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Dear Readers and Friends,
My life isn’t all about the pleasure I get from writing. Sometimes it’s the pleasure of being with good friends.
I was in San Francisco last week with my Florida boyfriend and had a busy itinerary visiting all my favorite spots. |
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Anyone who knows me, knows I absolutely love San Francisco and sometimes wish I still lived there. I said it so many
times as we drove from the airport to San Francisco, Bill bought me a shirt with that on it. |
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Tuesday was a travel day – We flew to the Oakland airport and stopped in Alameda on the way to our hotel for an
In-N-Out Burger. My brother Larry said these are the best hamburgers he’s ever eaten. We both agreed. Yumm! |
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Wednesday – Took a bus to Pier 39, Aquarium at the Bay, and had dinner at Scoma’s (a famous seafood restaurant in
Fisherman’s Wharf). Bill had a shrimp/pasta dish and I ate Pacific Snapper. Both were delicious. |
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Thursday – We drove 3 hours in the fog to Carmel and walked in the sand at Carmel Beach (notice the girl behind me
doing cartwheels). |
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Wanted to eat lunch at Clint Eastwood’s The Hog’s Breath Inn (now owned by a friend of his) but it was closed for
renovations, so had lunch at Stationaery (Old English restaurant) instead. |
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| Then we drove on to Big Sur (notice how blue the ocean is). |
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Friday – We drove across the Golden Gate Bridge to Book Passage Bookstore & Café in Corte Madera, a 40-minute drive
from SF. The clerk (Natlie) seemed paranoid about me taking a photo op with her because my book wasn’t published by a
major publisher (go figure) and suggested instead that my boyfriend take the photo outside the building.
Afterward, we drove on Bridgeway Avenue through Sausalito (our GPS guide took us up and down the steep hills in
Sausalito to get back to Highway 101 with Bill white-knuckling it and me holding onto the dashboard the whole way).
What a “great” tour we got of Sausalito. |
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| Then we drove back across the Golden Gate Bridge and went through the Presidio, which is now a park.
We even found the old dilapidated building at the Presidio where I worked in the late 70s.
We planned to have dinner that night at the Balboa Café, an American bistro restaurant/bar that is popular for people
watching. It was jam-packed with 20-somethings, both inside as well as tables outside. We looked for other places
nearby that catered to old folks like us and found a chain called The Shake Shack where we ate a burger and milkshake.
Then we walked the length of Union Street which has a lot of shops and restaurants, then walked down Chestnut Street
back to our hotel. |
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| Saturday – We took a bus to the Buena Vista bar/restaurant and drank an Irish coffee by the Hyde/Powell cable car turnaround. |
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| We had lunch in Chinatown at a restaurant called The Spicy King. |
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Then we took another bus to get to the Top of the Mark (19th floor) at the Mark Hopkins Hotel for music
and dancing. We got there at 1:30 p.m. and it wasn’t open until 3:00 p.m. so we rode the cable car back to the Buena
Vista and then took a bus back to our hotel. |
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Sunday – We met friends and walked to the Cote Quest Franch Bistro near the Presidio for lunch and took pictures near
the Palace of Fine Arts, a remnant from the 1915 World’s Fair.
Afterward, we drove up and down steep hills to Billionaire’s Row in Pacific Heights on Broadway Avenue between Lyon
and Divisadero Streets, known for opulent mansions and stunning views of the city and bay, where Danielle Steel,
Lary Ellison, Nancy Pelosi, Peter Thiel and Gordon Getty live, among others. |
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| We also drove down Lombard Street, the crookedest street in the world. |
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Monday – We went to the Haight Ashbury District, made famous by the hippie movement in the 1960’s and was once home
to revolutionaries, famous singers (including the Grateful Dead and Janis Joplin) and cult leaders. |
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We also saw the Painted Ladies on Steiner Street, a row of Victorian houses across from Alamo Square Park. Ate lasagna
at an Italian restaurant called Roma Antica on Scott Street, near Chestnut Street and our hotel. |
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We also drove out to the Cliff House restaurant on the Pacific Ocean which was always a favorite place of mine to bring
visitors. The restaurant is closed for renovations, however, so we couldn’t eat there. |
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We also walked along the Marina from Fort Mason out to Chrissy Field. Notice Alcatraz in the distance. When I lived in
San Francisco, I ran 5 miles every day through the Presidio and down to Fort Mason and along the bay by Chrissy Field
out to Fort Point. Now I get tired from walking half that distance. |
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Tuesday – we were both on the same flight to Las Vegas and then changed planes to get back home. Koda was very happy
to see me.
Ginormous thanks to Bill for his kindness, generosity, and expert navigation and driving skills. I think he might
disagree but the pleasure was mostly mine.
I hope my little travelogue inspires at least some of you to visit my favorite city.
Until next time…
All best,
Joan M Kop |
