I arrived back in NY late last night and landed at JFK, otherwise known as “The airport that destroys my soul.” I don’t even know where to begin with that place; no matter what time of day, it’s a Lord of the Flies situation. At 10:45 pm the wait in the taxi line was 100 deep, and I witnessed a near fight between a driver and traffic officer — and let’s not forget the late night construction on the Van Wyck that had us sitting idle for half an hour. By the time I got home I was weak with hunger, my contacts were stuck to my eyeballs, I had a pounding headache, and the warm glow of California seemed like a faint memory. Thanks, JFK.
Maybe I’m just grumpy because I miss San Francisco. If you’ve never been, go. Go now. It’s a wonderful city. I was in San Jose last week for work, and then stayed on in CA so I could tool up to The City for a couple of nights (I was told “The City” is what locals call San Francisco. Apparently calling it “San Fran” or “Frisco” screams tourist, kind of like calling Boston “Beantown”).
Everything about San Francisco agrees with me: the walkability, the culture and restaurants, the “big city with an intimate feel” vibe, the quirky neighborhoods, the emphasis on health and fitness, and the jaw-dropping natural beauty of the Bay. During the two nights I was there, I heard one car honk its horn. That’s right, ONE. And I think the lady who did the honking was a tourist. In NY, leaning on the horn is part of the driving test.
On Sunday, I set out to walk the town. First stop, the Ferry Building Marketplace along the Embarcadero.
This had been my number one destination since I’d heard about its amazing Farmers Market. I thought I’d read the Farmers Market was open on Sundays- oops, it’s not. Oh well, the indoor gourmet shops of meats and produce and cheese were great, and I couldn’t resist the nutella bombolini at I Preferiti D Boriana Montepulciano (try saying that three times fast).
Not the breakfast of champions, but I didn’t feel so guilty since I knew I’d be walking up and down San Francisco’s hills for the rest of the day. Plus, it was phenomenal. Similar to a doughnut, but softer and chewier, with an explosion of creamy nutella inside. I snapped this pic and the girl working the counter shot me a puzzled look. ”What is with the picture?” she asked. I told her it was for my blog, and we started chatting. “You have to go to La Vie and get the crab!” she said excitedly. What a nice way to start the day— I love when people get all pumped up about food!
After the Ferry Building, I was off to Chinatown. Just like in NY, there were guys spitting on the street (one guy almost spit on my shoe) and vendors hawking knock-off designer sunglasses. Rishi had told me about this Vietnamese restaurant that made great pork banh mi sandwiches.
It’s grilled pork on a toasted bun with shredded fresh vegetables and slices of jalapeno for heat. Best of all, it’s $3.50!! I was loving my sandwich so much that I texted Rishi to share my rapture. His response:
“That’s like the best price to awesomeness ratio of any sandwich- other than a Big Mac maybe.”
With a full stomach I continued on through Jackson Sq. and into North Beach. North Beach is SF’s Little Italy, and it’s bursting at the seams with restaurants and cafes. Everyone was relaxed and eating outside— this was undoubtedly one of my favorite parts of the city. Just north of North Beach is Telegraph Hill, which I think is the highest point in San Francisco. At the top is Coit Tower, the 210 foot landmark. Don’t let the hills scare you, it’s easy to walk to, and much more fun than driving up and trying to find parking.
A quick elevator ride up to the top of Coit Tower and you’ve got a breathtaking panoramic view of the entire city. That’s the Ferry Building in the distance.
And there’s Alcatraz, also known as The Rock.
I spent the rest of the afternoon walking through Russian Hill, Nob Hill, Tenderloin (yes, that’s really what it’s called, and um, maybe not a place you want to walk around; I’ll leave it at that), and the Civic Center, where the Asian Art Museum was having an exhibit on the Ming Dynasty. Grabbed a quick snack of pesto pizza afterwards.
Then it was back up to Union Sq, and a short train out to Inner Sunset, where I was meeting my cousin David for dinner. I had an hour to kill, so I picked up some coffee and strolled through the beautiful Golden Gate Park. The rose gardens were in full bloom.
David and his girlfriend Nahleen made reservations at one of the most popular Thai restaurants in the city, Marnee Thai.
Me with Nahleen and my cous.
David and Nahleen have eaten here often, so they knew the good stuff. We started with samosas.
Roasted duck salad. The lime vinaigrette was tart and tasty.
A Thai staple, pad thai.
Pork in green curry sauce.
And roasted whole chicken with sweet chili sauce.
The food was so good; I was glad I’d saved room throughout the day for dinner!
So that’s an overview of the The City. There was so much more to see and eat— I could have used another three days. The mission-style burrito and pupusas are on the list for next time. I can’t wait to get back out there. In fact, I’ve decided to try to convince my family to move west so I can relocate and not feel guilty. It’s easy to fall in love with San Francisco— go, go, go, and tell me all about it. Or take me with you. Just, can we not fly out of JFK?
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