Greetings from San Francisco Pride! [Archive]

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JWBear

06-22-2006, 09:31 PM

(Pictures will come after we get back.)

Day 1:

The least said about the flight up the better. We took BART in to the city. Today turned out to be a special free fare day for BART and MUNI. Cool.

We got to our hotel at about 4:30 in the afternoon. We’re staying at the Ramada Plaza International on Market Street, right across the street from the Civic Center (Site of the Pride Festival). The hotel, which is an eight story - vaguely Renaissance Revival – pile, served as City Hall from 1911 (when the building was built) to 1916. I’m told that there are still jail cells in the basement. Our room is small (which is to be expected on hotels of this vintage) and has all the original architectural details – including the old steam radiator! Parts of the wood trim are painted a blue that, as Bill pointed out, is the exact shade as painter’s tape. The toilet looks to be original also. It’s very small and seems to be doing its best to be inconspicuous, as if wants to apologize for its very existence. For some unexplainable reason I find myself feeling sorry for the poor thing. The walk-in closet, on the other hand, is huge. It’s almost as big as the bathroom.

After checking in and unpacking, we took MUNI to the Castro. There is a wonderful little café there called Cove Café. Simple, basic, comfort food excellently prepared. We had both been there, separately, in the past. I recommend it highly.

After dinner, we walked around the Castro and did some shopping. In one shop, we saw this (http://www.stupid.com/stat/CCLF.html) and immediately thought of Lisa. :evil:

The highlight of the evening happened when we went to A Different Light. Out former NFL player Esera Tuaolo was there for a book signing. Bill is in the middle of reading his book – Alone In the Trenches. He bought another copy for Esera to sign, and I took a picture of Bill getting a bearhug from him. I don’t think Bill is ever going to wash that T-shirt again!

After that, it was back to the hotel for a quiet evening watching TV.

Ghoulish Delight

06-22-2006, 09:42 PM

I’m told that there are still jail cells in the basement...After checking in and unpacking, we took MUNI to the Castro. Well, that could certainly make for an interesting evening. :eek: ;)

Sounds like a good time is being had!

Prudence

06-22-2006, 09:45 PM

Sometimes older buildings have ginormous closets because they used to house the murphy bed. Not sure if that's the case in your hotel or not, but I've been in similar settings where small room + giant walk-in = former murphey bed.

Not Afraid

06-22-2006, 09:48 PM

Oooh! A good SF trip report to prepare us for our trip in July. I'm excited!

I actually OWN a crazy cat lady action figure. It was a gift from Toddler a few years ago. I display it proudly even though there are 8 cats in the action figure ad I only have 6.

Keep us posted about Pride!

JWBear

06-22-2006, 09:55 PM

Snowflake

06-23-2006, 04:14 AM

Have a great trip, I love my city! I can't wait to get back there!

Gemini Cricket

06-23-2006, 05:27 AM

Get this, Ralphie and I went to Pride a couple of years ago and stayed at the Ramada and ate at Cove Cafe. Ralphie's somewhat of a bear, so I guess bears think alike...

I'm a big fan of Tuaolo, such a great guy. :)

lashbear

06-23-2006, 06:57 AM

Make sure you have a drink at the Lone Star and Daddy's for me !! :D

SzczerbiakManiac

06-23-2006, 11:52 AM

I actually OWN a crazy cat lady action figure... I display it proudly even though there are 8 cats in the action figure ad I only have 6.Well, right now you only have six—that could change any minute. ;) :p

JWBear

06-23-2006, 10:30 PM

Day 2:

We had breakfast in the hotel restaurant. I ordered the Belgian waffle, and it came without butter or syrup. When I asked for butter (I don’t use syrup) the waitress acted surprised – like this was some bizarre request. To make things worse, the waffle was tough and chewy. How on earth do you make a Belgian waffle tough and chewy? I had to use my knife to cut it! Are there legions of tourists out there who prefer their waffles dry and chewy? Goddess only knows. The OJ was good, though.

After breakfast we took MUNI (which was free again today) down to the ferry building. This iconic waterfront landmark has been completely restored. The ground floor now houses a food oriented shopping mall. The Grand Concourse on the upper level has been restored to its former glory after being subdivided into office space for the last 50 years. This huge space – nearly 700 feet long – now serves as a grand lobby for the offices that line it on either side.

We had a quick lunch at the Embarcadero Center, followed by a free Cherry Garcia ice cream cone that Ben & Jerry’s employees were handing out on the street corners. (Gotta love this city!) Then, it was off to Golden Gate Park!

We took the N train all the way to 9th Ave, then walked in to the park. By the time we got there it had become overcast and chilly; with wisps of fog rolling in.

Our first stop was the new de Young Museum. The old de Young (or “de Old Museum”, as Bill insists on calling it – lame Bill) was declared seismically unsafe after the 1989 earthquake. It was torn down and replaced by the current building, which just opened in October. The building is critically acclaimed, but controversial. It’s covered with acres of dimpled and pierced sheets of copper, and boasts a twisting 8 story tower. We spent about 2 hours inside, admiring the collections.

By the time we left, it had become bitterly cold. That, and our tired feet, convinced us to skip a planned visit to the Japanese Tea Garden (though we took a couple of pictures from outside of it). We headed back to the N train, and our hotel.

After an hour or so rest, we headed for Fisherman’s Wharf and dinner. Someone from work had recommended a restaurant there called Cioppino’s. Good recommendation! Excellent food.

We’re back at the hotel after an interesting ride on the MUNI. Tomorrow: The Pride Festival!

JWBear

06-25-2006, 10:33 PM

Day 3:

We spent most of Saturday morning lounging around the hotel room, just resting. For lunch, we went back to the Cove Café in the Castro. It was very busy, but the wait wasn’t bad. There were a number of woofy guys there!

After lunch, we went to the Civic Center to check out the smaller version of the pride festival that happens on the Saturday of Pride. We did a little shopping, and some ogling. Overall though, there wasn’t much happing, so we went back and lounged in the room for the rest of the afternoon.

(Gratuitous celebrity sighting: As we were entering the hotel, we saw Reichen
Lehmkuhl (http://www.reichen.org/) from The Amazing Race.)

We went up to John’s Grill on Ellis (near Union Square) for dinner. John’s Grill is a San Francisco landmark. It’s been in business since 1908. Dashiell Hammett was a regular there, and he made a favorite hangout for Sam Spade as well. The place reeks old San Francisco – dark wood paneling, turn of the century light fixtures, white tablecloths, Waiters in ties and those long white aprons tied at the waist. I had the Sam Spade – lamb chops, tomatoes and a baked potato. It was one of the best meals I’ve ever eaten. This place is a must visit if you are in the city!

After dinner, we strolled around nearby Union Square. A high fog was rolling in – obscuring the tops of the surrounding buildings and giving everything a magical glow. It made for a very romantic evening.

JWBear

06-25-2006, 10:38 PM

Day 4:

Parade day! We left the room early in order to stake out a good place to see the parade. We walked a couple of blocks up Market and grabbed an empty section of curb… and waited… and waited. It took forever for the parade to reach us. First up, Dykes on Bikes. Hundreds of them. It took a good 10 minutes for them all to pass! Then… more waiting. The rest of the parade was another 10 minutes behind the dykes. I won’t describe the entire parade. It was over 3 hours long! There was a lot of eye candy though, and we took lots of pictures! I’ll post some when we get back.

After the parade, we went back to the room to have a late room service lunch.

What is it with this hotel and food service? We called room service and ordered 2 french dip sandwiches. Simple order… You would think. We got one. When we explained the mix-up to the waitress who brought the food, she apologized profusely and promised to bring another immediately. A half our later… no second sandwich. I was just about to call the front desk when it finally came… Oh well. At least the food was enjoyable.

I wish I could say the same for the festival. It was twice as large in area as the day before, with about 20 times as many people! You could barely move in some areas! The leather area was especially crowded, as it was all packed in to one small block.

The second place we wanted to check out was the Bear Garden; a place set aside for bears and their admirers to socialize, according to the official program. We found the area marked on the map – nothing. Not a sign of it. I asked about it at the main info booth. The person there knew nothing about it. Strike 2.

There were a lot of hot guys, and we tried to get some picture; but again, It was almost impossible in the packed conditions.

(Another gratuitous celebrity sighting: Sister Roma (http://www.timandroma.com/).)

We tried to walk around and browse the booths; maybe do some more shopping. Bad idea. You couldn’t get anywhere near most of them due to the crowds.

Strike 3. We left and went back to the hotel.

The festival is famous for being free to all. This creates the out of control crowd sizes, IMO, that make it hard to enjoy the festival. They either need to start charging admission, or increase the physical size of it, and spread things out.

In the evening, we headed back up to The Castro. It was hopping! We had dinner at The Sausage Factory. I’ve eaten there before and highly recommend it - good food, cheap price.

We had talked about going to The Lone Star (http://www.lonestarsaloon.com/woof/home) (SF’s main bear bar), but by the time we finished eating we were tired. So, back to the hotel.

Tomorrow, we go home.

Not Afraid

06-26-2006, 10:50 AM

It sounds like a wonderful trip! (But, toss the crowds.) Thanks for the report. 'm excited about going in July!

lashbear

06-26-2006, 04:24 PM

It sounds like a wonderful trip! (But, toss the crowds.) Thanks for the report. 'm excited about going in July!

Make SURE you go to Beach Blanket Babylon (http://www.beachblanketbabylon.com)

It's a Must See. :snap:

jdramj

06-26-2006, 09:08 PM

Bugger I just found this thread and your trip is over!

I would have recommended Harris for dinner, expensive, but wonderful!

I also would have recomended going to Sutro baths. They are great ruins to walk down to and enjoy the surroundings with crashing waves on the coast. The Cliffhouse looked like a great restaurant, but we skipped it and went back to our hotel to rest after our major car accident with our rental car. :eek: (Did I mention it was the Ramada Plaza on Market? LOL! We were there a month ago.)

The baths were on the coast at the end of Golden Gate Park. We did see the Tea Garden and even had tea there. The gardens in there are beautiful! I'm sorry you missed it.

MickeyLumbo

06-26-2006, 09:51 PM

nothin' says SF more than baths and tea rooms. well, maybe rice-a-roni.

j/k

thanks for the trip report and hope you had a great time!!

JWBear

06-27-2006, 10:40 AM

It sounds like a wonderful trip! (But, toss the crowds.) Thanks for the report. 'm excited about going in July!
It was a nice getaway.

What are your plans for when you get up there?

JWBear

06-27-2006, 10:46 AM

...I would have recommended Harris for dinner, expensive, but wonderful!
Where is it?

...I also would have recomended going to Sutro baths. They are great ruins to walk down to and enjoy the surroundings with crashing waves on the coast...
Been there, done that. It's neat the first time... but not really worth a second visit.

...We did see the Tea Garden and even had tea there. The gardens in there are beautiful! I'm sorry you missed it.
We've been to the tea gardens before. We mostly went to GGP to see the new de Young, as it wasn't there last time we went to San Framcisco.

JWBear

06-27-2006, 10:48 AM

Make SURE you go to Beach Blanket Babylon (http://www.beachblanketbabylon.com)

It's a Must See. :snap:
You know... It's amazing that as many times as I've been to the city, I've never gone to see this show. One of these days...

Not Afraid

06-27-2006, 10:49 AM

What are your plans for when you get up there?

We're going to be staying with MousePod and the Mrs. We're going up early Friday morning and leaving on Monday night, so we have lots of time to play. I know we are going to see the Disney exhibit in Oakland and go to a Flaming Lips concert in Berkely on Saturday. Otherwise, MP is thinking up fun things to do.

I used to go to pretty SF regularly so I'm not too interested in the standard touristy things. Swanky restaurants are always good. I actually was thinking about visiting Greens restaurant. But, I love most areas of the City and surrounding areas, so I'm game for just about anything.

JWBear

06-27-2006, 10:57 AM

Not Afraid

06-27-2006, 11:06 AM

The new DeYoung is on my list. But, THIS (http://www.museumca.org/exhibit/exhi_disney1.html) is a must see for us.

JWBear

06-27-2006, 12:37 PM

The new DeYoung is on my list. But, THIS (http://www.museumca.org/exhibit/exhi_disney1.html) is a must see for us.
I would have loved to have gone, but there's no way I could have gotten Bill to go. :rolleyes:

Snowflake

06-27-2006, 12:46 PM

We're going to be staying with MousePod and the Mrs. We're going up early Friday morning and leaving on Monday night, so we have lots of time to play. I know we are going to see the Disney exhibit in Oakland and go to a Flaming Lips concert in Berkely on Saturday. Otherwise, MP is thinking up fun things to do.

I used to go to pretty SF regularly so I'm not too interested in the standard touristy things. Swanky restaurants are always good. I actually was thinking about visiting Greens restaurant. But, I love most areas of the City and surrounding areas, so I'm game for just about anything.

I love Greens, wonderful place.

My last visit (as a non-resident) I visited the Slanted Door, insanely great reputation, I found the food good (but not as awesome as had been promoted) and the decor swanky as hell and the view spectacular. I used to work in the Ferry Bldg. back where there was a law firm in there. Horrid firm, and really crappy attorney I worked for, but I had a window I could open and get breeze off the bay all day at my desk, that part was heaven on earth.

Looking forward to paying a visit so all the new places I've not been to and many old ones I've missed, The Red Crane, Boulevard and Lovejoy's. Then, the land of all temptation, Molinari's Deli in North Beach (YUM)

jdramj

06-29-2006, 11:36 PM

Where is it?

On Van Ness

Harris (http://www.harrisrestaurant.com/)

My husband and I were cracking up at the murals on the walls of the main dining room.....2 Cowboys at a lake and swan swimming in the lake. Just seemed out of place. Then the last panel had a group of cowboys around a fire and it looked like one of the cowboys was topless. I think is was really a tan shirt, but at first glance we just figured it was San Francisco appropriate. (no offense meant) It provided a few giggles, after a few drinks at the bar before dinner and sitting in front of the murals for 3 hours. :blush:

JWBear

07-01-2006, 04:30 PM

Day One: (http://s25.photobucket.com/albums/c60/JWBear61/San%20Francisco%20June%202006/Day%20One/?action=view&current=001.jpg&refPage=&imgAnch=imgAnch1)