what about the plastic animals?

Emma and Zoe's

In case anyone was wondering where I've been the past week, I was in San Francisco visiting Emma and Zoe.

Take Only What You Really Need

The world, or at least a paper towel dispenser at a San Francisco International Airport men's room, begins to catch up with me!

Only one reader knows what I am talking about so I better commence with a story.  At one point during my Nebraska days there was a drought and the city of Lincoln began taking water conservation measures. 

Since a drinking fountain was across the hall from the graduate student office, I decided to help the city out.  A sign that said something like "Drink only what you need" was placed above the fountain.  You couldn't drink from the fountain without seeing the sign.  Admittedly the sign wasn't going to stop depletion of the Ogallala Aquifer, but it was fun watching students do a double-take before getting a drink of water.

Unrelated:  Silk is an excellent way to spend a few minutes.

At the Westin St. Francis

My room at the Westin St. Francis was pleasant, if a bit stuffy.  There was a chandelier above the bed!  I don't know if I've ever stayed in a room with a chandelier before.  The southern view wasn't anything special.  I believe the hill in the background is Potrero Hill.

The sign on the "refreshment center" was a first for me.  Not that I've ever paid for it, but I understand how the captive market of a tired hotel guest lets them get away with huge price mark-ups on pretzels and soda.  But to threaten a guest should they so much as open the door and move a soda?  That's not hospitality.  Wouldn't they make a lot more money if they just charged every guest an extra dollar a night and not worry about someone removing a soda so they can put a yogurt in the fridge?

Oh, man, writing that last sentence it occurs to me that I forgot to have a little crock of the awesome Saint Benoît yogurt on this trip.  Maybe next time!

Riding the Cable Car

It was a good trip to San Francisco.  I worked a little, shopped a little, went touristing with friends, ate a lot, took the ferry to Sausalito, rode the BART, rode the trolley and went on two cable car lines.  Here's a video of the ride from Stockton to Grant on the California Street line.

 

Web 2.0

Six Apart HQ

Twitter HQ

In the few short hours I had to wander about in San Francisco I managed to see the headquarters of Six Apart, the makers of the fine Typepad software that is being used to put these photos and text online and the Twitter headquarters.  I suspect Twitter only fills up a small portion of the building.  Flickr used to be a short walk away but they've since moved to the main Yahoo! campus in Mountain View.

Merry Christmas!

This is about the only holiday photo I've taken this year.  Having several hours to spare before flying home, but not having much energy to do anything, I really enjoyed sitting in Union Square on Friday evening.  It was a little disconcerting that I was surrounded by New York icons - Macy's, Saks Fifth Avenue, and Tiffany's- in the heart of San Francisco but I got over it.

I wish everyone a very happy holiday, whatever holiday you choose to observe!

At the Hotel Frank

The less said about this trip the better.  On my second day in San Francisco I came down with food poisoning or a stomach bug.  I spend a lot of time in the Hotel Frank running between the bed and bathroom.  By Tuesday afternoon I had gone to the doctor's and gotten medication.  I actually worked all day Thursday and on Friday evening it was time to fly home.  The worst part of the trip was not being able to drink beer.

Movies on Mission

Tower Theater

Cine Latino

El Capitan

This has taken me forever to put up but there are a half-dozen grand old movie theaters along Mission Ave in the Mission District of San Francisco.  I passed by them a couple of times while searching for burritos.  All the theaters are closed.  The auditorium of the El Capitan was demolished in 1964.  The Cine Latino and Tower Theaters both opened in the 1910s.  The Tower is for sale for less than $2.4 million!

Mr. Bubbles in San Francisco

An Indian-American, a German-American and a Canadian go into a bar.  One of them had enough beer to make coherent blogging difficult.  Instead he scrolled through his image directory and found a picture he took of a mural in San Francisco.  The End.

Recycling, San Francisco Style

While all of us with cameras are eagerly waiting for snow to fall on the city tonight I thought I'd go, virtually, back to San Francisco.  I was surprised to see that recycled box collection in San Francisco was done using these overloaded trucks of questionable roadworthiness.  There's nothing that cures a New Yorker of their jaywalking tendencies faster than seeing one of these trucks coming down a hill toward you.