A Taste of San Jose

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The rooms, while smaller than those you will find at the Fairmont, are certainly just as comfortable. Imagine sleeping on a soft goosedown mattress (and if you are allergic, just let them know and it will be changed). The bathrooms are tiled, feature teak counters, and mine had a lovely mural painted on the ceiling. Furniture is cane and rattan, and reminds me of movies which show old fashioned British plantations in India or some such place.

Amenities include daily dry cleaning and laundry service (except Sundays), minibar, TV, phone, modem connection, radio/alarm clock, and ironing boards.

When you return from a day or work or sightseeing, you will find your bed turned down and a tempting pastry from the lobby shop on your bedside table.

NOTE: While weekday rates seem to be as high or perhaps higher than the Fairmont''s, Fridays and Saturdays are available for $99/night (at least they were when I stayed there last week).

An excellent selection of poultry, beef and seafood dishes is available. Try Singha, the Thai beer, as a compliment to the food.

Far East Cafe may be one of the few restaurants on the planet that has private booths (a curtain covers the front) for the patrons (we sat in just a regular booth). High ceiling, dark wood, and decorative pieces make for a pleasant ambience.

We shared a dim sum appetizer platter, featuring eggroll, pork balls (cooked ground pork and spices....yummy), and dumplings stuffed with ground meat and spices.

The main dim sum tray had dumpling with shrimp, and dumplings with cooked pork and spices. Everything was hot, tasty, and, NOT greasy. Every other place I've had dim sum (including China!) it was been too greasy.

We each had a soft drink; our lunch selection + drink came to about $8-9/person, including tip. I hope to come back and check out other menu items!

The antipasto alone is enough to fill you up, with a nice selection of prosciutto, marinated olives, roast eggplant, scallops, and other delights. I had canneloni, stuffed with ground meat, mushrooms, and featuring a light sauce.....very tasty!

Although I recommend Il Fornaio for the food and service, which were both excellent, I prefer a quieter place, especially when it's rather pricey.

It seemed that San Francisco's Chinatown would be a good place to look for a piece to add to my collection. Eventually I wandered into the China Gem Company, and fell in love with a beautifully carved amethyst snuff bottle. As the proprietor pointed out, it is an unusual piece, as one rarely finds large pieces of amethyst made into something other than jewelry.

After a bit of haggling, we agreed on a price, and the amethyst snuff bottle now sits proudly on my shelf.

Unlike many other shops I'd been in that day and shops elsewhere, the proprietor did not promise me all sorts of fantastic discounts if I bought more than one item. I wasn't encouraged to buy something I didn't want just to get a good price on the amethyst piece. He negotiated a bit, and then left the decision to me, as to whether I felt it was a good price. I felt I was dealing with a honest merchant, which, when buying antiques and collectibles, I generally have concerns about.

If you are in San Francisco, and in the market for jewelry or oriental art, I'd recommend a stop at the China Gem Company. (415) 397-5070; Henry Bong, owner.

When my companion and I reached San Francisco, we decided to spend the time before the tour going through Chinatown on our own, and took a cab straight there. Chinatown is a definite must: it's certainly nothing like what we have here in Chicago; you can walk for miles it seems. I almost wanted to just spend the entire day in Chinatown!

After a quick dim dum lunch, off we went to catch our tour at Transbay Terminal.

When our tour got underway, we were first taken past the Civic Center, the new Main Library, the Opera House, Davies Symphony Hall, and some other buildings of interest downtown. Our first stop was Old Mission Dolores, the birth place of the city. Next stop was Twin Peaks, for a breathtaking view of the city and bay.

We headed over to Golden Gate Park, where I opted to spend our time in the lovely Japanese Tea Garden. I didn't get an opportunity to cover a lot of its 4 acres, but I guess that means I need to visit again...... We stopped at Cliff House and Seal Rock, and enjoyed the majesty of the Pacific Ocean.

We crossed the Golden Gate Bridge twice, and had an opportunity to stop and take pictures of the bridge and the bay.

The tour concluded at Pier 39 at Fisherman's Wharf, where I had just enough time to take a few pictures of the sunset over the water, and catch the train back to San Jose.

If you only have a day to spend in San Francisco, I'd recommend a tour as the best way to get around and see the sights. There's no way I could have covered that much on my own in one day, and I certainly got my money's worth!

NOTE: The pickup point at Transbay Terminal was the only downside to the tour. You check in at the Grayline window there, and get your tickets. The Terminal was rather desserted and homeless types were hanging around. I'd say it's best to check in for your tour as late as you can, then go directly to your bus and it shouldn't be a problem.

The bar is located in the front section of the fireside clubroom, and features the usual mixed drinks, a nice selction of wines, microbrews, and imported beers. I was drinking an imported Italian beer, which set me back about $9 for two drinks, including tip.

An ATM machine is conveniently located in the back of the clubroom, near the restrooms.