But there was a lot more to enjoy as far as food goes in San Francisco. Everyday we went to a different restaurant for breakfast and we had a great meal every time. Here are a few places that we visited:

Mel's Drive-in
A 50's era looking diner that was rock'n it during breakfast. The place was jam packed. I had corn beef hash topped with over easy eggs. My girlfriend had eggs benedict. Both were great. The place was definitely worth another visit.

Moz Cafe
Simple cafe with a pretty straight forward menu. The highlight was that specials. Crab Benedict. Corn beef hash, and a few other things. It was just down the street from out hotel.

Mondo Caffe
An organic cafe that we just stumbled across while we were exploring the financial district. Our food was fresh and delicious. We actually ended up going in and eating because of the amazing smell of the fresh baked focaccia bread.

New Deli Restaurant
A random Indian food restaurant they we went to because we were in the mood for a little asian persuasion. It wasn't anything special but it hit the spot.

Burger Bar
Top Chef master's Hubert Keller's take on an upscale burger joint. It was Amazing. It's similar in concept to Kansas City's Blanc Burger, but more upscale. You could order a burger with a piece of foie gras on it for $60 bucks. We didn't get that burger, but we definitely had some great food. For instance:

Banana Split. The banana was caramelized.

Nutella milk shake.

FINAL SUMMATION:
San Francisco is definitely worth the trip. It's a really great city with a whole lot to offer. You should definitely give it a visit if you have the means. There is something there for EVERYONE. Make it happen, before it's too late.