Wednesday, February 27, 2008

San Francisco Treat


Well, I guess the rain had to catch up with me sooner or later-- and it did in San Francisco-- or at least some of the time. I met up with Bruce & Loree, and we walked around and ate in their Walnut Creek, as pretty a community as any normal person could afford to live in-- as opposed to, say, Carmel (more on that later).

The next day the rain started and never really let up, but we didn't let it stop us. We met up with Pam, Susie & Dale, some delightfully maladjusted friends of theirs down in Santa Cruz, a beach town south of San Fran, and joined in the fun at a Clam Chowder festival. The fun continues through the day as Bruce's crazy friends & I goofed around in the town, and stayed the night in a place "almost" by the sea, with a terrific view of the parking lot.

The next day it was still raining, but (minus the friends) we continued down the coast to check out Monterey and Carmel, both pretty towns, with Carmel winning on charm but painfully out of reach in price. A tiny bungalow a block from the shore was going for $3.2 million. Like I said, out of reach. But the town is adorable, with cute little alleyways hiding picture-perfect shops and cafes.

We concluded the day with a drive across the Golden Gate Bridge to get a stunning view of the city, whereupon Bruce & myself commemorated the moment with as much dignity and decorum as we could muster.
Then their dogs Tosca & Cisco, who had joined us for the entire weekend, had a quick run on the waterfront and it was time to go to Chuckie's for my final night on the mainland. I said my goodbyes, and met Chuck in his cute little downtown apartment. We had some dim sum in Chinatown (which is right down the block from his flat), served by an almost unintelligible Asian waitress (I'm still not quite sure exactly what we ate). The next day the weather was beautiful and we went for a long walk down to the waterfront and all around the harbor, and then all too soon it was time to go.

Chuck graciously accompanied me to the airport, which was a good thing, as there was a delay in my flight. It's complicated, but thanks to Chuckie I found a direct flight to Maui which saved me a lot of time. So, thanks again, Chuck, Bruce & Loree, it was a memorable visit, and a good last look at mainland USA.


Next: Maui Wowee.

3 comments:

Anonymous said...

Ho Dave,
It was good to see Waddy again. Wayne,the boys and I plan to go to San Fran August 6-12th for our summer vcacation this year. Kevin and Brian have never been, so we are excited to show them the sites and see some new ones ourselves....bus tour to Monteray & Carmel etc. We are staying at the Hilton Fishermans Wharf. Anyway More later & have fun in Hawaii-I know you will love it!It truely is paradise! Betsy

Unknown said...

Glad you had a good time. I am surprised you didn't make it to Zacks in Berkley for pizza. Supposed to be really good. Next time try to make it to Shasta, Tahoe, and Yosemite. They are awesome.

Voyager said...

Ken,
I went to Yosemite And Berkley (but not Zacks)last time I was out there. I didn't have time to see the rest; I wanted to see Monterey and Carmel, which they took me to. Next time I'll have to stay longer-- just like I've felt about every other place so far! Thanks for the comments.