May 4, 2016

Eat. Drink. Nap. Repeat.

It had been over a year since I'd last been to San Francisco. So, when Frontier was offering $19 one-way fares it didn't take much else to be lured. When I mentioned it to Frank, he was immediately on board. Booking accommodations on Hotwire has worked out really well for us in the past, so it's always my first stop when researching rates. The wharf was extraordinarily expensive this time around, it forced me to look at other neighborhoods. I secured a great rate at the Intercontinental in SoMa. The various booking sites, nor Airbnb could not come close to their rate.

It was a mighty nice hotel with excellent customer service. Great location and the most comfortable pillows. I really enjoyed our stay. We spent more time in the room than usual because I wasn't feeling that well. I was just sick in February, too. As a matter of fact, I don't feel like I ever fully recovered. I thought allergies had taken a hold of me, but the nasty cough returned and wiped me out. I was really happy we had such a nice place to lay my head. The view from the 23rd floor was pretty great too. Forgive the quality of photos - I failed to pack my camera this time around so everything was captured by cellphone. By today's standards my S3 is practically a relic.





You may recall a stop at Petite Deli was always a must on previous trips. We made friends with the owner, Young. She was simply the kindest and had a special knack for whipping up sandwiches. She's now retired, and sold the business to a long time customer. Frank paid it a visit, but it lost its magic. We didn't feel compelled to return so it gave us and opportunity to try something new. Next door to our favorite dive bar, Toronado, is Rosamunde Sausage Grill. It's a small spot with outstanding sausages. It's the perfect stop after a couple pints. M'mmm beer sausage and german potato salad! I do believe we found a new tradition. Of course, we felt right at home when we bellied up to the bar for some Pliny. I also had a fantastic beer by Anderson Valley, it's their blood orange gose. I'm not typically a fan of fruit beers, but the sourness of this won me over. Yum.





We grabbed bites at old favorites like the Crabhouse, Saigon Sandwich, R & G Lounge and Hot Cookie. They never disappoint! We also had lunch at Scoma's which is always worth repeating.





We also returned to Suppenkuche. We found it several trips ago. They have really delicious German treats. I'm not sure if I'm most fond of the food or the beer!? We went for brunch and opted for potato pancakes and german ravioli with eggs and ravioli. Which just so happened to be one of my favorite breakfasts... ever. Delicious doesn't begin to cover it. I told Frank he has created a monster. This would be a must from now on, brunch has never thrilled me - until, now, that is.



No trip would be complete without ample time spent near the Maritime Museum watching the world go by. It's Frank's favorite and it is a relaxing way to spend the afternoon. The people watching is never dull and the view is incredible.



We used Uber/Lyft to get around. Mostly, carpool fares. It takes a bit longer, but it saves cash. We had a couple really great drivers and a surprising number of pretty poor drivers. It was a bit sad to see the quality of drivers decline. The worst was on the way to SFO. The ride we picked up outside of Hot Cookie was a woman driver that seemed to grow bored with the ride and claimed her car wasn't properly accelerating. She stopped at a gas station, suggested we find another ride and promptly bailed. Maybe there was a real problem, but it certainly didn't seem like it. Frank offered to look under the hood, but she seemed disinterested. Just odd. Meanwhile, we called for another ride and the driver managed to drive past us three or four times. Then, once we finally waived him down he drove like a mad man the entire way to the airport. It was like we crossed into some sort of weird twilight zone... just bizarre in every way.

Aside from that hiccup and not feeling so well, it was a great trip. San Francisco is such a fantastic city.

No comments: