TIMELESS POSTCARD ART

 PARIS, FRANCE 

 CHICAGO, ILLINOIS

 SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA

NEW YORK, NEW YORK

 VENICE, ITALY 

PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA

AMSTERDAM, NETHERLANDS

LONDON, ENGLAND

BARCELONA, SPAIN

HONOLULU, HAWAII

GOOD TIMES IN SAN FRANCISCO

I'M OFF TO CHICAGO THEN SAN FRANCISCO

I'll be spending the holiday weekend in Chicago then I'll travel for some unfinished business with my former landlord in San Francisco. My first trial in a real court which should make for a real good story - hopefully one with a happy ending!

MY BROTHER SCOTT VISITS US ON OUR LAST WEEKEND IN SAN FRANCISCO

My brother Scott recently turned 29 and has set up a list outlining the 30 things he wants to accomplish before he turns 30. On his birthday he ice skated for the first time in Millennium Park. One down, 29 more to go. 

When he came to visit John and I we ended up racking our brains on what he could do in San Francisco that he could add to his list. He mentioned bungee cord jumping off a bridge - we didn't know where you could do that. John said he should swim with the seals by Fisherman's Wharf, but Scott didn't like that idea. 

I had planned to take him on a trolley car ride but he said he did that five years ago, but we ended up taking a trolley ride anyway since we couldn't come up with something to add to his list. 

We then decided we would have to add something to his "naughty list" of things to do before he turns 30. Apparently, at Scott's birthday party, our friend Carl said he wanted to start a "naughty list" of things he should do before he turns 30 but wouldn't tell everyone who is a client or co-worker via facebook - like the "normal list" he created. I won't be able to discuss what happened on Saturday night after dinner, but I think it was memorable! It did end with him half jokingly telling me that he hated me the next morning, but I think he will remember the night as being one full of fun and intrigue.

Side story. Scott and I went to his friend Eric's place for a pre-party before I dropped everyone off at a nightclub called Bootie. I had fun at Eric's place - I felt like I time warped to my disco days in Chicago when all I craved was loud music and dancing with hot guys. We had cocktails and there was about 10 people there getting their drink on. One guy was in town for a romantic get-away from L.A. for Valentine's Day. He asked for some help locating the restaurant he and his girlfriend were going to for an 11 p.m. reservation. He told me one of the Top Chefs was the chef at this restaurant (Jamie from this season - Absinthe Restaurant). Topics changed and h told me a story about the time when he was over at Roseanne Bar's house - because he is friends with her son - and he ate a brownie that was on the counter that was just taken out of some fan mail Roseanne received. This guy and Roseanne's son then went on a 48 hour acid type trip from the magical brownie. He said it had to have been laced with something stronge than marijuana, it had to be mushrooms or LSD, but whatever it was, it freaked him out. Fun party story, right! 

Suffice it to say it was a great last night in San Francisco! 

THE TOP 10 THINGS I WILL MISS ABOUT SAN FRANCISCO

Today is my last full day as a resident of "Everyone's Favorite City' - San Francisco. Here are the Top 10 Things I will miss most about this amazingly diverse city on the bay.


10. San Francisco is full of "crazies" and I see many of them on my way to work, at the dog park and pretty much every part of the city - I'll miss my dog DeRosa barking at them whenever she sees one.


9. The murals and graffiti art throughout the city are just simply amazing. I am glad so many people embrace this art form. I think this type of art really helps in making San Francisco the most European of American cities.



8.  I had never been so shocked in my life...Folsom Street Fair is something you'll never see in any other city in the United States. It was kinky beyond belief and erotic to the core. What else could you ask for in a street festival?


7. Our daily walks and visits to the dog park has been great. Especially fun playing ball with Doris, she is the athlete out of our two girls and she is a really good one! 


6. Berkley is a great city and I will remember a few events we attended out there, including the "I'm so Berkley" parade (photo above) and the Dave Matthews Band performing at the Greek Theater. Such a liberal group of people out there in Berkley, I felt like I totally belonged! 


5. Living along the Embarcadero was definitely an amazing part of living in San Francisco and the Ferry Building is a place I wish I could take with me to Philadelphia. Providing a sustainable Eco-friendly resource for buying everyday products is something many cities strive to achieve and the Ferry Building offers it all in one adorable location.  


4. The entertainment scene in San Francisco is probably just as cool as Chicago or NYC but I felt like there were more opportunities for better concerts and seeing bands I love by living on the west coast. Two concerts that were the very memorable: The Radio Alice afternoon in Golden Gate Park were we saw Gavin DeGraw, Duffy, Sugar Ray and Sara Bareilles; Bridge School Benefit featuring Neil Young, Norah Jones, Josh Groban, Smashing Pumpkins, Jack Johnson, Wilco and Death Cab for Cutie.   


3. Literary events are abundant in San Francisco. One of my favorite events was "Litquake" which ran over two weeks in October and provided lectures, discussions, readings, workshops and amazingly unique opportunities to embrace the literary culture. I also really enjoyed exploring City Lights Book Store and the Beat Museum, two landmark properties that honor the "Beat" generation - Jack Kerouac and his contemporaries. 


2. The food in San Francisco is truly amazing! From high-end haute cuisine to neighborhood ethnic cuisine representing almost every global city - San Francisco offers culturally diverse cuisine that will be missed. Some of my favorite places include: Best Chinese, R&G in Chinatown (the photos is from a lunch with friends at R&G); best Italian in the Castro, Poesia - where everyone who worked there knew me and John because we went weekly; best breakfast/brunch, Stacks in Hayes Valley; best diner, Fog City Diner; best pork chop, Out the Door; best view of the Bay Bridge, Epic Roasthouse...they have a great burger too; best healthy food, Sport Club L.A.; best bar food, Pete's Tavern; best salad, Mixed Greens; best dessert, Delancy Street (loved the fruit crisp); best delivery, Paragon (mac and cheese and roasted chicken we sinfully delicious). 


1. I will miss the view from our bay window. and all of the many attractions that weren't just places I brought friends and family when they visited, they were in full view right outside our door, on my way to work and down the street from my favorite places to eat and shop. 

San Francisco will always have a place in my heart. It surely will not be forgotten and will definitely will be romanticized for many years to come!

A PARANOID-WHACK-JOB HIPPIE YELLED AT ME FOR TAKING PICTURES OF HIS BOOKSTORE

While showing my friend Barb the Haight/Ashbury neighborhood we discovered a crazy old hippie dude who runs a books store. This part of town hosts a bunch of unique shops...for my Chicago friends it's like a larger Belmont and Clark Street.

They still have hippies running around who are still crazy paranoid. The guy who owns this book shop saw me taking pictures of Barb in the shop. He yelled something at me and slammed the front door of the store. You can barely see him in the left corner of the photo above. My friend got out of the store after he yelled at her because she was with me and she met me around the corner so we could compare stories. We just determined he is a total paranoid whack job.

We continued to shop and I noticed that he was following us. He kept starring at me for a few blocks. He stopped after I asked him if he had a problem and gave him an I will kill you look - one of my favorite looks to give a crazy person.

Fun story, glad it didn't end up with any drama in hippie dippie land!

SAN FRANCISCO PHOTOS FROM THIS PAST WEEKEND

I SAW ANOTHER CRAZY TODAY

I was pumping gas into the Jeep this afternoon and I saw an older man with long-white-balding-curly hair walking along the sidewalk. He looked like one of the many weirdos you see on the streets of San Francisco, but wasn't all dirty like a bum, he was pretty well-kept weirdo.

He was walking along and all of a sudden he stopped in his tracks and picked up a lost comb off the ground. He then began to examine the comb closely, making sure there was no dirt or anything funky with his new find. Then he kept walking down the street and I could see the excitement on his face, he was a proud owner of a new free comb.

I thought it was weird that he would pick up someones lost comb and take it along with him. I kept looking at him as he walked away and just as he was walking into the distance, I saw him comb his long-white-balding-curly hair curly with it, pulling out all of the curl and making his hair look like a ruffed up birds nest. WEIRDOS ARE ABUNDANT IN SAN FRANCISCO!

I HAD A "SAN FRANCISCO MOMENT"

The girls and I went to Crissy Field for a light jog and some picture taking. This is the park directly under the Golden Gate Bridge along the water. We have been blessed with great weather and getting out to clear my head and enjoy the weather is just what I needed after a day at the office.

The girls did well when we jogged, a few barking instances at other dogs and chasing twigs, but that is to be expected with my monsters. When we were taking pictures they were pretty tired from the jog so they behaved, and of course loved when people stopped in their tracks to pet them and give them kisses.

When I was in Chicago working for the Convention and Tourism Bureau my coworker and I always exchanged our "Chicago Moments." Time when we look around at where we were in life, in that moment that we are riding along on the extreme of happiness. Times when even when something goes wrong, you are still happy because you are where you are. Whether it be a sunny day in the bleachers at Wrigley, being a VIP to see a band you love or bumping into the Mayor of Chicago and having a conversation with him at a Tall Ships press conference, I was lucky enough to have many "Chicago Moments."

I'd like to submit yesterday as a new "San Francisco Moment." To clarify, looking back, I have had many since being here but I was a little out of my comfort zone and didn't immediately recognize them. A beautiful evening after work with gorgeous weather and the sun setting behind the Golden Gate Bridge, happy people smiling at me and my cute puppies and best of all, I am living in one of the best cities in the world. Feeling very blessed at the moment.

SAN FRANCISCO VOTED #1 CITY BY CONDE NAST TRAVELER READERS

Condé Nast Traveler recently announced that its readers have voted San Francisco as the #1 city to visit in the United States for the 16th year in a row. Over 32,000 Condé Nast Traveler readers participated in the 2008 Readers’ Choice Survey, and the complete award results will appear in the November issue and on the magazine’s website at cntraveler.com.

Results from the 2008 Condé Nast Traveler Readers’ Choice Award for top U.S. cities to visit include:

1. San Francisco

2. Charleston, SC

3. New York City

4. Santa Fe

5. Chicago

6. Carmel

7. Honolulu

8. Savannah

9. San Diego

10. Sedona

I should try to explore Santa Fe this year and maybe Carmel...since I now live on the west coast.

Glad to see Chicago is in 5th place, it will always be # 1 in my heart.

AND...I can't wait to see Honolulu over Thanksgiving break...going with John for our anniversary - woot woot!

SHOUT OUT TO OUR FIRST VISITOR

Baby brother Ryan (in photo above) came to visit this past weekend and it was GREAT to see him. We blew up an air mattress in the spare bedroom/office and he saw the sights.

John was the ultimate tour guide and did an amazing job showing him around when I was at work (just started a new job = no vacation yet) and over the weekend we all hung out and had a great time! So great to see you Ryan :)

Ryan had the opportunity to see: Stinson Beach, Alcatraz Island, Fisherman's Wharf, Berkley's Greek Theatre - Dave Matthews Band, Wine Country -Bella Winery & downtown Healdsburg, the Painted Ladies, Lombard Street (aka the crooked street), Haight Ashbury, Castro and SOMA neighborhoods and of course the Golden Gate Bridge.