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