| For many of us, San Francisco is the best | | | | really big safety deposit box... |
| city in the world. No matter how you score | | | | |
| it, good old San Fran always is near the top, | | | | Like many conferences this one got boring |
| whether you leave your heart there or not. | | | | after lunch and we decided to leave early and |
| | | | drive back home by Half Moon Bay and Highway |
| Driving downtown to Union Square is not so | | | | 1. We took Market Street to Mission Street |
| bad but it's always best to park early. In | | | | and out to Daly City; not the scenic route |
| fact, one of San Francisco's downsides is the | | | | but perhaps one of the most interesting |
| parking problem. | | | | streets in the U.S. |
| | | | |
| At any rate you can try the Stockton Street | | | | There must be 10,000 small businesses along |
| Public Parking Garage and if you get there | | | | Mission Street; many with storefronts barely |
| before 10:00 or so you should not have any | | | | 10 feet across. You name it, they sell it |
| problems. | | | | and in every ethnic variety. And with such a |
| | | | mix. |
| In the current economic downturn, some Union | | | | |
| Square hotels are offering early bird rates | | | | For instance, if you are Mexican and looking |
| if you leave by 6:00 PM. Parking from 8-6 | | | | for some enchiladas, you can find them. But |
| runs about $30; half that if you get an early | | | | perhaps the same restaurant also sells |
| bird rate. | | | | papusas from El Salvador. It's Mission |
| | | | Street mix and match time. |
| Union Square combines the ethnic, financial, | | | | |
| artistic, retail and down and out side of the | | | | Which really is an apt description of San |
| City. In fact, you can hang around Union | | | | Francisco: mix and match. In most of |
| Square and get your fill of just about | | | | California, Latinos are of Mexican descent |
| anything. | | | | and in some communities the Mexican ancestry |
| | | | approaches 100%. Not in San Francisco. |
| Today we saw a finely dressed business | | | | |
| executive give a boisterous panhandler a $5 | | | | In short, you can find a restaurant that says |
| bill. Where else can you see that? | | | | "Peruvian Style" or "Guatemalan Style" but if |
| | | | you are from Peru or Guatemala you can see |
| We were attending a local search technology | | | | the difference as cultures and styles criss |
| conference at the Marriot. Since we live | | | | cross and mix and match. |
| nearby, we decided to drive and not spend the | | | | |
| night. The conference had discounted rooms | | | | And the prices are different too. On Mission |
| for $250 plus taxes; we could save enough to | | | | Street one can still get coffee for less than |
| splurge on fried oysters in Pescadero. | | | | two dollars but on Union Square two dollar |
| | | | coffee is long gone. In the real world |
| If you don't live in or near San Francisco, | | | | location still matters. |
| it is important to remember that visiting San | | | | |
| Francisco is not cheap. | | | | We parked on Mission and strolled through |
| | | | stores where some had ten foot storefronts |
| The conference was great but technology can | | | | but were 100 feet deep and filled with every |
| be nerve-wracking so at lunch we decided to | | | | imaginable Chinese trinket sold in the last |
| take a break from the Virtual Earth and see | | | | 50 years. |
| some real Earth and maybe stop by some | | | | |
| galleries in Union Square. | | | | Going through these stores made us realize |
| | | | that even though we thought we had seen it |
| We wandered into a gallery on the Square and | | | | all, there were a number of trinkets that |
| it was spiffy. Art in The City is always | | | | were totally new to us. |
| fun, edgy and stylish. At least in the | | | | |
| presentation; the presentations can be as | | | | Maybe we need to get out more often. |
| interesting as the art. | | | | |
| | | | We stopped at Casa Lucaz on the way out as |
| We saw Chagalls, Picassos and Miros. Most | | | | the wife wanted "chamitles" or sweet corn |
| of the Miros and Chagalls were prints and | | | | tamales. It's not clear whether the owner's |
| some of the Picassos were ceramic. How does | | | | of Casa are Mexican or not but they clearly |
| one authenticate a Picasso ceramic? | | | | have done well for years by providing what |
| | | | the market wants as was in our case with the |
| The salesperson was very courteous, not | | | | sweet corn tamales. |
| following us around but intermittently | | | | |
| dropping in on us and asking us questions | | | | As we headed back down the coast past |
| like "wouldn't you like to buy this wonderful | | | | Pacifica, Devil's Slide and Half Moon Bay we |
| Dali?" | | | | were reminded that our favorite route home |
| | | | from San Francisco via Highway 1 is the |
| The prices weren't listed and we didn't ask. | | | | prettiest highway in the world and just 30 |
| Except once. It was a mobile by Calder, | | | | minutes from San Francisco. |
| perhaps the best known mobile or 'hanging | | | | |
| art' artist. | | | | Don't believe it? The CHP were stopping |
| | | | traffic just above Pescadero as they were |
| "OK, how much is this one?" the wife asked. | | | | filming a sports car commercial... |
| | | | |
| "$1.5 million", was the answer. Food for | | | | We stopped in Pescadero at Duarte's Tavern |
| thought. We wondered just how many credit | | | | and had fried oysters; a fitting end to a |
| cards it would take to buy this one. | | | | fitting day. |
| Probably a shoe box full. | | | | |
| | | | And as we got closer to home we vowed to get |
| We also wondered where one would put this | | | | back to the best city in the world more |
| thing if one were to buy it. At 1.5 Big | | | | often...and not just for business. |
| Ones maybe the only place to keep it is in a | | | | |