San Francisco

One 4-day packed trip that included catching up with old friends, showing mom a 25 week pregnant Michele and celebrating our one year anniversary. Had we arrived one day earlier, we would have witnessed mayhem in the streets of San Francisco.

(Brian Wilson at his best - Rocking the crowd)

It's been well over 11 years since I moved out the 415, yet I always feel at home when visiting. While moving to Colorado is one of the best things I've ever done in my life, San Francisco will always have a special place in my heart. So yeah, it's always great going back home even if the visits are short and infrequent.

A mid day Thursday arrival allowed for a low key evening of catching up with my mother and hitting up Noe Valley for one of my favorite places to get a burrito. A city with so many awesome burrito joints thankfully has it's own website. Sad to think that outside of Illegal Pete's (which is way overrated), no burrito place in the Denver area would compete with even the worst places listed in the website.

Friday morning greeted me with a chance to get a run in from the mothers house. Living on a hill side offered up 7 miles of running with little flat terrain. In fact the hills are so steep at times that my shins were sore for days to come. Clear days offer up fantastic views of the financial district and the Golden Gate Bridge. Today they offered up heaps of fog.

With most of the day to ourselves, I decided to take Michele to the Upper Sunset for some lunch followed by a visit to the California Academy of Science in Golden Gate Park. I hadn't been to anything like this since I was a kid but the exhibits and layout of the place was great.





Dinner was spent with our dear friend Lisa as we ate some mighty tasty Cajun food in San Mateo.

Sunday morning was spent in Marin County as we visited the best man at my wedding. It still blows my mind that San Francisco can be in the mid 50's, foggy and cold. Drive 15 minutes across the Golden Gate Bridge and you likely experience a calm sunny mid 70's day. Guess it explains why it's so damn expensive to live up there.

Back in the city by lunch with a nice detour to AT&T park.

(The wife and I in front of McCovy Cove)

Then Michele and I were off to celebrate our one year anniversary together. Nothing special planned. Just a low key dinner in North Beach and a very plush night at the Argonaut Hotel near the Wharf. Michele enjoyed the location more for the Hot Fudge Ice Scream Sunday at Ghiradelli Sq then the stunning views of the bay.

Sunday we awoke to the only crappy weather of the weekend. Wind and heavy rain that fell sideways. The options to either run or lounging around with the wife was an extremely easy call for me to make. Hell, it could have been calm and sunny and I still would have opted for the laid back approach with the wife. She was the reason I was here this weekend and there's no other person I'd rather spend the day with.

By lunch time the rain had stopped and the sun rays were breaking through the sky. A few hours later we were heading back home to a much colder Denver with one little side trip.

Years ago an old friend found out he was having a child with his girlfriend. So thrilled he ran out and bought an outfit for her. More specifically he bought her a tiny t-shirt with the Beastie Boys "License To Ill" album cover on it. I've always thought about that thru the years. Getting my child something to wear that I truly love. Something that helped define who I am now as an adult. Do I choose the music route? Tribe Called Quest, The Doors, Bob Marley. Do I choose a city I've lived in or visited? Galway, Ireland, Bisbee, AZ or Melbourne, Australia. So many options.

Then it dawned on me. The San Francisco Giants just won their first World Series in San Francisco. I've been going to Giants game since the late 70's. I've been playing baseball from Little League thru College. Baseball is a sport I truly love that helped define who I am today. So it was a no brainer on what to get my daughter. I can't wait for the day to see her wear this proudly.