Breck and I spent the labor day holiday weekend in San Francisco, CA. It's a beautiful city, and I've finally fallen in love. We went there previousely, 10 years ago, and I swore I'd never go back (or fly Delta) but more on that later.
The photos are: ... me 1) on the pier seeing "my ship come in", 2) watching bamboo grow and 2) hiking a moon bridge at the Japanese Tea Gardens...
... 4) us waiting for a light rail ride after walking 10 miles through the worst part of town to see a new garden store (it wasn't worth the blisters), 5) Fog rolling through downtown, 6) a favorite Japanese tea gardens garden...
...more of us at 7) at the Marcone Center fountain (the Marcone Center is a big complex of wonderful museums, parks, and convention halls, and 8 & 9) the new de Young Museum (very cool).
So what about our last trip? SF being like Mecca (for folks like us), I was BEYOND excited plus it was one of my first real vacactions as an adult. I left the return airplane tickets (remember paper tickets?) on the plane. When I realized what I had done, I called Delta informed them. They told me that I'd have to pay to have the return tickets reissued. We couldn't come up with enough money to pay for a hotel AND new tickets for the flight back. It was late at night and since we were in a new scary big city, we choose the hotel. Luckily Breck had an old friend driving back to Utah the next day. Needless to say, it wasn't the dream vacation I had envisioned. This trip was MUCH better!
We had a GREAT time. My favorite things about San Francisco is architecture, parks, theater and FOOD! I don't know why we can't get food in Utah like they have seem to have in the bigger cities. Are our tounges desensititezed by all the Jell-o? I blame it on Chuck-o-rama, and other buffet restaurants. I had Oysters at nearly every meal, WOW they were fresh! I ate lots of fish and especially loved the French style restaurants. They flash cook their fish, so the outside is hot and crisp with the inside is cool and tender, YUM!
My Favorites? Plouf (what the French say to imitate the sound of water drops), and Foreign Cinema.
8 comments:
Looks like fun!
I have only been in San Fran for 1 day and I enjoyed it. I did the Wharf and saw the sights. Pretty interesting.
Uh the reason why the seafood is fresh in Frisco is the fact that it sits on the ocean! I bet you can get better lobster in Maine for the same reason. The fresher it is the better it tastes.
Chuck and Breck -
great pics and good times. i'm glad you had the chance to back to san fran. time and experience change our perspective.
stilll ... why oh why does anyone fly delta or american or ... anything but southwest. it aint the customer service.
food - more than just location. that is key, but getting fresh seafood virtually anywhere in CONUS isn't hard with modern transportation. one thing that suprised me when we visited tia in maine last year was the fact that a lot of maine lobsters aren't they aren't even American's - they important them from canada.
i think even more relevant than local is the willingness and ability of a community to pay for fine dining and the simultaneous ability of the the chef to be noticed in her/his environment. much more likely in san fran than SLC, i'd guess. all i can tell you is i'm trying hard to keep the best chef's in baltimore by voting with my taste buds and my date's credit card .... come out and have a crabcake soon
I like Delta! Actually I don't have a choice. It is against the law to fly any other airline out of Atlanta.
Sadly Southwest is not a choice for me.
It looks like you had a good time. I will even eat a little sea food when I am on the coast, the local stuff is just plan nasty. I have never been to SF, I am not sure why either as I have been to a lot of other places in the country. I am sure some day Laura and I are going to get there. I have always wanted to go to the wharf and get me some of the good sour dough bread that Dad and Mom talked about when they come home many many grand children ago (like all of them). I have always wanted to visit New Orleans after one of their visits there. I am not sure that Boots is still playing, but I am sure I will find someone there with a sax that will play some Boots songs for us.
One last thought.......Southwest has every other airline beat for the mid-range flyer, but without first class they will never get air warrior that flies over 100,000 miles a year. Even with how rude everyone at the major airlines have become, and regardless of how little they serve you in flight, the fact that the seats in first class are bigger with more leg room will always keep them happy.
Southwest frequent fly-er program is not very friendly to people who only fly a few times a year, you can never get a reward, while you can on the old school airlines. It might take a few year, but you can get them.
With the online check in system Southwest has now, I don't feel like I am flying on a cattle car. The employees at Southwest know they are the number 1 asset of the company and if and when they need to be blunt with a unreasonable customer the management is pleased that their employee is still with them and the unreasonable customer is bugging another airline. Some customer are your best customer for you when they are buying from your competitor. I usually fly Southwest, but fly Delta everyone once in a while to keep my miles active.
Looks like you had a great time I love SF the few times I have been there. It is also a great place to people watch. The kids like the performers who dress up like statues and then move and startle people walking by. I like the Sourdough bread and the chocolate almost as much as the seafood.
I got lucky and got to eat fresh oysters cooked outside on the grill when we went to the Washington coast this weekend. We also had Tuna and Salmon at the same seafood festival. We will have to have you out to the WA coast sometime.
Mike - i like your thinking on customers, interesting perspective. i'll probably charge someone $150/hour to very s*l*o*w*l*y offer your advice to them.
BTW, Southwest's frequent flyer now keeps your credits for 2 years, not one; and there are multiple ways to earn points. the SW credit card is one.
I hate feeling like cattle getting on a plane. My flight anxiety is normally about a 10, and southwest's boarding procedure just adds to that stress. With Delta (who i fly with the most), they have a low price quarantee, a money back guarantee and I get to choose my seat on the plane, and my traveling compainion's as well.
That's all.
As for getting fresh/good seafood just because you're close to the sea is not always true. Some of the worst sea food i've ever ate was in coastal towns on the east coast.
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