My 26 hours in San Francisco (back in June)
It was supposed to be 30, closer to 31 but I started out the morning with a canceled flight. I had been planning this overnight to SF for a while. There was an exhibit at the Contemporary Jewish Museum that I really wanted to see. If I don’t plan, it doesn’t happen so I finally chose a weekend and went for it. I used my Hilton points for a room. Ordinarily, I would have gone for a boutique hotel but free is good. While I was there, since I had all day Saturday and Sunday, I was going to go to the California Academy of Science. And hit up Trader Joes.
Had no problem getting up that morning. I was packed - this was an overnight, after all. How much did I need to bring? I was about to head out to the airport when the phone rings. My flight was canceled. I was rebooked on the next flight, 3 hours later. I was still in first class, which I appreciated. I went back to bed.
I had made arrangements for Supershuttle at the Airport. It’s much cheaper than a cab but it takes forever. By the time I checked into my hotel, which was at the edge of Chinatown, it was after 2pm. I had expected to get to my hotel by 11. Those three hours changed everything.
It turned out that the Contemporary Jewish Museum was within easy walking distance. The wind was incredible but it was a beautiful day. I had wanted to see the exhibit, Reinventing Ritual, which I had seen written up in Hadassah Magazine. The idea was to take objects used for a specific reason and repurpose them. It was a lovely exhibit. What was stunning, however, was the other major exhibit. They have a female scribe writing a Torah. Since it was a Saturday, she wasn’t there, but you got to see videos of the process, touch the parchment that was like what she was using, see some of the finished pages, etc. It was way cool. For many reasons. When we went to Israel, as a family, in 1982, one of our many purposes was to select a new Torah for our synagogue. Ours had been stolen, including the Czech Torah that had been smuggled out during WWII that I used during my bat mitzvah. While my mother, sister and I weren’t allowed to see the men working, when the Torah arrived in the US, the last 36 letters were only outlined. We had a big ceremony where we brought someone in to finish inking the letters. I bought a tiny part of a letter for $18. (18=Chai=Life. Very symbolic.) I still have the quill that was used. I was sorry I didn’t see her in person but I loved the exhibit.
After the museum I took a cab to my next destination, a store called Good Vibrations. For those who aren’t familiar, Good Vibrations is a sex shop run by women, so while the windows are covered (by law), you go inside and it’s bright and well lit and everyone is knowledgeable about the toys and other gadgets and they will happily explain anything you’d like. I asked the cashier if I could walk back to my hotel and she asked me how I felt about hills. I said that would be fine. Little did I know.
I’ve been to SF before. I’ve walked SF before. This was like going up the first hill of a roller coaster. I went up and up and up and up. Then I had to go down at about the same angle. Let’s just say that I was exhausted when I got back to the hotel. I’m glad my sneakers had good traction. The wind was so fierce that I think small children needed to be tethered to the ground.
It was nearing 5pm and I needed to have dinner before my 7:30 spa treatment at Tru, the hotel’s spa. The hotel recommended Plouffe, a French bistro with an emphasis on seafood. I was seated next to two older women who were delightful. I had the prix fix dinner of salad, mussels in a coconut red curry and banana profiteroles for dessert. It was yummy. They ended up inviting me to join them at the theatre that night. I would have joined them if I hadn’t had other plans. I got back to my room just in time to change.
I wanted to put on contact lenses for this treatment. It was called Pulp Fiction Polish. The idea is that you are rubbed down with a sugar-based scrub and then you enjoy a steam treatment followed by a rainforest, then you move to the waterfall tub. It was incredible. The scrub was fantastic. The therapist was also very cool. Since this was a wet treatment, I didn’t want to wear my glasses, so I popped in my contact lenses. I can’t see well out of my contact lenses but I figured I didn’t need to see well, just better than without glasses.
The treatment was amazing. The scrub felt wonderful. I am not a big fan of steam and this did nothing to raise it higher in my esteem but it was worth it. The first few drops from the rain forest are cold but it quickly turns warm. I was soaked and clean and silky. Then I stepped into the waterfall tub. It was like getting a really good massage fast. Perfect timing since this was the weekend of the Thursday I had injured myself. After the waterfall, I slathered myself with this lovely body cream that has citrus undertones without being overwhelming. I was so relaxed I was worried I wouldn’t make it all the way up to my room. I popped a valium for the back pain and went to sleep.
Sunday turned into a lazy day. I was really groggy from the valium. I was planning on going to the Science Museum but I couldn’t get moving that quickly. I ended up having breakfast at Café la Presse. It was good, though I wasn’t crazy about the service. Then I took a cab to Trader Joe’s. It turned out that Trader Joe’s was in walking distance and required me to pass the North Beach festival. So with my hands full of dried fruit and nuts I walked around the arts section of the festival. It was fun and sunny and warm. I got back to my hotel in time to hang out and wait for my ride to the airport.
At first, I was intimidated by SF. I keep forgetting what it’s like to live in a city that is alive from its very core. By Sunday, I remembered why I love this city. I was staying right by the building I have co-opted for my romance trilogy as the Falcon Building. I still like the building. It made me want to write again. I just need to make it a priority. So far, just getting up in the morning is about as much of a priority as I can handle.
I will do another weekend just like this next year. It was so worth it.
Had no problem getting up that morning. I was packed - this was an overnight, after all. How much did I need to bring? I was about to head out to the airport when the phone rings. My flight was canceled. I was rebooked on the next flight, 3 hours later. I was still in first class, which I appreciated. I went back to bed.
I had made arrangements for Supershuttle at the Airport. It’s much cheaper than a cab but it takes forever. By the time I checked into my hotel, which was at the edge of Chinatown, it was after 2pm. I had expected to get to my hotel by 11. Those three hours changed everything.
It turned out that the Contemporary Jewish Museum was within easy walking distance. The wind was incredible but it was a beautiful day. I had wanted to see the exhibit, Reinventing Ritual, which I had seen written up in Hadassah Magazine. The idea was to take objects used for a specific reason and repurpose them. It was a lovely exhibit. What was stunning, however, was the other major exhibit. They have a female scribe writing a Torah. Since it was a Saturday, she wasn’t there, but you got to see videos of the process, touch the parchment that was like what she was using, see some of the finished pages, etc. It was way cool. For many reasons. When we went to Israel, as a family, in 1982, one of our many purposes was to select a new Torah for our synagogue. Ours had been stolen, including the Czech Torah that had been smuggled out during WWII that I used during my bat mitzvah. While my mother, sister and I weren’t allowed to see the men working, when the Torah arrived in the US, the last 36 letters were only outlined. We had a big ceremony where we brought someone in to finish inking the letters. I bought a tiny part of a letter for $18. (18=Chai=Life. Very symbolic.) I still have the quill that was used. I was sorry I didn’t see her in person but I loved the exhibit.
After the museum I took a cab to my next destination, a store called Good Vibrations. For those who aren’t familiar, Good Vibrations is a sex shop run by women, so while the windows are covered (by law), you go inside and it’s bright and well lit and everyone is knowledgeable about the toys and other gadgets and they will happily explain anything you’d like. I asked the cashier if I could walk back to my hotel and she asked me how I felt about hills. I said that would be fine. Little did I know.
I’ve been to SF before. I’ve walked SF before. This was like going up the first hill of a roller coaster. I went up and up and up and up. Then I had to go down at about the same angle. Let’s just say that I was exhausted when I got back to the hotel. I’m glad my sneakers had good traction. The wind was so fierce that I think small children needed to be tethered to the ground.
It was nearing 5pm and I needed to have dinner before my 7:30 spa treatment at Tru, the hotel’s spa. The hotel recommended Plouffe, a French bistro with an emphasis on seafood. I was seated next to two older women who were delightful. I had the prix fix dinner of salad, mussels in a coconut red curry and banana profiteroles for dessert. It was yummy. They ended up inviting me to join them at the theatre that night. I would have joined them if I hadn’t had other plans. I got back to my room just in time to change.
I wanted to put on contact lenses for this treatment. It was called Pulp Fiction Polish. The idea is that you are rubbed down with a sugar-based scrub and then you enjoy a steam treatment followed by a rainforest, then you move to the waterfall tub. It was incredible. The scrub was fantastic. The therapist was also very cool. Since this was a wet treatment, I didn’t want to wear my glasses, so I popped in my contact lenses. I can’t see well out of my contact lenses but I figured I didn’t need to see well, just better than without glasses.
The treatment was amazing. The scrub felt wonderful. I am not a big fan of steam and this did nothing to raise it higher in my esteem but it was worth it. The first few drops from the rain forest are cold but it quickly turns warm. I was soaked and clean and silky. Then I stepped into the waterfall tub. It was like getting a really good massage fast. Perfect timing since this was the weekend of the Thursday I had injured myself. After the waterfall, I slathered myself with this lovely body cream that has citrus undertones without being overwhelming. I was so relaxed I was worried I wouldn’t make it all the way up to my room. I popped a valium for the back pain and went to sleep.
Sunday turned into a lazy day. I was really groggy from the valium. I was planning on going to the Science Museum but I couldn’t get moving that quickly. I ended up having breakfast at Café la Presse. It was good, though I wasn’t crazy about the service. Then I took a cab to Trader Joe’s. It turned out that Trader Joe’s was in walking distance and required me to pass the North Beach festival. So with my hands full of dried fruit and nuts I walked around the arts section of the festival. It was fun and sunny and warm. I got back to my hotel in time to hang out and wait for my ride to the airport.
At first, I was intimidated by SF. I keep forgetting what it’s like to live in a city that is alive from its very core. By Sunday, I remembered why I love this city. I was staying right by the building I have co-opted for my romance trilogy as the Falcon Building. I still like the building. It made me want to write again. I just need to make it a priority. So far, just getting up in the morning is about as much of a priority as I can handle.
I will do another weekend just like this next year. It was so worth it.