I got home around 7ish, but would have preferred to pull the covers back over my head and sleep the rest of the morning – but it was just getting too noisy outside, so I got myself together. I thought I might find a local place to try, or even a coffee house, but oddly, nothing that looked appealing was open! I found that rather odd. Apparently they don’t open until 8 or later for the morning rush. Strange. My only open option was Starbucks, which I am not a fan of at all, but I was desperate for coffee and maybe a roll or croissant. I settled on a Latte Mocha and a Chocolate Croissant. It was okay, but it’s Starbucks, so it’s just run of the mill.
My friend Alan, whom I had dinner with the night before, had recommended going to the de Young Museum in Golden Gate Park. I kept thinking to myself that it’s Monday…maybe they won’t be open. And I was right. But it did me some good to get out and move around. I took the Muni “N” line close to the park and walked. It was actually a decent day weather-wise, with the sun peeking through the clouds periodically.
I wandered through the Japanese Tea Garden (it was free to the public the hour I arrived) and enjoyed the serene setting. I have always enjoyed Japanese and Chinese gardens, as they are specifically designed to be contemplative and relaxing, and visually appealing. The one in the park is one of the nicer ones I’ve been too – only Butchard Gardens on Vancouver Island would be comparable, at least in what I’ve been exposed to.
There are lots of trails and paths around the park, so I headed west toward the beach area and found a lake the surrounds a hill with a trail leading to the top. I decided I could use the exercise, so I followed the trail around the base, leading to the path that wound around the top. The lake pretty much encompasses this hill, and you can get some real pretty views. Unfortunately, my camera’s battery started to run out of juice, so I was left to take more with my phone.
After spending a few hours in the park, I headed back towards downtown on Muni. I wanted to stop off at the Castro to do a little shopping, but the N line doesn’t go there – you have to go back towards downtown and switch lines and backtrack. Not the end of the world, but not entirely convenient. I did finally make it there around noontime and did some shopping and picked up some fun t-shirts at In*Jean*Ious- they have some real hysterical ones…and one that was out of stock that I may have my Ex pick up for me later.
I headed back to the hotel to think about lunch. I dropped off my stuff and then walked around the neighborhood. I hadn’t been down to the financial district, so I figured there might be some good places to eat around there. It was getting to be late lunchtime, so I knew places wouldn’t be as crowded. I finally settled on a Thai restaurant a few blocks from the hotel: Bangkok Best. They offered some lunch specials that sounded inviting, and there as a decent crowd so I knew the food must be at least somewhat appealing.
I ordered a bowl of the Tom Kha soup (chicken, mushrooms, carrots, green onion, ginger, lime and coconut milk with spices). It was better than the soup at my local Thai restaurant. For my entrée, I had the Massaman – a curry with carrots, potatoes, coconut milk, peanuts and beef. It was a very hearty meal, and the portions for lunch were generous. And you know it’s authentic when the entire staff is Thai! I had a good meal.
After lunch I went back to the hotel and headed up to the rooftop lounge, Grandview, to have a drink and enjoy the afternoon view. I also decided to go ahead and order dessert. They had a Fleur de Sel Caramel Crème Brulee. It was hard to pass up, so I ordered it, along with a glass of their Sangria. It was nice to sit, relax and enjoy the view for a while before I had to head to the airport. I also snapped some nice pictures of the north part of the bay looking out towards Alcatraz and the Bridge.
Sadly, I had to catch BART back to the airport to catch my flight. I thought I needed to be there for a 6:10pm flight, but I had it wrong, my flight wasn’t until 6:55. So I just hung out and relaxed and watch the planes take off and land. Once I boarded my flight, it was just a short trip back down to L.A. Quite literally, I had to gulp down my cocktail and my food on the flight because as soon as I got it, they announced the decent into L.A. I forget that the LAX-SFO route is less than an hour (but it often is priced higher than LAX-JFK! Go figure!). If you haven’t flown Virgin America, I can recommend them. They, along with Alaska, are my preferred carriers now – they actually offer value, and customer service!
So today it’s back to the grind. I got to the office today and realized…I really rather would have stayed in San Francisco! *sigh*
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