California Bound!

[Amy in Vermont]

Be forewarned.

They are letting me north of the county line in May to board an airplane for San Fransico!

Seriously.. I've been trying to take two training classes that I desperately need for my job, and I have finally got both classes in one location within a week of each other and the college is letting me do it.

I fly out May 24, spend the 25th in class, then get to PLAY until the next class starts the 31st! I'm paying for the hotel for the non training days, but the rest of the trip is paid for!

I've never been to Frisco, (my only trip to CA was to San Diego for a conference.. never left the hotel!) so any and all ideas about where to go and what to see are appreciated.

So watch out California!

[Chet]

Amy

San Francisco - isn't that Dar's turf?

I'm sure she'll be round to offer suggestions on what to see and eat.

Hope you guys get to meet up.

[Marcia Drummergal]

Amy, the first thing to know is....."Don't call it Frisco!" They HATE that! I know, I used to live there.

Yep, Dar is in Oakland....to the east across the Bay Bridge! I'll bet she would LOVE to play tour guide! I know I did when I lived there. So much fun to show people around such a beautiful part of the world! We'd still be living out there if we could afford it!!

Well, how touristy do you want to go? Of course, you must ride the cable cars and see Lombard St., the crookedest street! Great views from Twin Peaks and Coit Tower. There's Fisherman's Wharf of course. There are some beautiful scenic overlooks on either side of the Golden Gate Bridge. Then there's Golden Gate Park and so many great museums. You will need to pick and choose but you can't get away from the beautiful scenery. Didn't mention Chinatown. So many interesting neighborhoods with their own ethnic "flavor." I could go on and on. Dar, it's been a long time since I lived there. What else? I can think of more but.......

Marcia :)

[Bat]

You could go north across the Golden Gate Bridge to Sausalito and go shopping there...fun little town.
There is the Marina district, and the Marina Green, where someone is always flying kites, and the boats, of course...the St. Francis Yacht Club is fun to see, very old and very proper and posh. They probably won't let you in the door; Golden Gate Yacht Club, however, a little farther out on the spit, often serves dinner on the weekend, and may welcome another guest, and the drinks are inexpensive, people are nice. If you know anything about sailboats, they'll be happy to talk your leg off!
A couple blocks up, Scott St. and Chestnut, there's a great little sandwich shop...used to be called Chestnut St. Grille, but not anymore...still was a good place to eat--but anyplace in SF is a good place to eat!
Don't miss Chinatown! Best Cantonese outside of Hong Kong!
Get a map, take the cablecars up the hills and walk around a lot...the views are breathtaking from just about anywhere up on the hills.
Eat your way down.
Under the SF end of the GG bridge is Fort Point, I think they have tours of the old fort there. It's fun to watch the waves break over the breakwall there...you can get wet if the wind and tide are high!
Be sure and take a sweater, jacket, and layers of stuff...it can get damp and chilly when the fog comes in...in August you will have the best chance of fogless days, and it can get very hot, so be prepared for anything!

[Bat]

If you do decide to go across the GG bridge up into Marin County, drive up to Mill valley and take Rt. 1 along the coast to Muir Woods...it's a lovely grove of redwoods on the flank of Mt. Tamalpais with a beautiful walkway along a river...you may see salmon all red and spawned in that rocky river!
If you drive on north to Stinson Beach, not much there except a gorgeous beach, usually cold tho. Go farther up to the little town of Olema and turn left out to the Point Reyes National Seashore. The heather grows wild out there and it's very moor-ish and wild.
You can continue on up to Ft. Ross, an old Russian establishment, but it's about 50 miles up the road...you really have to want to see it...it's where the Russian river flows in to the sea. If you go inland there, you will eventually come back to Rt. 101 and the little town of Petaluma, where they filmed "The Birds". I'd definitely recommend you get a map so you have an idea where you want to go.
They let you out of the city on any of the bridges, but they charge a toll to get back in, so be sure to keep about $5 in your pocket to get home...(when I first moved there it was a quarter, then up to a dollar, now I hear it's 5!)
If you go south from San Francisco, you could visit the Stanford campus and the Big Basin Redwood Forest which is gorgeous. Keep going south to Santa Cruz and Monterey which is charming...was the first capital of California.
You could also drive all around the bay...lots of places to go, and the scenery is worth the price of admission. Be sure and take your camera, as you'll kick yourself if you don't. You don't really have to leave the city, as there's plenty to see there for a long time...just thought you'd like options.
Anything in particular you'd like? Just ask away. And have fun! I'm green.

[CD Matthew]

Hi Amy,

How exciting to be making your first trip to San Francisco!! My Tony grew up just about an hour from there, so when we go out to visit his family, we always spend time in Frisco and it's a GREAT city!! Do you know where you're staying out there yet? There are several really fine gay-friendly boutique-style hotels run by the Kimpton company. (www.kimptonhotels.com.) Last time we stayed at the Hotel Palomar, right near Union Square, which is an incredible shopping area.

Hope all is well up there in Vermont. Hi to Abe...

Regards,

Matthew

[Dar]

Amy! How great! Hopefully this friggin' rain will have stopped by the time you get here and everything will be green and gorgeous!!

You're gonna be here over Memorial Day weekend. Not sure yet what our plans are, I'll double check with the boss, but I'd love to meet you and give you a nickel tour. Maybe that Sunday.

Marcia and Bat gave you a pretty good run down of some of the highlights.
SF is not a very big city, and yes do not under any circumstances call it Frisco, but driving can be a pain. I encourage anybody who is willing and able to walk through a lot of it. You can walk from Fisherman's Wharf, through North Beach and China Town, to Union Square to Market St. Must sees are Fisherman's Wharf for the freshest crab you've ever tasted, if the day is nice, you can walk across the Golden Gate Bridge, and of course no gay person can visit without spending a little time in the Castro. The view from Twin Peaks is remarkable. If you are at all inclined, the tour of Alcatraz is really interesting, you take a ferry to the island, and just riding on the Bay is a treat. You may want to get your ticket ahead of time, it's a popular tourist spot.

Since you have several days, consider spending a day in Napa and/or Sonoma. Tour a winery, take a walk, even just driving through there is lovely. It's an hour or so drive to the south end. Do you like wine? Have a favorite winery?

Also, driving down to Carmel and Monterey is beautiful too!! Monterey has a spectacular aquarium and the Fisherman's Wharf there is great as well. The hands down best fried calamari and Chips and fish and chips I've ever had are at a little pub in Monterey. It's also about an hour/hour and a half drive. Totally worthwhile day trip.

I'll email you!!

[Amy in Vermont]

Y'all have to remember:

1. I learned to drive in Massachusetts, where all drivers drive madly.

2. "not a very big city" is relative. The largest city in VT has not his a population of 40,000 yet. The entire state has a population of only 600,000!

3. I am hoping this trip will enhance my rendition fo "San Franciso Bay Blues".

A