Reasons I Love SF: The Beach is Walkable

My friend needed a getaway so, has come to stay for a couple of nights. It is great to have a companion with me during the week and tonight we were moved to enjoy all that my neighborhood has to offer: Golden Gate Park, Ocean Beach, and delicious Pho.

On our walk through Golden Gate Park, the flowers were in bloom, the greenery was lush, and the sun was getting low in the sky and casting that lovely aura over everything we saw. By the time we reached the beach, the sun was setting, the almost full moon was at the sun's opposite, and sand was flying into all of our exposed orifices. Tired and hungry, we wandered back toward my apartment and found a rather popular Pho restaurant where we slurped up noodles and meat and warmed ourselves inside and out.

Reasons I Love SF: Vacations in the East Bay

This weekend, I went on a vacation in the East Bay, which I do from time-to-time. I spent time with one of my best friends, enjoyed the warm East Bay weather, and got some health and well-being out of the deal, as well.

Saturday afternoon, we stepped out and shopped on 4th Street, in Berkeley. I got to wear one of my dresses, which is rare. And, I began purchasing items for my apartment redecoration project (blogs on this to come soon, under the label the Elusive Couch). As a first step, I bought this desk at CB2.

We ate at Tacubaya where they make amazing guacamole.

After a good night's sleep, we dined on green juice, picked up burrito bowls from Chipotle, and then did a five-hour rigorous hike in Redwood Regional Park. We came upon swarms of ladybugs in the valley, a beautiful sight to behold. And, we petted a llama, there for the day and spending time in the shade. I'm not sure exactly how many times we ascended and descended but, we had to climb up a final hill which just about did us in. There may have been crying as we trod uphill... 

Reasons I Love SF: More Peninsula Hikes

Windy Hill is a quick drive from where I work but, I didn't even know it existed until earlier this week. A friend and I spent the day exploring its varied terrain, climbing up switch-backs in dense forest growth, enjoying lunch looking over Stanford's campus surrounded by grassland, and tromping down arid hills in the hot sun.

We spoke of our recent trips to Havana and Mexico City and Miami. It was HOT! And, I neglected to satiate myself enough prior to starting up the shaded switch backs. At one point, I thought I may pass out but all I brought along were nuts to snack on... So, once we stopped at the top of the hill, I ate my meager bags of mixed nuts and chocolate covered mangoes, she ate her hefty sandwich, and then we sweated it out, practically running down the steep grade.

Once we reached my car, sitting unshaded in the parking lot, I decided it was time to grab a bigger bite and a beer and we hit up the Alpine Inn, a funny dive-bar beer garden in Portola Valley. Since it was a Saturday evening and over 85 degrees, I envisioned Zeitgeist-like crowds but, instead we were greeted with a band wrapping up its set, a few scattered families, and several gentlemen working on their laptops... We gobbled down fries and Belgian beer, and I chowed on a burger and then called it a day.

Not Moving...

So, it's official. I've been thinking about it for a couple of months but, I'm ready to pronounce it now, I'm not moving to Los Angeles. San Francisco will continue to be my home for the indefinite future. Therefore, this blog will continue to be about my reasons for why I love it here. As usual, there will also be postings on trips to Los Angeles and other places around the globe, as I explore them.

Look out for pictures from West Africa later this year!

Reasons I Love SF: Pirate's Cove in Fifteen Minutes

Spring is officially in session, as I may have mentioned, so it's time to get outdoors with the rest of the Bay Area denizens and explore. Today, one of my best friend's and I drove fifteen minutes from my house to Tennessee Valley, in Marin, and did a late afternoon/evening hike to Pirate's Cove. We were done by 7:45pm, with the sun still shining, and were able to enjoy a satisfying, healthy dinner at Cafe del Soul. I kept saying it on the hike, and I'll say it again, we live in the best place on earth....

Reasons I Love SF: Photography

This afternoon, I left work early and went to visit Pier 24 Photography, an exhibit hall under the Bay Bridge featuring photographs from the Pilara Foundation. Simply by wandering the quiet rooms and admiring some of photography's greatest artists, I was prompted to enter some of my own photographs to be shown at Rayko's Me, Myself and I exhibition coming this summer. In short, Pier 24 is inspiring. The photos speak louder than my words.

Miami in Three Days

While in St. Petersburg for work, I decided to tack on a trip to Miami to experience life in a tropical city. It was fantastic although admittedly my timing was a bit off. For example, the Ultra Festival was going on downtown with 400,000 people descending upon the city. This caused traffic to be worse than usual and made going anywhere near the downtown area and most of the interesting sites difficult. In addition, it was Spring Break for many, which added to the melee. Needless to say, I was happy to be staying north of everything but, it all dissuaded me from going anywhere near the madness. So, I didn't do as much as I thought I would and spent almost one whole day in my hotel room (which was cute but, seemed a bit of a shame).

The Daddy O Hotel Miami

 

When I first arrived, I went straight to the beach while I waited for my hotel room to get cleaned. The beautiful white sand beaches and turquoise water was exactly what I expected to see while I was there.

The second day had me touring the city and its surrounds on a gaudy tour bus run by Miami-Nice Tours. It was a great way to see all of the things I wanted to see from above the crowds and mayhem. The bus was hysterically ugly and our guide was a crazy woman whose patience was tested more times than I could count by the traffic, the patrons, and the rain. However, when she blocked traffic for fifteen minutes, she was the first to tell complainers to back off and give her some time. We drove through Coral Gables, Coconut Grove, the financial district, Calle Ocho, and visited the Art Deco hotels and South Beach.

 

 

At the end of the tour, we took a cruise around the bay and saw the homes of the rich and famous. Here are just a few snapshots of what might be JLo, P Diddy or Ricky Martin's homes, as well as a view of the city.

Day three was all about visiting Bal Harbour and the infamous high-end shops. Only steps away from my hotel, it was a nice afternoon browsing the likes of Trina Turk, Versace, and Dolce and Gabbana. Honestly, it did not appear that anyone was really shopping but, I don't doubt that folks staying across the street at the beautiful St. Regis hotel spend time there on a regular basis. It was a bit off-putting after catching most of the documentary A Place at the Table, on HBO the night before. Especially since most of the employees of the high end stores were drinking coffee and eating pastries or lunches brought from home during their lunch breaks.

Day four was supposed to entail the Wynwood Art District but, ended with a multi-hour stint at the airport where I wrote most of this. It seemed an unwise choice to leave after arriving and waiting in the very long security line. It just means I'll have to come back... after much research on what is happening at the time of my visit. It will not be Memorial Day since it is Hip Hop Weekend, which my Super Shuttle driver claimed is the busiest weekend in Miami. Duly noted....