Out West - Part I

So I'm long overdue with tales of my trip to California with Amanda. I submitted my final grad school application earlier this week (I applied to business school at UNC and Duke and health administration school at UNC, fyi) and now I can resume everything I put on hold while I was procrastinating. Don't worry, you read that right.

Engage!

So Amanda and I took advantage of JetBlue's two for one promotion that landed us in Oakland hours after she finished her first semester. We spent the first few days in San Francisco. On Day 1, we worked the legs by hoofing it up and around the city's inclines. Fisherman's Wharf, Ghirardelli Sq, Lombard St, Big Ben, Parliament. Dov and Laura joined us for lunch. Our concierge at the Tuscan Inn (okay, it was a Best Western, but there was a hint of Italy) directed us to House of Nanking for a 'casual' Chinatown meal. Casual, efficient, fatherly, and tasty would be my description. As our group took its first steps towards the restaurants front door, the hostess burst from the door, "How many??", and shuttled us towards a table in the middle of the bustling room. Nanking had none of the usual overdone accoutrements of the Chinese restaurants, just cold white tables and chairs. As we puzzled over the menu in front of our waiter, he asked 'First time?" and told us he'd order for us, "I'm chef." Couldn't argue with that. As we devoured plate after plate of food, we noticed our waiter's picture on the wall. Dressed in a chef's coat and hat, he was wearing a medal, commemorating his excellent sesame chicken I'm sure. We turned to the other wall and there was the medal.






After lunch Amanda and I headed to the Haight for some window shopping. We made our way by foot back across the city and to Alamo Square which is known as Postcard Row because of the pretty Victorian houses, named the Painted Ladies, with the SF skyline above. For me its the "Full House" view. Later in the evening, we tried to confirm that we had in fact seen the Full House view and through Google came to believe that the view was at another park. Proof that the internet is stoopid.




Nick joined us later that evening and we double-fisted at the open bar in our hotel, which had wine, beer, and some finger food that looked and tasted like dog biscuits. After the free stuff was pried from our hands. We headed to a house party thrown by some lovable lunkheads I knew in college that was dominated by Two Buck Chuck and merengue. Well, actually we let the merengue dominate our nights, but we were better off for it.




The next day began with clam chowder in a sourdough breadbowl and the growls, groans, and maybe even farts, of the charming sea lion population that basks in the sun off of Fisherman's Wharf.

Amanda and I took leave of the group for a bike ride around the city including stops at the Golden Gate Bridge, Golden Gate Park, and my favorite, the Palace of Fine Arts, which was built for a World's Fair but remains anchored in the public consciousness by its echoing of ancient times and its appearance in the Cage-Connery masterpiece, "The Rock".



The night belonged to margaritas and mexican food in the Mission. Dov and Laura departed for the real world and Amanda, Nick and I repaired to the hotel looking forward to another day in the city. More to come in Part II . . .