before i start in on the stuff we did (other than eat), i realize i forgot something from the food post...Off the Grid! While we didn't actually go to this food truck gathering, it sounded amazing so kinda sad we didn't have time to fit it into the schedule.
okay now on to where we went...really easier to say where we didn't go since we walked all over that city! we didn't make it to the Mission district (supposed to one of the top 10 new restaurants in the country) or to haight-ashbury, but other than that you name it and we saw it! we walked through fog, wind, a little rain and a few moments of sun....prepare for every type of weather if you're heading to the city by the bay...we'd be sweating on one block and then wrapping ourselves in sweaters and scarves on the next. true story.
here are some highlights (or you can just click this link for the pictures if you don't want to read!):
Alcatraz Tours - book in advance and make sure it's a day that you're willing to be tolerant of a million nincompoops all trying to take in this site.
Golden Gate Park - this place is enormous! we walked through most of it and then got picked up by david to get to the beach for lunch. while you're in there, check out the conservatory of flowers (even if you don't want to pay to go in, there are nice flowers outside). it also houses the deYoung museum...again we didn't pay to go in, but you can go up to the top of the observation tower to get a view of the city. the botanical garden, arboretum, buffalo paddock and model boat yacht club can be found in this gem too. really wish we had something like this, even on a slightly smaller scale, around PA!
Union Square - it seemed like there was ALWAYS something going on here, very cool spot and just so happens that our cousin is going to be doing a dance performance there later in the month!! tons of nice stores around there as well...some way out of my price range but many 'normal' stores that just seemed larger than life since there are a lot of flagship stores there.
Golden Gate Bridge - duh. we walked about halfway across and had to battle a lot of confused looking tourists and bikers, but it was a great experience!
Fisherman's Wharf - we walked through this area on our way to dinner and that 5 seconds was more than enough to let me know i never needed to go back there! haha very very commercial...kinda like the jersey shore boardwalk stores on crack.
Ferry Building - although crowded, i loved this place. reminded me of chelsea market in NYC but with an amazing farmer's market. we went here a couple of times, including saturday morning when the market wraps around the entire building...be sure to make it to the back of the market too, we almost missed it!
Muir Woods and Mount Tamalpais - you'll need a car for these trips (and a whole lot of 'parking karma'). awesome trees and gorgeous views...only wish we had brought better hiking clothes so we could've done more exploring. we drove to the top of mt. tam and walked the path around it and soaked up the (obnoxious!) sun :).
Thanks to Uncle David, we were able to see much more than we ever would've expected. We drove through the Presidio, including the palace of fine arts and Legion of Honor, and through a few different towns across the bay. I'm so thankful that he was willing to put up with our touristy ways for a couple of days!!
I stayed in a terrible hotel the first few nights when I was there for the conference. Thought for sure i was going to get murdered in the place or jumped on my 2 mile walk from Japantown to the Moscone center each morning, but luckily I survived! For the weekend we moved over to a nicer area and a grand, old hotel with newly decorated rooms; big improvement!
A few final words of advice - pack layers (LOTS!) and wear good shoes. mostly everyone there wore flats or TOMS, the style is very laid back and functional compared to other big cities. Also, I downloaded the GuidePal San Francisco app for android to use in conjunction with my fave phone thing ever - google maps - and it was pretty decent for a free app.
And last but not least, here are the PICTURES!! Enjoy and happy weekending! :)
9.09.2011
9.08.2011
San Francisco: the food
since it's dinner time and i'm starving, i figured i'd start my trip recap with the places we ate around town. plus, when you really get down to it, food can really make or break any vacation! i had a LOT of great recommendations and unfortunately not enough time to take them all in, but we ate our fair share...and luckily walked a good deal to burn off all of that deliciousness!
Thirsty Bear - went there with some work peeps before the metallica concert...great apps and tapas style bar food. some spanish style cuisine, but had something for everyone (even our iowa constituents!). dessert was awesome with a funky flair...candied corn (like real deal corn) on the side of a cheesecake...mint/pea sauce with a chocolate torte. strange but oh so tasty!
The Slanted Door - holy cannoli, this place was so flippin' tasty. very fresh and modern, right on the water in the ferry building. super duper busy so we just sat at the bar for lunch - which was an excellent choice because the bartenders in sanfran really take pride in their craft. more people seem to order cocktails in this city and with outstanding bartenders everywhere you go, you could see why!
Mamacita - found this through a google search for top mexican restaurants while on the ferry back from alcatraz. we thought we were going to be out of luck since open table said there weren't any reservations available....but the coolest thing we found in sanfran was that many of the restaurants don't take reservations on the weekends and even if they do they always hold a certain number of tables for walk-ins...so we walked right in and had some exceptional tacos. we also were glad to have found this place because it was in a great area that reminded me of a grown up manayunk.
Rose's Cafe - it quickly became clear why michael's cousin picked this spot when we went for dinner...a little neighborhood feel and jazzed up home cooking made it a winner!! everything was delectable, even down to the ridiculously flavorful olive oil.
Yogorino - this was right near mamacita's, too new to find in googlemaps...loved their gelato but steer clear of the barley flavor (what?! ew, gross. it's supposed to be dessert, it doesn't need to be THAT healthy!)
Beach Chalet - we went here for lunch with michael's uncle david who was the best tour guide ever! can't thank him enough for showing us around and making the trip perfect! there was live (very loud) music on the back deck so we sat upstairs and enjoyed the view of the beach...which looked incredibly cold!
The 'Balb' - one of david's many local haunts which had phenom risotto! the menu is not what you would expect from the street, but it more than impressed, try it out!
Il Fornaio - mmm, who doesn't love italian food?! seriously, so good and the fastest service ever! plus, after our meal we walked through a fountain in Levi's Plaza which was such a fun experience!!
Yank Sing (Rincon Center location)- oh my! be prepared to first wait for a table and then be completely bombarded with some sensational dumpling selections. i've never been for dim sum but it's always been on my list...never really worked out timing wise or hunger wise so i was really excited to stuff my face in a james beard award winning spot!
Delarosa - we only sat at the bar to rest our feet and grab a drink on our last day in the city, but the drinks were excellent (and do i need to mention the fab bartenders again?!) and the menu/food passing by looked awesome.
Susie Cakes - don't know why they don't mention the gorgeous pies in their name because those things looked baked to perfection!! totally down to earth place without any frilliness, just honest to goodness tasty cupcakes with the right amount of frosting. salted caramel apple and strawberry were our cupcakes of choice for a much needed afternoon snack.
Our last meal was at David's house...believe me, it was like something out of a magazine shoot. Gorgeous french utensils and wonderful homemade minestrone soup. So impressive!! Maybe if you're nice he'll invite you over while you're there :).
Other places that were recommended but we didn't have a chance to try were:
tadich grill
kokorri
swan oyster depot
hog island
sears fine food - so sad we didn't get to go to this spot (right across from our hotel) but the line for breakfast was INSANE!!
just a note - while the menus in some places were a little pricey, every place we ate was well worth it...and nothing was fancy dress wise so it made it all that more enjoyable!
the one place we didn't eat...but made me laugh every time we passed one...which was like every 5 seconds because they were everywhere:
Thirsty Bear - went there with some work peeps before the metallica concert...great apps and tapas style bar food. some spanish style cuisine, but had something for everyone (even our iowa constituents!). dessert was awesome with a funky flair...candied corn (like real deal corn) on the side of a cheesecake...mint/pea sauce with a chocolate torte. strange but oh so tasty!
The Slanted Door - holy cannoli, this place was so flippin' tasty. very fresh and modern, right on the water in the ferry building. super duper busy so we just sat at the bar for lunch - which was an excellent choice because the bartenders in sanfran really take pride in their craft. more people seem to order cocktails in this city and with outstanding bartenders everywhere you go, you could see why!
Mamacita - found this through a google search for top mexican restaurants while on the ferry back from alcatraz. we thought we were going to be out of luck since open table said there weren't any reservations available....but the coolest thing we found in sanfran was that many of the restaurants don't take reservations on the weekends and even if they do they always hold a certain number of tables for walk-ins...so we walked right in and had some exceptional tacos. we also were glad to have found this place because it was in a great area that reminded me of a grown up manayunk.
Rose's Cafe - it quickly became clear why michael's cousin picked this spot when we went for dinner...a little neighborhood feel and jazzed up home cooking made it a winner!! everything was delectable, even down to the ridiculously flavorful olive oil.
Yogorino - this was right near mamacita's, too new to find in googlemaps...loved their gelato but steer clear of the barley flavor (what?! ew, gross. it's supposed to be dessert, it doesn't need to be THAT healthy!)
Beach Chalet - we went here for lunch with michael's uncle david who was the best tour guide ever! can't thank him enough for showing us around and making the trip perfect! there was live (very loud) music on the back deck so we sat upstairs and enjoyed the view of the beach...which looked incredibly cold!
The 'Balb' - one of david's many local haunts which had phenom risotto! the menu is not what you would expect from the street, but it more than impressed, try it out!
Il Fornaio - mmm, who doesn't love italian food?! seriously, so good and the fastest service ever! plus, after our meal we walked through a fountain in Levi's Plaza which was such a fun experience!!
Yank Sing (Rincon Center location)- oh my! be prepared to first wait for a table and then be completely bombarded with some sensational dumpling selections. i've never been for dim sum but it's always been on my list...never really worked out timing wise or hunger wise so i was really excited to stuff my face in a james beard award winning spot!
Delarosa - we only sat at the bar to rest our feet and grab a drink on our last day in the city, but the drinks were excellent (and do i need to mention the fab bartenders again?!) and the menu/food passing by looked awesome.
Susie Cakes - don't know why they don't mention the gorgeous pies in their name because those things looked baked to perfection!! totally down to earth place without any frilliness, just honest to goodness tasty cupcakes with the right amount of frosting. salted caramel apple and strawberry were our cupcakes of choice for a much needed afternoon snack.
Our last meal was at David's house...believe me, it was like something out of a magazine shoot. Gorgeous french utensils and wonderful homemade minestrone soup. So impressive!! Maybe if you're nice he'll invite you over while you're there :).
Other places that were recommended but we didn't have a chance to try were:
tadich grill
kokorri
swan oyster depot
hog island
sears fine food - so sad we didn't get to go to this spot (right across from our hotel) but the line for breakfast was INSANE!!
just a note - while the menus in some places were a little pricey, every place we ate was well worth it...and nothing was fancy dress wise so it made it all that more enjoyable!
the one place we didn't eat...but made me laugh every time we passed one...which was like every 5 seconds because they were everywhere:
9.05.2011
Most of the pictures I've taken since the conference have been with Cam instead of my phone so I haven't had much to share, sorry! Heading back to PA tonight on the red eye and going to work tomorrow, ugh, so hope to have a bunch of pics and posts up here by wednesday.
Me @ crissy field trying to get a decent shot of the ggb through the fog (taken by mz's iphone...thanks bud!)
9.01.2011
Dreamforce global gala & expo
Totally normal to attend a work type event that includes food trucks, stilt walkers, people giving out temporary tattoos, metallica qnd will.I.am.
INSANITY!
In reality I am learning a LOT and there's a whole bunch of classroom type sessions and speeches that I'm attending too...but who wants to see pics of that?!
Scenes from the streets...
...and inside the massive Moscone center where I'm attending the salesforce.com Dreamforce conference.
This event is so wild, I know it's nerdy but I've definitely been drinking the kool-aid this week and am so excited/impressed by everything this conference and company has to offer!
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