From Sea to Shining Sea

This time, we stayed at the incomparable Westin St. Francis in SF; we then headed north to Napa, Sonoma, Marin counties. Wine lovers, this is your playground. We also stayed at the DoubleTree Spa/Golf Resort in Rohnert Park which is quite luxurious. Driving from Sebastopol on Occidental Road westward was phenomenal; glimpsed at some redwoods!! Passed Jenner where the main attraction was an in-progress wedding. From there, we headed south on Route 1 to Bodega Bay where we had a wonderful dinner at the Tides Wharf. Craggy rock masses pierce the ocean's shore, much as they did when we were visiting the Monterey Peninsula. Main Street in Sebastopol is a haven for esthetes; never had I seen so much artistic talent crammed into 2 blocks in one city.

Quick Tips:

If you love the finer things in life, then head up to Healdsburg, and walk the downtown area, which is in the form of a continuous square. You'll see outstanding handmade furnishings, accessories, clothing and food. For those with bohemian blood in their veins, cross the Bay Bridge into Berkeley. Rent a car because you simply cannot get anywhere without one once you're out of San Francisco. If I can convince you to travel now, you will also be amazed at the deals that are being offered by hotels, airlines, and package tours. This is the best "weather" time for California, so get going! I found that I didn't really need all that extra time at the airport; check in is no more or less painful than it used to be. The only addition to the routine is that you need to show your photo ID 3 times before boarding. E-Ticketing is perfectably acceptable, and so is curb-side checking. So you can book all your stuff on line before you go.

Best Way To Get Around:

Walking in San Francisco if you're covering short distances; the tram is also a fun way of getting from point A to point B. Otherwise, drive.

For more on San Francisco and other Northern California Cities:

San Jose

Healdsburg

Go West!

Petaluma

Sebastopol

Santa Rosa

Berkeley

Rohnert Park

Slumming in San Francisco

The most expensive suite at the St. Francis goes for $3000/night. I really didn''t know what to expect of this hotel, having been at many different Westin locations. The St. Francis personifies the city: it is centrally located on Powell Street, which is surrounded by upscale shops, eateries, more hotels which are smaller and boutiquey. This is also the street where you can catch the trolley and go down to the wharf, the piers and Ghirardelli Square.

We received an upgrade upon check-in which resulted in a king size bed that turned into the room magnet. The down comforters, down pillows, down mattress cajole you into jumping into them. We had a sofa with a side table and a floor length reading lamp; across the room was the large desk with armchair, phone (there are 3 phones in all, including the bathroom). An armoire with imitation chinese motifs opens to reveal the television and on the lower spaces, are 3 drawers for storing clothing. In the hallway is a marble counter with 2 lower cabinets, one of which holds champagne glasses. On the top, we had ice bucket which our bell person filled promptly. Two Evian bottles are ready for consumption, if you can get yourself to pay $4.50 for $1.50 bottle. The closet is very generous but short. The bathroom has every amenity possible except a magnifying mirror. Above the bathtub is a lamp which lights the immediate area if you don''t want the entire bathroom flooded with light.

You''ll get the newspaper every day, and if you order room service, as in tea, you are not charged. That was a really nice touch. They have spa facilities, but we did not avail ourselves of them.

There are two entrances to the hotel, each opening to a major artery in the city. Nearer to the exit for Powell Street is the Compass Rose with lavish decor, marbled columns, the works. They feature certain artists on different evenings, and at 4:00pm serve high tea with clotted cream and strawberries with English scones. I found that extremely tempting, but neither I nor Chuck were excited about $40/person for tea and crumpets. This does not even happen in London.

There are many shops which line 2 of the corridors featuring jewelry, a ticket booth where you can get theater and game seating, a Victoria''s Secret shop which is not yet open, a gift shop and other services.

The original building of the St. Francis was built at the turn of the 20th century. In 1972, they added a tower, and this is where we stayed. By the way, you will be happily surprised when your elevator makes its way to the 16th floor, and after the 5th floor, you find yourself racing up on the outside of the building. I got used to it by the time we left.

The St. Francis is offering special rates at this time which are worth checking out. They are way below their standard pricing.

It was impossible to escape Kuleto's. It was a few feet from the hotel's entrance, and everytime you head east, you must pass by. Kuleto's is actually divided into 2 parts: the restaurant itself which serves pizza and other fast food goodies, and the interior of that part which has a sit down arrangement for lunch and dinner. It's a great place to stop after you've shopped your heart out around Union Square (which is undergoing some renovation, and is therefore off limits for the time being). Over the counter, strands of garlic, genoa salamis, and prosciuttos hang and probably draw the clientele into the place.

We did not eat here, but twice I came in for take out, which is available right next door. The first time, I picked up a fresh mozarella and tomato on sour dough baguette, which was terrific. The second time I decided to stop resisting the sweets and walked away with 2 mochaccinos, a double chocolate cookie, and a peanut butter cookie. Absolutely delicious, especially after a day of work, and the fabulous room we had landed at the Westin.

Of particular interest is the installation of a massive wood burning pizza oven by designer Pat Kuleto, and an elegant mahogany bar which was salvaged from the old Palace Hotel in SF. It's a great pit stop.

This is as retro as it gets; in the rear of this restaurant is a shiny 1959 Edsel. They've got the vinyl-covered chrome stools at the counter, bright red vinyl seats with formica tables. On the shelves are displayed old radios from days gone by; the floor is white and black square tiles and appears to be subjected to elbow grease treatments every day.

We came in here for a quick bite to eat, and that's exactly what we got. The service is fairly quick for this part of the world, and the food is freshly prepared and inexpensive. The veggie burger I had was great, along with fries. The menu took me back to my high school days, and I suppose this is what it is supposed to do. Hamburgers and Frankfurters feature heavily here; simple sandwiches and soups round out the menu. If you're looking for nouvelle cuisine, you will not find it here.

There are photos of rock and roll stars on the wall and other nostalgia paraphernalia. We were the only customers there in a place that is most likely very crowded under usual circumstances. They have 4 locations in San Francisco; the other 3 are on Sutter Street, on Mason Street and at the airport. They have discount coupons on line if you are planning to visit. Go HEREto get your coupon and to see the full menu.

The hotel doorman recommended this place for breakfast. I found it so peculiar that it was called "Sears", but apparently, it's famous. When you enter, you are actually going through a time warp, backwards. Everything is retro, right down to the clear plastic tablecloth covers. The menu is retro..their claim to fame is their 18 Swedish pancakes which I had spotted when I came in and decided against immediately. The wait staff is all female, and each one looks like an extra for the Desilu "I love Lucy" series. Hair is coiffed in beehive style, short skirts with dark hose, and their manner of speaking doesn't seem to have changed with the times.

Our waitress was not overly friendly, and resented my telling her that the fruit which accompanied my meal was rancid. She kept insisting it was fresh...I asked for orange slices instead, and got them. The scrambled eggs were terrific in taste, naturally my waist line would suffer at some point. Chuck had a cheese omelet that could have fed 4 people with hash browns. Yes, definitely comfort food with a down home feeling. With so many wonderful places to eat in SF, this was not my preferred venue.

We had just parked the car, and saw this restaurant across the street; it reminded me of a place where Chuck and I had eaten in Greenport that had the same name, and was Mexican. It may have been spelled "meson"; it looked quite bright and cheerful from the street vantage point, and we could see the tall plants and paintings as we crossed the street. When we entered, we were greeted, once again, by bright red shiny vinyl seats...has the whole city gone back to simpler times, or was it just coincidence that almost every restaurant sported this look? We sat ourselves in a large booth not far from the cooking area. To the far right corner was a genuine, old fashioned juke box. The music selections were definitely 60's and 70's.

Our server was very nice and smiled a lot. Neither one of us was terribly hungry..I chose a Thai salad, and Chuck had the swordfish that was supposed to have been blackened, but opted to do without the spicing. Unfortunately for him, it turned out to be quite bland. It was served with a baked potato and al dente green beans which he didn't eat. My salad was quite fresh and I ate through 60% of it. This is definitely a family style restaurant with something to please every palate. If you want to be safe, it's on the side of bland.

We had our first dinner there while staying at the St. Francis and it was terrific. I am a fan of Japanese food, but Chuck had to be in the mood for it.

I ordered Edamame for starters, and between the 2 of us, we polished off the entire plate. Edamame are boiled soybeans in their pods, which are lightly salted and served as an appetizer. Great stuff, and in most cities, I'd say you can find them at green grocers. This was followed by avocado maki rolls which also disappeared fairly quickly. We had udon soba with slices of pork and brown rice which was served with soup broth which I emptied into the bowl of rice. The whole thing was quite tasty and took care of our appetities very adequately.

The restaurant is quite small and simple, but the food is fresh and prepared as you wait. If you are in a hurry, don't order anything hot, or skip this place alltogether. San Francisco, most likely, has the greatest number of Japanese and Thai restaurants per square foot than any other city. They had green tea and vanilla ice cream for dessert but we skipped.

Pompeii's Grotto is one of those family restaurants that were established back in the 1940's and count as one of the pillars of seafood eateries near the wharf. There is outdoor seating, but it was a bit chilly so we decided to eat inside. It was an odd hour of the day, and soup sounded like the perfect thing to do. They were offering a clam chowder in a sourdough bread bowl. We had some bread and butter as is customary almost everywhere which was good and warm. The soup, unfortunately, once again, had foreign objects swimming in it, like celery. Since when does clam chowder soup have celery in it? It tasted ok because it was hot and we wanted to warm up.The bread bowl was outstanding, so I saved the tops of both bowls for later noshing.

The sun shone through the window which was closed and warmed our faces. We had 2 elderly couples who had just finished their meal to the side of us, and were engaged in a heated debate on the means of calculating 20% of $60.00. When they left, they were replaced by two women who had built-in speakers in their larynxes. I will never understand why anyone in a restaurant would imagine that other diners are interested in your life.

After we paid the bill, we went outside, and noticed a crab bar. There were some bikers that had taken the outside seats and were having beers.

The menu is quite extensive and includes cold and hot appetizers, salads, pasta, lots of fish and shellfish entrees, meats and chicken dishes, and a kid's menu.

Has the feeling of a park on multi levels, except that only the first and second levels can be visited. The other 3 are occupied by offices. This site used to be an old chocolate factory owned by Domingo Ghirardelli. A hundred years later, it was turned into a shopping/commercial complex. You can still sit outdoors and sip a variety of espresso based concoctions, hot or cold. In the center of the square is a fountain and lots of free space where musicians can be heard whenever they turn up.

On the street level is the Ghirardelli Chocolate Manufactory where you can die by chocolate with all of their products for sale, or sit at their indoor café for one of their sundaes.

We had the most fun at a retailer that specialized in costumes and terrific hats for Halloween. A lot of creativity goes into the making of these one of a kind pieces. We also returned into the shop of a woman who imports ceramic pottery and dishes from Tuscany. This time, she had some new arrivals from Sicily which were a very different genre, using the red pepper as the painted object. One of the nicest boutiques is located on the upper level and features far out clocks, mobiles, jewelry, painted plates, menorahs, mirrors with outrageous frames around them. It's impossible to be bored in that shop.

It will not take you long to see all of what there is here, but it's all very funky and very San Francisco.

The media had warned against another immiment attack from Al Qaeda which would have taken place as early as Sunday, which was precisely the day I was destined to travel. Following the horror which had taken place on 9/11, New York and the rest of the country, was anxiously watching a threat of anthrax gain momentum. How far would this go? Would they release it in open air? in closed spaces? If it could not be detected by odor, one could presumably get through security in any airport bearing the virus. As there seemed to be more questions than answers, I decided categorically that I could not let all of this curtail my comings and goings. I was also taking the "doomed" route, New York/San Francisco.

The morning of the flight which was leaving at 6:45 am, I woke up at 3:07am. They had urged at US Air to arrive 2 hours prior to the flight, and frankly, I had my doubts about the necessity of such an exercise. I took extra time to pamper myself, and for the first in a very long time, decided to wear a skirt. Almost defiantly, I was getting dressed as if I were attending a board meeting, heels and all.

It took less than 15 minutes to reach La Guardia airport. The airport was barren, and to my delight, I found they were doing curbside checking! My eyes were searching for the contigent of national guard I had seen on TV, but there was no sign of them at all. The questioning was identical to pre-terror flying; as I entered the terminal, I saw a very long line of passengers waiting for ticketing, and really couldn't understand that at all. The security gate was fairly close, and I decided to go ahead, since I could get to the gate and relax. Everything went thru the machines, I came through the other side and there was two national guards standing with other airport security personnel. Nothing was opened, nothing was searched, no poignant questions. Onward.

The boarding gate was more or less desolate, and when there was more of a crowd, they began to call passengers' names at random. Well, I have a trained ear for language, and I can assure you there is nothing random about this checking. They camouflage their intent with names like Smith and Jones and whatever else sounds like apple pie.

The flight left on time, and one could sense a general tension at take off, and we were all looking at one another as if our stares would prevent any and all pending disasters. I felt tremendous fatigue from lack of sleep and closed my eyes. Shortly thereafter, we were in Pittsburgh where I would take a connecting flight to SFO. More pleasant surprises came by way of my next gate being only 3 gates down from my arriving gate. Pittsburgh is an international airport, and yet the absence of armed guards was shocking. Only once did I spot someone who looked like a law enforcement officer from a 1950's movie, and he was walking rapidly on the moving sidewalk. I found one pleasing and quite wonderful change actually: people were talking to one another, finding the smallest detail to strike up a conversation. Things that normally would elapse without the slightest attention.

Boarding began for the SF leg of the journey, and I waited until the last possible minute. I detest waiting, whether it's in the plane, or at boarding. Again, they did their random checks, and there were many more since this flight was almost full. The flight attendant told me that the very same flight the week before had flown with only 30 passengers. This was a Boeing 767. I had a very chatty man next to me who seemed to amuse himself with his own jokes. We shared my New York Times and talked about everything under the sun, including terrorism. The announcements on board were all familiar; I had heard them hundreds of times. The captain popped in a few times to call our attention to this such and such on the left side, and where we would be in the next 45 minutes. As if it mattered. I had a fluffy omelet for lunch and ditched the potatoes and sausages. The sun was brighter than ever; I got a free headset from the FA that greeted me on board. I listened to soft jazz and my eyelids got heavy. I must have fallen asleep for another hour. They showed a movie, and then some short subjects. We would be landing very shortly, and there was no fog anywhere by the city on the Bay. I had arrived in San Francisco, safe and sound. And I had a big grin on my face!