August 28, 2007 – Up at 4:00 – yes, in the morning – to go to the airport. Why, you may ask, do we have to get up that early? Because we work on the theory that “earlier is gooder”, and the first flight from Charlotte to San Francisco left at 7:30, so by the time we factor in driving, parking, shuttling, checking, security and the like – well, we have to be up and out of the house by 5 or so in order to stay within the comfort zone.
We’ve trimmed the packing down further, and have enough for a week in one carry-on each, plus one computer bag (a little smaller than the carry ons) for “technology” – computers, cell phone chargers, plus assorted magazines and stuff to read. The rule is what goes on vacation stays on vacation when it comes to reading material; all those magazines and newspaper articles that we’re gonna read “someday” get read and the magazines are discarded on the trip, along with the raggy underwear and old T-shirts. The only reason to check a bag is to get around the liquid limitations. It’s a dream going through the airport, though, with just a small backpack each and the computer bags.
We used miles to upgrade to 1st class, always a treat. On a 5 hour flight across the country, that’s especially nice for guys our size. This flight was so lightly populated, though, that they were moving people around to balance the plane. We probably would have gotten upgraded without spending the miles, but that’s the price of the guarantee.
The plane was not one of the nice new ones like we’ve taken to Europe, with individual television screens, etc. The movie screens came down from above, there were no choices (one movie; so dull I don’t know what it was even), and the seats leaned back but not with the “barcalounger footrests” that the big over the ocean ones have. Napping was therefore a bit more difficult. I had things to read, though, and the latest Harry Potter on my iPod, so I was happy. Eddie listened to his iPod and dozed.
The trip to California was uneventful, luggage arrived with us and we grabbed a cab to our B&B. That ride was the most exciting part of the trip to this point – I didn’t know that those things (american cabs) would go 90 miles an hour, or that they could stop and start quite so quickly. Than heavens for good brakes. Incidentally a cab ride from the airport to the Castro is about $40.00.
We got to our B&B very early – about 11:00 their time, although it was 3ish our time. Our room is on the lowest level which isn’t the basement, but which also isn’t the first floor. It’s what used to be the garage level and was used to hold up the rest of the house. It’s a great room, though, with windows that open out onto a private patio, a small but adequate bathroom, great closet space, a sitting area with loveseat, fridge, microwave, coffee pot, etc. Although it’s fairly old (the owner said they’ve been there over 30 years, and the house undoubtedly predates 1900), it’s very nice and right at the intersection of Market and Castro.
There’s really only been one thing wrong with this place, and, although it might seem minor, it’s enough that I probably wouldn’t come back. The internet connectivity sucks -- to the point that we frequently can’t connect. Anyone who knows us realizes this is a substantial issue, and the owner’s suggestion that I come up to the dining room because you can always connect there is NOT an acceptable solution in my mind. The place is advertised with wireless internet connectivity. Aside from the convenience of needing to check on a business, there’s also the desire to look up restaurants, points of interest, etc. It is about as substantial an issue as if they’d said, “Oh, the bathroom in your room is out of business, but you can run upstairs where we have another.”
Not an acceptable solution, and one that I am getting angrier about each time I try to log on. Fortunately, it seems to be getting a bit better and we've been able to have some connections the last day or two.
We unpacked and got settled, after which Paul, a friend from the internet, called to say he was in the neighborhood already and did we want a tour. Paul’s a very nice guy, retired from Schaub Financial, origionally from NY and Boston, but he’s been here 13 years. He’s also an absolute wealth of information about San Francisco.
We started off with lunch at a restaurant that used to be owned by Harvey Milk. You may remember him as the SF alderman who was assassinated in a hate crime years ago. The restaurant is called "Harveys" (DUH!) and is right on a corner with great windows that looked out on the intersection of Market and Castro. Burgers, fries & onion rings all around.
We then explored a bit under Paul’s tutelage. We rode the historic trolly first.
Now, you have to recognize that there are several modes of transportation in SF. First, there are “cable cars”. We rode those later in the afternoon. These are powered by a cable that is over a mile long and circles under the ground, powered by the same kind of motor that runs a ski lift. The brakes are largely manual, worked by pulling hard on a lever. One of the drivers told us that they are wooden (the cable cars being restored to their original specifications), and only last 7 days. They also only stop you on the level parts, not on the downhill slopes (of which there are plenty). This is what you see on the Rice-a-roni commercials and what is traditionally thought of as SF transportation. We were hanging on the sides looking every bit the tourist for that trip. Without a Muni, a ride costs you $5.00.
The next mode of transportation is a Trolly, which is powered by overhead electric wires that run the motors. Many of these have been collected from around the world and restored to their original condition as well, meaning that they are not standard colors and that directions are sometimes in Italian, French, etc. Between getting on and off we rode on a couple of different ones. They’re fun, but INCREDIBLY SLOW. The locals refer to it as a “milk run”, meaning that it stops on every single corner like a milkman used to do. As a result, you don’t travel it fast. A ride on this is $1.50.
The final mode of transportation is called the Muni, which is a combination of underground subway and busses. It seems to be the fastest mode of transportation, other than taking a cab. The other thing good about these is that you buy a 7 day pass, which also gets you into a number of museums and attractions for $54.00. Flash your pass and you’re good to go, no other funds necessary.
We hit the Basilica of San Francisco – yep, there’s actually a church there by that name which dates back to 1776. It’s gone through earthquakes, fires, etc., so some of it has been rebuilt, replaced, etc., but it’s a beautiful building, complete with cemetery and gift shop, just like all those churches in Europe. The difference is they have someone standing there to make sure that you actually "donate" the $5.00 if you want to go in.
After exploring for the afternoon, we separated from Paul for a while, cleaned up and rested a bit and then met again to go to dinner. Dinner was not far away – at a restaurant called Firewood. Eddie had the vegetarian tortellini in alfredo sauce and I had rock shrimp tortellini in pink sauce, both of which were accompanied by a glass of very nice cabernet and were excellent.
After 21 hours without sleep, though, we were both getting a bit punchy. The walk home from the restaurant was delayed only by a stop at a grocery to get some caffeine free diet cokes and coffee creamer, then we crashed for the night.
