While the kids were at camp, we made a quick decision to go somewhere cool. Temperature wise, that is. It was a 104 degrees in Austin last week. Most of the east coast was almost as bad. Which left California and perhaps Minnesota, but we didn't check that. Jo booked our trip, with return tickets for Friday in case Evan did not want to do Week 3 at camp. So this post doesn't have a single photo of Vivian or Evan.
We set up our camp at the Palace Hotel in San Francisco. When it opened in 1875 it was the biggest hotel in the world. We ate breakfast at the Garden Court with it's huge stained glass dome and marble columns and Austrian chandeliers. Turns out that the same thing you have to give away for free at a Holiday Inn costs mucho bucks when it's served under an ancient glass dome.
Jo and I spent our first day in the Bay Area in a haze with cousin Stephanie and her family at the very retro Elk's Lodge 4th of July party, and then continuing with a birthday party at Ash's home where I met my Pilani peeps. While being driven all around the Bay Area by speed demons in strange cars with stranger people, we learned all about Uber Express Pool. It's a thing.
For our second day we made amends to our bodies by hiking from Land's End to the Golden Gate bridge, taking our time and meandering through rocky bluffs, high cliffs, sandy beaches, posh neighborhoods, and finally, the crowds at the bridge. Then we rewarded ourselves with a late seafood lunch at North Beach. I met Abhik after dinner and he showed me some of the cooler drinking spots around Market. Without the kids we took lots of selfies and photos of Jo who now understands why Evan is grumpy when I get camera happy.
While we were walking, we got a call from the camp counselor telling us that Evan had decided to stay for Week 3. Vivian had already made that decision during her first week at camp. So Jo changed our tickets from Friday to Sunday, and the next day we went back to partying with Stephanie's clan.
On Sunday we drove to Sonoma and indulged in a bit of wine tasting. At some point a few bottles of wine should show up at our door step along with half a pound of English cheese, though neither will taste as good as we remember during the tasting.
For our last evening, we drove out to the Marin Headlands and trekked down to Muir beach and watched the day crowds leave and the evening crowds show up with bundles of firewood and blankets. Strange people, these Californians. Then we drove up to near the look out point and walked a few dozen steps from the road and sat down and watched the sun set. And took more selfies. Jo wants a house right there. About 300 feet above the Pacific, with nothing else around because it's a national reserve.
The next morning we wandered around Golden Gate park. I was hell bent on seeing things that were free, so we didn't go into the de Young museum, the California Academy of Sciences, the Japanese Tea Garden, or the Conservatory of Flowers. We did however stroll around the outdoor sculptures and either stuck our heads in their holes or critiqued them vigorously.
Later that afternoon we stopped for lunch at Pakwan in the Mission district. Alu had introduced me to this Pakistani eatery about two decades ago when he lived in the Bay Area, and Arjun and I used to frequent it during our startup days. They seem to have done well and survived longer than Neonyoyo did, with several branches all around the place now.
In the Mission district, as around Market, Jo and I noticed the dirt and dinginess and homeless people. It isn't like it was in the 80's and 90's when someone took a poop right in front of you, but you do need to step smartly otherwise you'll step in it. What does a city do? Turn Nazi on them and make it very hard for a homeless person to live there? Or be more welcoming like California, Oregon and Washington, but then you have a large homeless population and body fluids on sidewalks?
We took the evening flight out of San Francisco airport, landed in Austin at 10pm with everyone else on the planet, ubered back home, and were at 24 Diner till midnight. Only 93 degrees today. And still no kids Sweet home!
We set up our camp at the Palace Hotel in San Francisco. When it opened in 1875 it was the biggest hotel in the world. We ate breakfast at the Garden Court with it's huge stained glass dome and marble columns and Austrian chandeliers. Turns out that the same thing you have to give away for free at a Holiday Inn costs mucho bucks when it's served under an ancient glass dome.
For our second day we made amends to our bodies by hiking from Land's End to the Golden Gate bridge, taking our time and meandering through rocky bluffs, high cliffs, sandy beaches, posh neighborhoods, and finally, the crowds at the bridge. Then we rewarded ourselves with a late seafood lunch at North Beach. I met Abhik after dinner and he showed me some of the cooler drinking spots around Market. Without the kids we took lots of selfies and photos of Jo who now understands why Evan is grumpy when I get camera happy.
While we were walking, we got a call from the camp counselor telling us that Evan had decided to stay for Week 3. Vivian had already made that decision during her first week at camp. So Jo changed our tickets from Friday to Sunday, and the next day we went back to partying with Stephanie's clan.
On Sunday we drove to Sonoma and indulged in a bit of wine tasting. At some point a few bottles of wine should show up at our door step along with half a pound of English cheese, though neither will taste as good as we remember during the tasting.
For our last evening, we drove out to the Marin Headlands and trekked down to Muir beach and watched the day crowds leave and the evening crowds show up with bundles of firewood and blankets. Strange people, these Californians. Then we drove up to near the look out point and walked a few dozen steps from the road and sat down and watched the sun set. And took more selfies. Jo wants a house right there. About 300 feet above the Pacific, with nothing else around because it's a national reserve.
The next morning we wandered around Golden Gate park. I was hell bent on seeing things that were free, so we didn't go into the de Young museum, the California Academy of Sciences, the Japanese Tea Garden, or the Conservatory of Flowers. We did however stroll around the outdoor sculptures and either stuck our heads in their holes or critiqued them vigorously.
Later that afternoon we stopped for lunch at Pakwan in the Mission district. Alu had introduced me to this Pakistani eatery about two decades ago when he lived in the Bay Area, and Arjun and I used to frequent it during our startup days. They seem to have done well and survived longer than Neonyoyo did, with several branches all around the place now.
In the Mission district, as around Market, Jo and I noticed the dirt and dinginess and homeless people. It isn't like it was in the 80's and 90's when someone took a poop right in front of you, but you do need to step smartly otherwise you'll step in it. What does a city do? Turn Nazi on them and make it very hard for a homeless person to live there? Or be more welcoming like California, Oregon and Washington, but then you have a large homeless population and body fluids on sidewalks?
We took the evening flight out of San Francisco airport, landed in Austin at 10pm with everyone else on the planet, ubered back home, and were at 24 Diner till midnight. Only 93 degrees today. And still no kids Sweet home!
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