The Streets of San Francisco - 2013

When you live in Dallas, TX, there is only one thing to do during the summer.  Leave.  So, we packed our bags and headed west in late July.  First stop, six days in San Francisco.  

Getting There

We flew into San Francisco International Airport (SFO) because it's closer to downtown.  You may be able to find cheaper flights into Oakland or San Jose but you could pay more for ground transportation unless you are willing to try BART (their mass transport system) or Super Shuttle (which will inevitably stop at every other hotel in the city before dropping you off at yours).  

Where We Stayed

Once again, we were traveling in conjunction with a conference so we stayed at the host hotel which was the Hilton Union Square.  Overall, it was a good location because of it's proximity to restaurants and shopping.  Our room was on the 34th floor and we could see the Golden Gate Bridge when the fog wasn't too thick.  One downside about this hotel is that it backs up to the Tenderloin District.  If you aren't familiar with this area, suffice it to say it's not a place you want to visit unless you are a heroin addict or a hooker.  

The Hilton is mainly a convention hotel so the lobby can be slammed in the morning and evenings. This can create havoc at the cab line around dinner time and at the Starbucks in the morning so plan accordingly.    

I've stayed at the Westin St. Francis on previous visits to the city.  It is certainly a more charming hotel than the big chain Hilton but the rooms can be very small.  

Getting Around

Like most big cities, cabs are everywhere but can be hard to hail depending on time, location and weather.  Luckily, there are many different options other than the bus.

My favorite is Uber which is an app you download for your smart phone that allows you to request and pay for a car online.  When you need a ride, just click your app and you can see what cars are available in your area.  For just a few dollars more than a cab, you can request an SUV, a town car or Uber X which is smaller car like a Prius or other hybrid.  It's great when there is a crowd or weather.  Needless to say, we got more than a few dirty looks from folks in the cab line at the hotel when we walked out and immediately got in our Uber ride each night!

You can also take Lyft which is an on demand ride sharing service which is also booked via an app on your smart phone.  We never used it but the Lyft cars are easily identifiable thanks to the giant pink mustache on the front grill (yep, you read that right).

What We Did

Haight Ashbury - Hendrix House

After years of thinking I was too cool for stuff like this, I've become a big fan of the "Hop On/Off Bus Tours" you can find in most large cities.  Our first afternoon we took the Gray Line tour which picks up right outside of the Hilton, takes less than three hours and hits most of the main sights in the city.  It also takes you across the Golden Gate Bridge which provides great views of the city on the way out of town.  On the way back to the city though, it is freezing ass cold on the top deck of the open air bus as you cross back over the bridge!

Sea Lions

It doesn't get much more touristy than Pier 39 but it's worth checking out if you have never been to San Francisco.  There are a bunch of restaurants and stores to browse through and you get great views of the Golden Gate Bridge and Alcatraz.  The Aquarium is also located nearby.  You can also see sea lions sunning on the docks.  It's amazing how long you can watch these creatures try and knock one another into the water.  Everything from bottled water to sunscreen is much more expensive in the Pier area so keep that in mind.

We were in town during baseball season so we headed to AT&T Park for a Giants game.  The stadium is on the water and so you get some great breezes which means it can be a bit chilly in the shade.  The food and beer selection at the ballpark is much better than what we have in Texas.  Craft beers, calamari and shrimp at a baseball game definitely made the game worthwhile.  If you go to a day game, grab a drink on Momo's patio (located across King street from the park) after the game for some great people watching.

America's Cup Pavillion

The Louis Vuitton Cup was taking place when we were in town.  This is the qualifying race for the Americas Cup so part of the downtown waterfront had been renovated to host the America's Cup Pavillion.  In addition to a large store, there were a lot of restaurant and lounge areas as well as an amphitheater which is hosting some great acts this summer and fall.  An added bonus was seeing the yacht owned by the founder of Oracle.  The America's Cup runs through September so if you are in the city during this time frame definitely check it out.  Those boats define the term "bad ass".

Oracle CEO's "boat"

We went to an event at the Exploratorium which is a museum of science with lots of interactive exhibits and displays.  If you have kids it would be a fun way to spend an afternoon.  Even if you don't have kids it's worth checking out.  Although to be fair, we were there for a closed event (i.e. no kids) and we had cocktail service so that may have tempered our opinion a bit!

If you are into shopping, you don't have to venture far from Union Square.  Neimans, Nordstrom, Macy's and more all line Union square.

Where We Ate

Lunch

Johnny Foley's Irish Pub & Restaurant is a better than average pub and a good choice for lunch if you are looking for something near Union Square but not in the middle of everything.  Another decent lunch choice is Jasper's Corner Tap which is located in the Serrano Hotel.  The french fries here are out of this world and look like they would be great choice if you had been out late the night before.

If you are looking for a great "ladies who lunch" place, then the Rotunda at Neiman Marcus is it.  Yes, you will pay over $20 for a small plate of lettuce but it's really not about value at Neiman's is it?  No, it's all about the experience.  The Rotunda is located on the fourth floor and has an amazing ceiling and overlooks the main entry way of the store.

Dinner

On our first night we were looking for something fun and casual but with good food and drinks.  Burritt Room + Tavern definitely hit the mark.  It is part of Charlie Palmer's group of restaurants and is located in the Mystic Hotel, a few blocks up from Union Square.  We opted for an early dinner and when we arrived around 6 pm, there was a trio playing in the bar for happy hour.  They have craft cocktails including the "Pick Your Poison" option where you give them your choice of spirit and an idea of what flavors you like and they create something for you.  I had the steak and my husband had the pappardelle and it was a toss up as to which was better.

North Beach is the place to go for Italian food in San Francisco.  I have found that restaurants located a couple of blocks off the main drag are better and that is definitely what we found at Vicoletto.  Its a small restaurant with a modern feel.  The zucchini and meatball appetizers were so good and so fresh and the rolled lasagna is a must have.  The owner is from Italy and it felt like we were visiting his home rather than his place of business.  There are also some great wine choices that won't break your budget.

View from Slanted Door patio

The Slanted Door is a San Francisco staple.  Located in Ferry Building #3 you get great views of the light show on the Bay Bridge in the evening.  There are some great shops in the ferry building so go a little early and do some shopping.  I've been to Slanted Door several times and have never had anything I didn't like.  Everything is family style so just let your server guide your journey.  Don't miss the lychee cotton candy for dessert though.  Even if you don't like cotton candy, it's worth the price to see the presentation.

Dinner at the Waterfront Restaurant is a great choice if you are looking to dine overlooking the water.  It also has a great view of the Bay Bridge but unlike the Slanted Door, it is a standalone restaurant.  The menu has a good balance between seafood and meat and the casual yet elegant ambiance is a nice change from most of the more touristy restaurants you will find near Pier 39.

Nightlife

Pandora Karaoke bar was a post dinner stop one night.  The music and accompanying videos were so bad that they were awesome.  Remember the K-Tel commercials featuring the generic couple walking hand in hand by the lake?  Well, they live on in the music videos found at Pandora.  Whether it's singing or making fun at those who are singing, anyone can have fun at a karaoke bar.  Of course, the law of inverse proportions has never been illustrated more clearly...the worse a person sings, the louder he or she will sing.  The secret to a successful visit is two-fold:  make sure at least one other person is drinking more than you and make sure you are the one video taping your friends, not the other way around.

Travolta

Chambers at the Phoenix Hotel is definitely a hot spot but it is on the edge of the Tenderloin district.  The setting is very cool and has a distinct rock'n'roll vibe.  It felt like I was part of a scene in Almost Famous while we were sitting out by the courtyard pool.  If you go, take Uber and have them drop you off in front.  When you leave, don't hang out on the street.  Wait inside for your Uber driver to call you.

If you are looking for someplace where you are less likely to get shot, The Redwood Room at the Clift Hotel is a great spot.  It has redwood paneling and just feels cool (the hotel is owned by the same group that has the Delano in South Beach and the Mondrian in LA).  We actually saw John Travolta the night we were there.  The bar turns into more of a club later in the evening so keep that in mind depending on what you are up for.

Our trip out west was off to a great start.  Next stop:  Napa, Sonoma and Bodega Bay

Santa Fe, NM - Feathers, Leather and Chiles....Oh My!

I love visiting and learning about new places but sometimes revisiting a city can be just as much fun.  That why I was excited when my husband had a conference in Santa Fe, NM this past spring.  It had been over ten years since my last visit and I was excited to reintroduce myself to the city.   

We were there over the weekend and I was happy to see that it’s still a charming yet lazy place with a lot of character and history.  The weather in May was perfect and while there were people around, nothing was too crowded.  However, I was a little surprised to find a large population of skateboarders zipping in and around the tourists near the Plaza.   I saw more than one near miss over the weekend which was not something I was expecting to encounter. 

Getting there

There are two main ways to get to Santa Fe.  Most people fly into Albuquerque and rent a car because the one-hour drive is easy.  However, AA had recently announced non-stop service from DFW so we opted to fly directly into Santa Fe.  

There is one important difference when you fly directly into Santa Fe.  American Eagle (not American Airlines) provides the service and they fly small planes.  The small 40 person regional jets with the tape recorded safety announcements that conjure up images of Charlie Brown.  If you aren’t familiar with flying in and out of mountain locations, let me introduce you to a very important travel formula:

Small planes + turbulent mountain air = years off your life

Despite some serious doubts on my part about our arrival, we finally landed.  To say the airport is small is an understatement.  When you deplane, you enter into the “main terminal” through a small door.  The luggage carousel located immediately inside is really just a table with some rollers on it (you know, the kind the TSA uses to put your luggage on before it gets radiated.  Maybe they got a good deal when the TSA had budget cutbacks).  When luggage is delivered, they simply open a window and push the luggage down the table.  I hadn’t seen a terminal like that since Wings was on T.V. in the early nineties.  

It’s about twenty-five minutes from the airport to downtown.  There are a few car rental options including one or two you have likely heard of.  There is also a shuttle service which is to airport shuttles what Wings was to airplane travel.  For example, when we were booking our reservation our driver had to ask for money out of petty cash so that he could stop for gas.

Where We Stayed

La Posada Lobby

We stayed a few blocks off of the Plaza La Posada de Santa Fe.  It is a great location and feels like Santa Fe….it has a historic lobby, a saloon style bar and a great patio with an outdoor fireplace, which was perfect for the cool New Mexico evenings.   The property is laid out casita style with a couple of main rooms in the main building and a great lawn in between which hosts all kinds of events. 

Our room was located in the main building and was huge.  It had a sitting area, walk in closet, full size bath, shower and bidet.  Yes, bidet.  Who knew the Pueblos were such fans of the French?  Overall the room was fine but everything was extremely old and worn (which in my book is much different from charming).

Yes, this picture is from our
 trip to Santa Fe, not Paris

Our room was also located directly upstairs from the bar.  This made finding our room after a few cocktails much easier.  Unfortunately, it also meant that we felt like were still part of all of the action because of the noise level.

The bottom line is that La Posada is a nice resort with perfectly acceptable accommodations.  However, if you are looking for a luxury hotel, I would encourage you to look elsewhere.  The Four Seasons recently opened a property and La Fonda has undergone fairly extensive reservations. 

Restaurants

There are some great restaurants in Santa Fe….as long as you like green chile, tortillas or cumin.   That’s not really my thing but there are still some fun places to try. 

We ate twice at Café Pasqual, a local institution.  Dinner was good, not great. Although we had reservations, our party was seated an hour late.  They only have one table for a large group and since the people with the early reservation opted for an extensive visit over coffee, we had to split our group in two.  In such a small restaurant it would have been nice if they would have at least let the other table know that there was another group waiting.  Maybe the handling of this situation left a bad taste in my mouth (pun intended) but I thought the food at dinner was average.  

Cafe Pasqual - easy to miss
if you aren't careful

Brunch was another story.  A last minute decision, we went without reservations and had to wait about 45 minutes for our table.  There is a great little coffee shop next door to Pasqual’s where we grabbed a cup of coffee while we waited.  The food at brunch was fresher and tastier than dinner.  Try the breakfast quesadilla or huevos barbacoa and you won’t be disappointed.  

The Shed on Palace Avenue is a great spot for lunch.  It is in the middle of the historic area and has a small courtyard and is great for a Saturday mid-day cocktail.  The food is traditional New Mexico cuisine but they also have a good selection of salads and burgers.  

If you are looking for a green chile alternative, try dinner at La Casa Sena.  They have a great outdoor courtyard as well as an elegantly casual dining room.  The menu still tends toward Southwestern but not as overtly as most other spots in town.  For example, I had the halibut which was paired with quinoa, slaw and had a sweet glaze.

To Do

If you are into silver, turquoise, moccasins, Native American art, bronze and anything with feathers, downtown Santa Fe is definitely for you.  There are a ton of gift shops and clothing stores (including chains like Chico’s) in the Plaza area.  The gift shops are heavy in New Mexico culture and the clothing stores have a focus on all natural fibers and sustainability.  

To truly appreciate Santa Fe, you need to go gallery hopping on Canyon Road.   There are some quaint galleries for the average sized budget as well as opportunities to drop five to six figures on some art.  It's fun to spend a couple of hours simply wandering through the galleries and talking to the locals.  

Several people in our group visiting Ten Thousand Waves which is a spa fashioned after a Japanese spring resort.  The reviews were good but I personally prefer a more traditional resort spa.  

Finally, if you are looking for a big nightlife scene, Santa Fe is probably not the place for you.  While there are a couple of bars, most of the town shuts down early. 

In Summary

Santa Fe is a city like no other in the U.S. and everyone should go at least once if they have an opportunity.  The key is figuring out how long to stay.  For me, two days was more than enough time to get a feel for the town.  For others who have a greater appreciation for art and the Southwest, a longer stay may be in order.