California Diary Part IX: Two Days in San Francisco
I woke up on Wednesday, July 25 in a small apartment near Golden Gate Park. Said apartment was the then home of my fraternity brother Jon and his wife Annie. They both had to work, so I was on my own for the day. After a leisurely morning in, I walked through the park and then caught a lift to watch the getaway game between the Giants and the Pirates at AT&T Park with my fraternity brother Greg.
Greg had to go back to work after the game, so I opted to walk around downtown after having a few slices of pizza. I found the district with all the fancy expensive art galleries that cater to the dotcom millionaires. Fortunately, between my hoodie and jeans and my above average art knowledge I certainly can pass as a dotcom millionaire with a thing for art. I went through one gallery that was showing an exhibit of art from The Wall by Gerald Scafe. That was at the San Francisco Art Exchange, which also is the main gallery for Alberto Vargas.
I spent most of the early evening wandering through galleries. In one I fell into the clutches of a salesman who was so good that he briefly made me seriously considering buy a Picasso bullfight lithograph for a cool $7000. Fortunately, I was able to extricate myself without destroying my savings account. It was quite the experience though.
That night, Jon and Annie and I got Lebanese food for dinner followed by Salt & Straw (although maybe not the linked location) for dessert.
When I woke up the next day I walked to breakfast at Arsicault. Greg had told me that they had reputedly the best croissants in North America. I haven't eaten every croissant in North America, but I believe it. It was delicious. From there, I caught a ride down to the waterfront. I had tickets for Alcatraz! And it's a good thing too, because Alcatraz routinely sells out months in advance. I really enjoyed walking around the island with its gorgeous views of the bridges and the skyline, not to mention the hordes of sea birds and the many gardens. Inside, the audio tour of the cell block is top notch. Sure, it was windy and chilly and there are a lot of other tourists around (and therefore it's not cheap), but I had a lot of fun, and I strongly recommend it to history buffs and/or people who like waterfront views. I read Escape from Alcatraz when I was a kid, and it really came alive as I took the tour.
Once I was back on the mainland I went over to MOMA San Francisco, which was top notch, particularly, the Edvard Munch exhibition.
For dinner, Jon and Annie took me to a hole in the wall sushi place near their house. It's run by an older couple and is so small that it only seats ten. We waited in line for nearly an hour in positions 7, 8 and 9. From prior experience Jon and Annie knew that upon occasion friends of the owners would show up and boot everybody else out of their spots, so were very concerned when one of them turned up. Thankfully he was the only friend who made it, so we took the single three top table in the corner and proceeded to have absolutely the best seafood I have ever had in my entire life. In particular, the giant bowl of sashimi was delicious. We also had some nice sake and assorted other appetizers. It was worth every penny.
Photos from my entire California trip are here. The last 40 photos (240 through 280 or thereabouts) are from Alcatraz. This will bring my photos for the trip to a conclusion.
Greg had to go back to work after the game, so I opted to walk around downtown after having a few slices of pizza. I found the district with all the fancy expensive art galleries that cater to the dotcom millionaires. Fortunately, between my hoodie and jeans and my above average art knowledge I certainly can pass as a dotcom millionaire with a thing for art. I went through one gallery that was showing an exhibit of art from The Wall by Gerald Scafe. That was at the San Francisco Art Exchange, which also is the main gallery for Alberto Vargas.
I spent most of the early evening wandering through galleries. In one I fell into the clutches of a salesman who was so good that he briefly made me seriously considering buy a Picasso bullfight lithograph for a cool $7000. Fortunately, I was able to extricate myself without destroying my savings account. It was quite the experience though.
That night, Jon and Annie and I got Lebanese food for dinner followed by Salt & Straw (although maybe not the linked location) for dessert.
When I woke up the next day I walked to breakfast at Arsicault. Greg had told me that they had reputedly the best croissants in North America. I haven't eaten every croissant in North America, but I believe it. It was delicious. From there, I caught a ride down to the waterfront. I had tickets for Alcatraz! And it's a good thing too, because Alcatraz routinely sells out months in advance. I really enjoyed walking around the island with its gorgeous views of the bridges and the skyline, not to mention the hordes of sea birds and the many gardens. Inside, the audio tour of the cell block is top notch. Sure, it was windy and chilly and there are a lot of other tourists around (and therefore it's not cheap), but I had a lot of fun, and I strongly recommend it to history buffs and/or people who like waterfront views. I read Escape from Alcatraz when I was a kid, and it really came alive as I took the tour.
Once I was back on the mainland I went over to MOMA San Francisco, which was top notch, particularly, the Edvard Munch exhibition.
For dinner, Jon and Annie took me to a hole in the wall sushi place near their house. It's run by an older couple and is so small that it only seats ten. We waited in line for nearly an hour in positions 7, 8 and 9. From prior experience Jon and Annie knew that upon occasion friends of the owners would show up and boot everybody else out of their spots, so were very concerned when one of them turned up. Thankfully he was the only friend who made it, so we took the single three top table in the corner and proceeded to have absolutely the best seafood I have ever had in my entire life. In particular, the giant bowl of sashimi was delicious. We also had some nice sake and assorted other appetizers. It was worth every penny.
Photos from my entire California trip are here. The last 40 photos (240 through 280 or thereabouts) are from Alcatraz. This will bring my photos for the trip to a conclusion.