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Monday, April 17, 2006 

A little cold, A little rainy

Two days down in San Francisco, and we've yet to experience what I'd call a beautiful day. We've had some good times, but man it won't stop raining. When you think about California coming from the midwest, I always think of this tropical warm paradise, but in reality northern California really isn't all that warm. Its actually been warmer back in Detroit the last two days. At least we're supposed to see some sunshine in the next couple of days.
On to things about the city. Where do I start? This place is incredible and unlike any other place I've visited. I would still rank New York City as my favorite city of all time, but San Francisco has some good things going for it, and is quickly moving up the list. I've never seen a city so diverse, from chinese, to blacks, to gays, I've never seen a city so integrated and accepting of one another. Some of this may come from the fact that I live in one of the most racially divided cities in America, but SF is definately a very understanding place. Another thing about San Fran, is the unbelievably hilly terain. Its almost difficult to walk some of the streets. In fact when riding in street cars you almost become uncomfortable with the amount of slope on normal city streets. The whole streetcar thing is extremely cool by the way and in fact the public transportation here is absolutely incredible.
We've done an incredible amount of walking and have been able to catch some cool sites. Highlights so far:
Incredible seefood. Nothing like two guys putting down three pounds of crab, along with a couple of good ol fahsioned mojitos. A meal has to be good if you have to wear a bib, don't you agree? I think I look pretty good. We ended up eating at a place called the Crab House which is located down in Fishermans Wharf on Pier 39.
Chinatown: San Fran has one of the better Chinatowns that I've seen. Our hotel is right on the outermost edge of Chinatown, and I would say its probably a five block by five block area. Everything is written in Chinese, and everyone seems to speak chinese. Good food also. We ended up eating at a little place called the R and G lounge which was at the recommendation of our hotel staff. I know it sounds like a cheap nightclub but it was actaully quite good.Baseball: We had an opportunity to catch the Oakland Athletics at home this afternoon. So that now puts me with 6 stadiums down and only something like 24 to go. Not a real nice stadium, but good baseball none the less. One of the first games I've ever left before it was over, and we missed an incredible comeback by the Rangers in the top of the ninth. At least we got our free Huston Street bobblehead. FYI: If anyone is interested I happen to have a Huston Street bobblehead doll for sale for 10 dollars. If interested please inquire within. Architecture: One of my great joys of visiting any major city is just walking the streets and taking in the sights and sounds. Buildings amaze me and I could look at cityscapes all day. If I had one ounce of artistic creativity in me I believe I may have been able to pursue this deep down hidden passion of mine. Anyway, San Fran has some great buildings and along with the waterfront and hills, offers some outstanding views. Its hard to believe that just 100 years ago, this entire place was leveled in an earthquake and then the fire that followed. They said something like 28,000 buildings were leveled in the carnage.
The next couple of days should be good, we're planning on heading on up to Napa Valley tomorrow and then hitting some more city streets along with Alcatraz on Tuesday.
Toodles!