Leader x San Francisco

The whole time I was in San Francisco, I kept thinking, “If only I had my bike with me… I’d own this city.” It would have made getting around so much quicker. Sure the hills would have sucked (going up) but they would have been great to ride down. Regardless of all that, the thought of biking in SF kept making me think of this video.

The thing that stuck out to me was the part towards the end where, because he is riding fixed, he is standing on the frame and using his foot to brake the rear wheel. This looked as cool as it did dangerous. However, I couldn’t remember the name of the bike brand or what the video was called.

Finally, tonight, after Googling: fixed gear + san francisco + vimeo (I remembered that it was not a YouTube video) I was able to find it. So, the reason is here is four fold a) because it’s a cool video, b) because it’s topical (San Francisco and BBP) c) because it’s about biking, the forgotten [supposed] theme of this blog, and d) so that I would never again have to search for it.

San Francisco – Day 5

Tuesday – 9/30

I started my morning by taking a bus to Golden Gate Park and walking straight to the de Young Museum. I had asked Shaun when we were in San Jose, if I could only go to one museum, what museum should I go to. He said that though he’d never been, he’d heard good things about the de Young Museum. Additionally, after he told me this, I began to notice signs for the Modernism exhibit and thus my mind was made up. The first thing I did after getting my ticket (which was $2 off because I took a bus there) and checking my backpack at coat check was head straight to the Modernism Exhibit.

Chodorow II by Frank Stella

Once I was given the green light, I began snapping away at all the pieces I thought were interesting. Modernism can be a very hit or miss artform in that you look at some things and thing, “I could have done that.” However, that’s not the point. The point is that you didn’t think to do it and they did. Additionally there is a lot of skill involved in composting what may appear to be a very minimalist piece. Lastly, there may be deeper artistic meaning than what is immediately apparent by the image in front of you.

Saigon, Minnesota by Eric Fischl

There were several things that stood out to me. 1) there was an artist who was born in Malden, the next town over from me, who had several pieces in the exhibit. 2) There were a couple Lichtenstein pieces, there that made me happy because a) I don’t know if I’ve ever seen his work in person before and b) because he is one of my favorite artists. The third thing that impressed me about most of the artwork is how big they were. Some of the canvases were… well… very big. Lastly, I loved that, for a lot of the pieces you were allowed to get as close as you wanted to without touching them. This meant examining the finer details that went into actually forming the art, rather than just examining it from afar as a whole.

Painting with Statue of Liberty by Roy Lichtenstein

After finishing the exhibit I tried to make it a point to hit the entire rest of the museum. [Gay Essay exhibit and other stuff that was cool]. I didn’t speed through it per se, but I didn’t take the time to read about and fully appreciate every piece. I gazed at the ones that interested me and breezed over the ones that didn’t. Luckily, the museum isn’t that big and I was able to get through it in about two and a half hours.

Skyline from Strawberry Hill at Golden Gate Park.

Once I was finished at the museum I explored a little bit of Golden Gate Park. The park is huge so I wasn’t going to be able to get to it all in one day. However, I was able to see Stow Lake and I made it a point to climb to the top of Strawberry Hill. The top of the hill was cool because it was quiet and peaceful and through the trees you got some good views of the city.

Neon sign at the Diamond Supply Co. on Haight street.

Once I had had my fill of nature, I walked back to a bus that took me to Haight street. Since my day was fairly unplanned and it was my last day, I decided to slowly meander through the shops. I hadn’t really done any shopping the entire trip so I thought that this was the perfect time. I went into Diamond Supply Co., not that I skate anymore or need anything, but it looked cool in there and I wanted to check it out. I also went back into the Burton store and talked with some of the employees who almost sold me a Custom.

Bitches Brew skate decks at FTC on Haight street.

I then went next door to FTC, which was zoo-ed the last time I was there because of the skate competition. The coolest redeeming factor was the painting of the Bitches Brew artwork featured above. Luckily, after that I was hungry because it allowed me to go to Street Taco (Mexican street food). I had seen this place the last time I was in the Haight but I didn’t stop in because I had recently eaten. The food there was really good, exactly how I expected it to be. So far, for my money, the best taco’s are in California.

After eating I continued all the way down to the end of Haight street only to find I was back at Golden Gate Park. Because the park is so big, I was in a completely different park of it. I waded through the hippies and the acrid pot smoke, and enjoyed the quiet, the green, and the sunlight. I somehow ended up at an enclosed Merry-Go-Round where I decided to sit outside in the shade and re-assess what I was going to do with the rest of my day.

I decided to go back up Haight street to see the rest of the shops I’d missed before heading back downtown. The first shop I went into was Amoeba Music. I’d been to the one in LA and this one was no different. It was huge and hugely overwhelming, so I pretty much just aimlessly strolled around before leaving. While walking down the street, I kept getting looks from strangers that would nod or say hi to me. Eventually, one of them just straight up said, “Need some bud?” “I’m all set,” I replied, and kept on walking. I don’t know if it was the beanie combined with the tie-dye shirt I was wearing or it they would have asked me regardless, but either way it was weird.

Super 7 storefront

The last thing I did before leaving the Haight was to go back in to Super 7. I was determined to buy something. In spite of the store not being that big, I managed to find myself wandering around it for a very long time. As cool as everything was, I didn’t need any of it. The t-shirts were great but I’d never wear them. The action figures were cool but they’d just take up more space and collect more dust. The posters were cool but I had nowhere to put them. The books were unique but I wouldn’t appreciate them.

Super 7 interior

The only thing I could have bought that I would have used were the button up shirts or the pullover hoodless sweatshirts. There were only two negatives: they didn’t have any smalls or extra small, and they cost $95 and $85 respectivly. I wouldn’t have really had a problem paying that, it was more that I wasn’t going to spend that much money on something that didn’t fit me perfectly and that I didn’t love (because it didn’t fit me well).

After leaving empty handed, I took the bus to Market street where I walked to Benny Gold. I had heard of BG when he did a colloboration with The Hundreds. I had remebered about the store’s exstance while in the Haight and figured I might as well hit it up while I was in the city. The store seemed to be located in a random part of town; like in an  area where you wouldn’t go or wouldn’t expect a store like this to be.

Benny Gold

Unfortunately, I basically did what I always do in “boutique” stores like this, walked around and looked at the stuff for a few minutes having no intention of buying anything before getting bored and leaving. I felt bad leading the store on like that, but I really just wanted to go to say I went. Once again empty handed, I made my way back to Market street where I took the F streetcar to Fisherman’s Wharf. I was basically just wasting time at this point but I wanted to get some clam chowder at the Chowder Hut. It came in a bread bowl which made it more worth it.

The only crappy part about the experience was that I saw a homeless guy picking food out of the trash barrel I was sitting near. He literally grabbed a drink out of the bin, took a sip, and threw it away again. As I mentioned in the day 2 post, the homelessness problem there is huge and very in your face.

Trying to turn a blind eye to all that, I packed up my food and took the Cable Car back downtown for the last time. I then walked to Smuggler’s Cove where I tried there Chi Chi. I don’t know if it was the bartender or if the drink would have tasted this way anyway, but it was too strong for my liking. I only drank a third of before giving up and walking back to hotel. There I got everything ready for my departure then next morning. All in all it was a solid day and a really worthwhile trip.

San Francisco – Day 4

Monday 9/29

I started my day by taking the F streetcar towards the Embarcadero. My initial plan was to get off there, but while I was riding, I noticed what looked like freeway on or off-ramps right in the middle of the city. I always imagine highways to be located far away from a city so it was weird to see highway-like structured going right between buildings. I got off at the stop before the Embarcadero and began some random wandering.

Rather than use my phone, I decided to just use my eyes to find where I wanted to go. This lead to a couple hours stumbling around the SOMA, Financial district, and area under the Bay Bridge. This area intrigued to me for another reason as well. A couple years ago, DC shoes and Ken Block posted a video called Gymkhana 5. This 5th installment in the Gymkhana series features Block taking over San Francisco with his stunt driving skills.

I  had re-watched this video before coming out to SF and there was one location (1:33 to 1:54 into the video) that particularly interested me. This off-ramp from the Bay Bridge seemed to go right into the heart of the financial district. After a long while of roaming around, I finally found the off-ramp in question.

Site of Ken Block’s first big drift into the city in Gymkhana 5… I think.

These are the sort of things that most other tourists probably don’t care about but area exactly the types of things I like doing. I’ve found more often than not that my “random wanderings” have been fruitful. Sometimes not having a plan is the best plan you can have.

Sidenote: I had noticed this since day one, but every so often you’ll be walking down the street and there will be these small cluster of swarms of flies. At first I thought it was an isolated incident, like I was near trash or something, but then it happened several other times scattered around the city. Not really a big deal per se, it was just weird.

After getting my fill of the financial district I made my way out to the Embarcadero (and passed Mozilla Firefox HQ along the way) where I walked South to get a few pictures of AT&T Park. I didn’t look too far away, and it really wasn’t that bad of a walk, but when you’ve been on you’re feet all day every day for the past three days, and had just started your morning with a two hour (fairly useless in the conventional sense) around the financial district, this walk was a killer. I shold have just been “that guy” and hopped on the MUNI light rail at Embarcadero and gotten off one or two stops later at AT&T Park… but I didn’t.

Shitty picture of AT&T Park.

After getting a few pics of the park, I contined Westward deeper into the area South of Market street. It is seemingly nowhere a tourist would go as it is mostly just businesses, but I had a mission. I took the #10 bus from 3rd and Townsend to 7th and Townsend. There I walked up one block to Brannan where I knew a particular nerdy home base to be. I began to wander around the intersection of 7th and Brannon. I looked up and down for 790 Brannan, but it didn’t seem to be in the area marked on Google maps. Then, I did things the analogue way and used my eyes. Within seconds I spotted 790, across the street.

The thing that was messing with me was that the building said Oscar’s Photo Lab. I walked over anyway and saw that there was a main door and a second door. I did remember Google telling me that this company was located on the second floor. The second door had a sticker with the logo of the company I was searching for. I was there, but what should I do? I checked the handle and to my surprise, it was unlocked. I opened the door and stepped inside. I realized just walking up the stairs and into the office might not make a good impression, so I stepped back out. Then, I did the most obvious thing possible, the thing I should have done from the beginning and rang the doorbell. Low and behold, moments later I was being greeted at the door by none other than Will Smith. Not that one, but this one…

Me with Will at the Tested studio.

I had made it to the office/studio of Tested dot com, the beloved YouTube channel and website that I follow. Will asked who I was and when I told him I was just a fan of the show he graciously told me to come right up. He gave me a tour of the studio. Not hard, as it is basically only two rooms, but still it was super cool. He also introduce me to the camera guy (sorry I don’t know your name) and Norm.

Me with Norm at the Tested studio.

Being that I had come all that way, I couldn’t leave without asking if there were any assistant positions open at Tested. I was basically given a “maybe.” Apparently they’ve been wanted to hire someone to help out but the higher ups have not let them. However, Will told me to periodically check the site as they would post any jobs on there.

After my very successful visit I was in a super good mood. I began wandering the surrounding area aimless as I didn’t have a plan as to where to go next. I decided I needed to head North, towards the more city part of the city, and that I needed to get food. I don’t really remember how this happened but eventually I found a cool looking burger joint and stopped in.

Belly Burgers

The place looked really hip with subway tiles on the walls and really cool tables and seats. I ordered a pork belly burger -delicious- and took my time to figure out where and what I wanted to do next. My plan brought me to the Van Ness MUNI light rail station where I took the N train to the Haight Ashbury district.

I had only glanced at the Google map walking directions from the station to the intersection of Haight and Ashbury, so naturally I got lost. However, I soon busted out my phone and re-routed myself in the right direction. As it so happened Grateful Dead house

The Greatful Dead house.

After getting a few pictures of the Dead House, it was only a short walk to the intersection of Haight/Ashbury. Of the two, Haight street is really where it’s at. It reminded me of Newbury St in Boston or SOHO in New York. There were tons of cool stores like: Kid Robot, Diamond, Burton, Loved to Death, Super 7, and Amoeba Music.

Haight/Ashbury; obligatory shot of the street signs.

In this area of the city, the hippie movement is still very much alive. It was hard to tell if the kids there were legitimately in to the “movement” and down with “the cause” or if they were just dressed that way because they felt that the should be hippies because they live in the hippie capitol of the world. Either way it was cool to see and helped me feel like I had walked into a different moment in time.

“San Francisco in the middle sixties was a very special time and place to be a part of.“ -Hunter S. Thompson

As I made my way down Haight street I found a Burton store. Being a snowboarder, naturally I walked in. There had been a big crowd of people out front and when I entered, I asked the employees what the commotion was all about. Apparently the place next door, FTC, was holding a skate competition on the mini-ramp behind their building. I walked to the back of the Burton store and could see it going on out their window.

FTC mini-ramp as seen from the back window of the Burton store.

I then continued to make my way down Haight. There was a lot of cool graffiti/street art in the area and overall it was just a really nice and vibe-ey place to be. Then, just as had happened after I was done with Alcatraz, I got a feeling that I should find another iconic SF location, this time from a show. After a quick Googling I was on my way to Alamo Park for a view of the Painted Ladies. The Painted Ladies are a series of house on Steiner street that are featured at the end of the intro to Full House.

Painted Ladies from the opening scene of Full House.

After spending a bit of time at the park I took the #24 bus Northbound from Hayes and Divisadero to Divisadero and Bush, to the Full House house. This was the house they used to get the exterior shots for the show. Upon my arrival it was instantly apparent that I was not the only TV nerd, as there were two other groups of people taking pictures. I can’t imagine what it must be like to live there. If they ever have to fight through people just to get to their house. If the property is more expensive because it’s “famous” or if it costs just as much as the other houses in Pacific Heights.

The “house” from Full House.

After a few quick pics I walked to the #22 bus and rode it North from Bush and Fillmore all the way to Marina blvd. I started making my way towards the Golden Gate Bridge but soon gave up. It was one of those things where though it looked close, it was still fairly far away. A recent Googling told me that it was 2.1 miles from where I stopped to take a break. This may not sound that bad, but on super tired feet and legs, you might as well have been asking me to walk back to Boston. Plus, it’s actually more like 4.2 miles because you gotta figure you have to walk all the way back. I was not in the mood for an 80 minute excursion to a place I was merely going to look at and have at least been to before. I then climbed a small tree before walking back to the #22 bus and taking all the way South to Market street.

Sidenote: everywhere you went there were these 3-wheeled Go Cars. They were, I guess a cheap quirky alternative to renting a real car, but still, it was weird.

I then took the N MUNI light rail to the Montgomery station and began to walk down Market street. It was dinner time and I was hungry. To my pleasant surprise I found a place called Bun Mee that looked cool and stopped in. I had seen another one at a different location earlier in the trip but had already eaten at that time and so I just kept walking. However, I was really glad that I did go because the food was great.

Bun Mee

Bun Mee is a Vietnamese sandwich shop and the selection is really different from most typical sandwich shops. They also had this milky/creamy tea that came in an orange can that was delicious. On top of having great food, the shop itself is really well designed. Everything from their scooter logo, to the raw wood and metal industrial decor, to the Shepard Fairey* art on the wall helped it to feel hip and comfortable inside. While eating there, I came to the realization that I can take my time and relax; I don’t have to be going all the time. It may be obvious to most people, but it wasn’t to me.

As I was leaving I got a text from my sister that said, “Go anywhere cool today?” Rather than just text her back, I decided to call and we ended up talking for about an hour as I walked through downtown SF, eventually making my way to Union Square where I spent most of the conversation sitting on a bench.

After we were done I took the F streetcar to Haight where I walked to Smuggler’s Cove Tiki bar. SC was another one of the bars featured on the SF episode of Best Bars in America. After looking at the menu, talking with the bartender and explaining my distaste for hard alcohol, I settled on a Hawaiian Sunrise cocktail.

Hawaiian Sunrise

The drink was fruity and decilious and just as was the case with the Chi Chi at The Tonga Room, I could not taste the booze. Again, either he put very little in there OR he is just very good at what he does. After that I had a speciality chocolatey-ish beer which is apparently brewed only for them. It too was very good.

After my drinks I made my way back to the hostel where I had two new roommates. One was from Australia and the other was from New Zealand. I got along with them right away. Apparently they work for some camp and spend part of their time in Australia and part of their time in the Berkshires. I wish I had gotten their contact info because I would love to work/live in Australia. I gave them my card but  they have yet to send me an email, and I don’t really expect them to. I should have been more adamant. Guys, if you read this, please send me an e-mail. I’d love to work at that summer camp with you in Australia.

*I wasn’t sure if it was really his stuff, like if he was actually involved with the store, or if  the art was done by someone who was ripping him off. Either way it looked cool.

San Francisco – Day 3

Sunday 9/28

I woke up early-ish because I knew I had to be at Fisherman’s Wharf by 10:30 for my 11am ferry to”The Rock.” The first thing I did was to buy a 3-day pass for the MUNI. For $23 I could ride the bus, the Metro (light rail), the street car, and the cable cars on and off with no limits; solid deal. I couldn’t remember how long it took via the cable car to get from Powell street (downtown) to Mason Street near Fisherman’s Wharf. So, being the punctual person that I am, I arrived at Powell by 9am. I wasn’t able to fit on the first cable car that came by but I was able to get on the second. The cool thing was that it was pretty full so I had to ride on the “outside,” the epitome of the San Francisco cable car experience.

As I expected, I arrived at Fisherman’s Wharf much earlier than I needed to. So, I took the time to walk around and explore the more Western part of the wharf. I made my way down to the Hyde street cable car station, just to see where it was, and by the time I got there it was time for me to make my way to Pier 33.

Skyline from the ferry.

The boat ride to Alcatraz was really cool. There were nice views of the skyline and the Bay Bridge as you left the pier and excellent views of Alcatraz as you approached the island.

Alcatraz from the ferry.

The second I got off the ferry I was like a kid at Disney World, I literally could not stop grinning. Again, thanks to my many hours of Tony Hawk Pro Skater 4 (as well as having seen the 1996 movie The Rock several times), I had intimate knowledge of the prison’s layout. I was impressed at how accurate the game was. I almost expected Bam to come out from behind a rock and give me the shopping cart challenge.

Switchbacks

I continued to make my way up the switchbacks, stopping every two seconds for pictures and going into various buildings along the way. One cool thing was that while I was there, there was an art exhibit going on. I didn’t really care to much for the art itself, but what was cool about it was that it was being shown in buildings that aren’t typically open to the public.

After checking out some of the art, the lighthouse, and the Warden’s house, I made my way to the Cellhouse. This is where criminals like Alphonse “Al” Capone spent some quality time.

“Broadway”

Once in this main building guests could get an audio tour of the prison. I chose not to do this. Not that I didn’t care about all the specific things that happened and where they took place, I was just enjoying going wherever, whenever I wanted to. Eventually I found what I was looking for, an entire row of open jail cells that you could actually sit in.  I purposely wore my black and white stripped shirt in the hopes I would get the opportunity to take a picture in one of the cells. I found a woman who didn’t seem to be busy and asked if she wouldn’t mind taking my picture. She was clearly a photographer because when I got my phone back there were several photos on it taken from various and “artsy” angles.

Me in a cell.

After escaping from my cell I made my way back outside. I went down and around the South side of the island and up a long flight of stairs to the eeriest part of the prison… the recreation yard. For one, as I hoped would be the case, there was no one there. Literally I think it was me and two other girls. But for another, all that was there was a dirt field where the prisoners could play baseball.

Baseball field in the Recreation Yard.

I could go on and keep talking about every little thing that I did and post every single picture I took, but that would take forever, and frankly we don’t have the time. After exploring and taking pictures for about two and a half hours I caught the 1:25 ferry back to San Francisco. At that point I had worked up a pretty big appetite and I knew exactly where I was gonna go for lunch.

I hopped on the streetcar and took it Westbound to the last stop. I then took a short walk to the promised land… In And Out Burger. It was a zoo, as I expected it would be. However, the line moved fast and soon I was ordering a cheeseburger, animal style, with fries and a chocolate shake. While I was waiting, I kept eyeing the paper hats the employees had on. I was planning on trying to ask for one when I was called to get my order but was thwarted (in the best way possible) by a “mind reading” employee who asked while walking by me, “Want a hat?” and handed one to me.

Cheeseburger – animal style

Eventually my order was called but it was so busy that I had to sit with an elderly Asian woman. I didn’t mind but I felt weird asking. Oh well, it worked out fine. Upon leaving I found that there were plenty of free table outside; again, oh well. I walked over to the Hyde street cable car that I was planning to take to the top of Lombard street, only to find that it was closed. This forced me to walk up Hyde, which sucked on the one hand, because it was so steep, but was cool on the other hand because I got to take pictures like this…

Hyde Street looking down at San Francisco Bay.

Eventually I got to the top where I was met with a mass of people all with the same idea as me. I hate that I am a quintessential tourist, but who cares, I like doing touristy things sometimes. I spent a good amount of time taking pictures of, walking down, taking more pictures of, and walking back up the “Crookedest Street.”

Lombard street

Somewhere during this time, because I had The Rock on my mind, I got the idea that I wanted to visit another shooting location from the movie. The scene/location I had in mind was the area where Sean Connery meets up with his daughter. I didn’t know what it was called but a quick Google search led me to the shooting locations of the movie. The location in question, The Palace of Fine Arts.

Palace of Fine Arts

I then made my way to the #30 bus and took it to the last stop which just so happens to be a few blocks away from the “palace.” Upon my arrival I was blown away by how big and how impressive the columns and structures are. I slowly made my way around the park area just admiring how cool everything was. After maybe 15 to 20 minutes of admiration, I had another realization. The day before I had Googled Industrial Light and Magic (the visual effects company that did all the special effects for Star Wars as well as countless other famous blockbusters) and confirmed my thought that it was in fact located in San Francisco!

This lead to me frantically re-Goggling ILM to find to my pleasant surprise that the PFA (where I was) is essentially located  accross the street from LucasFilm and ILM. I then made my way across the street to the park where I assumed these two icons to be located. As I walked around the park in front of these big, nondescript buildings, I wondered if I was in the right place. I walked around these buildings in search of something that said ILM or LucasFilm, but found nothing. The lack of fanboys as well as the lack of seemingly any security prescense really made me begin to doubt myself.

After walking around the far side of the facility and then back to the park out front, I grabbed a seat on a stone wall at the opposite end. My feet were miserably tired and I was ready to give up, but something told me to give it one more chance. “Use your iPhone Kyle,” I heard a strange ghostly voice in my head say. The voice sounded an awful lot like Alec Guinness, so I listened to it. I looked at Google maps one more time and noticed something I hadn’t before.

Suddenly my feet felt like they could run a marathon. I got up and quickly made my way toward the back of the complex. When I got back there, there was a security booth at the entrance to the parking lot. “Look like you belong, look like you belong,” I chanted to myself. Then, in the distance, standing atop a stone pedestal was the master himself… Yoda.

Yoda fountain

I had found the Yoda fountain, the trademark of this iconic building complex. There was another fanboy, an older man with his wife, taking pictures of the fountain. We chatted for a bit and I asked if he would take a few pictures of me in front of it. He obliged without hesitation. Afterwards I took a few moments to appreciate how far I’d come to be there, before heading back to the MUNI bus stop.

I took the bus downtown to Columbus street. I got off there as I’d seen the street my first day in SF but hadn’t gotten a chance to explore it. It seemed like a cool street filled with shops and restaurants. As I made my way down Columbus I walked past Washington Square Park. Eventually, out of nowhere came yet another pleasant surprise. A little backstory is that part of my goal while in SF was to visit the bars featured in the show Best Bars In America. I was able to find one online before I left (which I will mention in the Day 4 post), but the other was very illusive and the BBA website was useless.

So I’m walking down Columbus and I look up and though I didn’t remember the name I knew I was at the right place. The outside is unmistakable and exactly how I remembered it from the show. Regardless of the fact that it wasn’t that late, I had to go in and get a beer. Entering the bar helped to re-affirm that I was in the right place; here were plaques on the wall that I recognized. But the clincher was when I saw the thing that said “est. 1948” because I remembered thinking that the bar was a year younger than my Mom.

Vesuvio – featured on the show Best Bars in America.

After enjoying a drink, as well as eve’s dropping on the conversation next to me, I made my way over to the California cable car line. I literally had no need to ride it, but a) I had the time and b) I wanted to be able to say I rode every line I possibly could. This time, not only was I haning on, but I was right at the front of the car and got a few solid vids of the ride. Upon disembarking however, I was sort of in the middle of nowhere and it was getting dark and chilly. I took a bus down to Market street and then, after a bit of a MUNI mix up, took the BART to 24th and Mission where I got off and walked to The Royal Cuckoo, a bar that had been recommended to me by my sister’s boss.

The bar, though cool-ish was sub-par. Mostly because I was tired -and the bar was a long walk from the subway- and hungry -and the bar didn’t serve food. After half a beer, I left. I made my way back to the hostel where I asked the front desk if there was a fast food joint or a pizza joint nearby. The woman informed me that there was a pizza joint a block up Larkin. I grabbed a couple slices of Hawaiian, took it back to the hostel, ate a slice, planned my next day and organized my shit, then went to bed.

PS this is my 500th blog post!

San Francisco – Day 2

Saturday 9/27

Because of the room availability in the first hostel I stayed at, I had to start my day by moving to new hostel a few blocks away. I had read on Yelp that this second hostel was in a sort of dodgy part of town. I couldn’t imagine how much of a difference a few blocks could make and simply dismissed it. However, upon seeing it in person it was instantly apparent that this area was not as nice. I never felt unsafe in the Tenderloin (where my hostel was located) but it was very dirty and littered (pun intended?) with homeless people. In fact I noticed that homelessness seems to be a HUGE problem in San Francisco. The homeless people I encountered were never rude or mean to me; they all seemed to be in their own world and basically kept to themselves. I had just never been to a city where homelessness was so ever-present and in your face.

City Hall

Moving on, I dropped my bags off at the hostel and then began my day. I made my way down to the Civic Center and along the way passed the Asian Art Museum, the public library, and City Hall. When I got down to Market street I began to just walk aimlessly Eastward. I sort of made a nonsensical loop around the area before taking my time to figure out where I wanted to go.

Before leaving the first hostel I grabbed a physical map. I consulted it and saw that I was close to Chinatown, so I made my way there. Quick sidebar: I really got to like using the “analog” map as opposed to my (digital) iPhone. It made me feel smart and proud that I was able to navigate the city without using technology.

Chinatown Gate

Eventually I made my way over to Chinatown. I figured the best place to start was the gateway. I really didn’t take much time to look at things or go into shops, I was more so just interested in seeing what it was like and being able to check it off the list.

Chinatown

When I got to the intersection of Grant and California I heard a car beep at the car in front of them. The car in front was a BMW Z3 that apparently didn’t go the second the light turned green. However, now that they were pressured into having to go right away, they accidentally stalled. The truck behind him beeped again and the Z3 turned on the engine, dumped the clutch and sped off. Afterwards there were skid marks at the top of the hill. You really need to have good clutch control to drive in San Fran.

Cable Car Museum

After seeing most of Chinatown I headed West to the Cable Car Museum. The museum was small and old but it was free which was nice. The museum is basically just the garage where they bring the cable cars in for maintance. However, there are some artifacts, like old cable cars on display, photos from back in the day, and even a video from the early 80s explaining the history of the cable car and how it works. I basically just watched the video before leaving.

Washington street

After leaving the museum I took the cable car back downtown. While riding I got a call from Shaun saying that we should meet up in a couple of hours. (I forgot to mention that the day before I had gotten a text from Shaun asking if I wanted to go to the San Jose Sharks Game with him).  Once I was back downtown I took the streetcar a couple stops to the Westbound towards the Civic Center where I got off and walked back to the hostel. There I put my backpack away and to told them that I was going to be back late and that I’d check in then.

Next I made my way over to the Jack In The Box I had seen near my first hostel for lunch. I grabbed a quick bite before walking down to the Powell station. I told Shaun I would get on the first car so that he would know which train to get on. I took the BART to 24th and Mission where we were able to meet up. I was amazed at how smoothly it worked.

As we chatted we continued Southbound to the Millbrae station where we transferred to the CAL train. There we took the CAL train even further South to San Jose.  Upon disembarking we made our way into the downtown area. We hadn’t been in the city more than 10 minutes when  we were suddenly passed by a forrest green McLaren 12-C. I was surprised by this because a) I’ve never seen one that color before and b) because I didn’t realize San Jose was the type of area where that sort of car might not be unordinary.

There was a random fan wearing a McLoven shirt.

After a short jaunt into the city (we really only dipped our toes in to San Jose) so Shaun could grab a water, we made our way back to the SAP center. Since he had paid for the tickets, I paid for his food and beer. Obviously I had never been to a Sharks game in California before (I specify CA because I have seen them play the Bruins in Boston) so it was cool to see the different idiosyncrasies that happen at that arena. For example, when the Sharks come out from the locker room, they skate out through a big, fake shark mouth. Also, before the game begins, the shark mascot comes out onto the ice on an ATV. Another thing that happens is when the other team gets a penalty, they play the JAWS theme and everyone in the audience clasps their arms up and down like a sharks’ mouth chomping on something. Lastly, the Zamboni’s have shark fins on them.

Me and Shaun

The game was really good and the Sharks won against the Ducks 3-1. When we got back to the train we were once again faced with a double deck car. I had wanted to ride on the top on the way down, but didn’t speak up. So, this time, like a little boy talking to his Dad I asked, “Can we ride on the top this time?” To my pleasant surprise, he wanted to do the same. It was a stupid but fun way to end the day. We transferred back to the BART at Millbrae and went our separate ways at 24th and Mission. After Shaun left I took the train to the Civic Center station and walked back to the hostel where I checked in and went straight to bed.

—PS

No joke, these were my “doorm-mates”…

A Series Of Stupid Events OR How I Ended Up In San Francisco

I don’t really know how this came about. Back in July I randomly got the urge to go to Seattle as I’ve never been there before. I knew my friend (I use this term loosely as we’re not super tight) had just moved out there with his girlfriend who is originally from there. In any case, I hit him up out of the blue and asked if it would be possible for me to crash on his couch sometime in September. He said it would be no problem and to just keep him posted.

Cut to the end of August and I’m at Andrew and Angelina’s wedding. I met up with Marcell and she tells me that she goes to school at Berkley in San Francisco. I offhandedly mention that my cousin Josh lives north of San Francisco and that if I ever go out there to visit him that I could visit her too. She seems receptive to this idea (probably because she thinks I won’t follow through).

Cut to a couple days later, September 2nd, and I hit up Ryan (my friend in Seattle) via email to see if he’s still down to let me crash with him. A few days go by and I don’t hear back from him. A few days later I come to the realization that Seattle is not only a short flight from San Francisco, but I remember that my friend (I use this term loosely as we’re not super tight) Shawn lives in San Francisco with his girlfriend. I send him an email saying basically the same thing I wrote to his brother and explaining that I was gonna try and kill two birds with one stone. Fly out to Seattle, spend a few days there, fly down to San Francisco spend a few days there (see my cousin Josh, crash at Shawn’s place (and go to bars with him at night) and see Marcell), and then fly home.*

I then waited a few days but heard no response from Shawn or Ryan. I then decided to call Josh. Not to try and crash with him, but to see if he’d still at least be available to meet me while I was there, if I was gonna be able to a) get Shawn’s attention and b) if he gave me the green light. After a few days of no response and a bit of telephone tag, I finally got a hold of Josh. At this point I had decided “fuck it,” neither one is getting back to me but I’ve had it in my head that I want to go on a trip so I will at least go on one. Since there were/are more potential people to meet up with in SF (Josh, Shawn, and Marcell) than there are in Seattle ( just Ryan) -in spite of the fact that I’ve never been to Seattle and I really want to check it out- there were too many signs (things on TV and Instagram) pointing me to San Francisco.

When I finally got a hold of Josh, he told me that my timing was perfect. He was planning on driving from SF to Boston to drop off a friend and chill on the East coast for a few days before grabbing a girl friend of his and driving back to SF. He said that I should not spend my money on a plane ticket out there and instead just drive with him. Initially my reaction was positive but the second we hung up my heart sunk and rational Kyle kicked in. I didn’t really want to do this but I needed a reason not to, so I made a Pros and Cons list.

Pros: 1) I have to time to do this (since I quit City Express) 2) it’s a road trip, those are always fun 3) the spirit of adventure 4) I get to, at the very least, definitely see Josh. Cons: 1) having to pay for gas 2) it would take longer to get there 3) I have to deal with his schedule, wait for him to drive out here, spend a few days in Mass, then drive to SF 4) I have to bend to his plans; sort of already said but whenever I want to do something and Josh gets involved, it turns into us doing whatever he wants to do 5) I didn’t want to have to pay for motels or worse, have to sleep in his car 6) I don’t want to drive; I really don’t like it 7) I don’t want to have to deal with this girl I don’t know and feel like the third wheel the whole time.

A couple days later I booked a flight and a CHEAP hotel. I then emailed Josh my Pros and Cons list and apologized for getting his hopes up. …and so that is what led me to go in this semi-sporradic, Frances Ha-esque vacation.

*Actually the initial plan included a trip to New York to chill with Steve and Tom again and that I’d fly out from JFK; so the trip would have been as follows: Boston to New York (via bus), New York to Seattle, Seattle to San Francisco, and San Francisco back to Boston. But I didn’t want to throw this in the mix to make this already confusing and unnecessary backstory even more confusing.

—

San Francisco – Day 1

Friday 9/26 – I arrived at SFO at 12:56 (Pacific time), 36 minutes earlier than our scheduled arrival. This was good because it meant a slightly shorter flight, but bad because my check in time was not until 3pm. Oh well. I made my way from the terminal to the BART and began the ~30 minute ride from the airport to the Powell Street station in downtown San Francisco. From there it was a relatively short walk to hostel. I explained the situation to the woman at the front desk and she said I could leave my bags there and get them later (when I checked in). I then walked aimlessly up Mason street to Huntington Park at the top of the hill. There I got situated, figuring out where I was and putting on suntan lotion before walking back down to get food.

The place I ate at was across the street from my hostel. While eating, I texted my friend Shaun (who moved to SF for work upon graduating) to let him know I was in town and that we should chill if he wanted to. After eating I  checked in and brought my bags to my room. My first mission was to locate the hotel I had stayed at the last time I was in SF in 2006. The hotel was only a few blocks away near Union Square.

Union Square

The moment I got there I remembered everything and knew exactly where I was. After admiring Union Square for a bit I took a cable car to Fisherman’s Wharf. After exploring for a bit I walked to Pier 33 to book my Alcatraz tour. The sign said that the next available tour for purchase was September 30th. However, when I asked if there were any tours sooner, the woman said that if it was just for one that there was a cancellation for the tour on Sunday at 11am. Sold.

I then continued to make my way down the Embarcadero. As I was walking, I noticed that this all looked familiar. I knew where I knew it from but I wasn’t getting to the main part of the attraction, the part that was so iconic to me. Suddenly, I saw it…

The sculpture you use to get to the hidden tape in Tony Hawk Pro Skater.

The sculpture from Tony Hawk Pro Skater! Also, featured in THPS4, this sculpture is used to get to the hidden tape in the level. This area is not very accurately portrayed in THPS 1, but it is super accurate in 4. I saw…

Stairs featured in Tony Hawk Pro Skater 4.

the stairs you grind on in one of the challenges,

More stairs featured in THPS 4.

the big set of stairs you have to jump in another challenge,

Street cars and the Embarcadero are also featured in THPS 4. The building in the background is the Exploratorium.

and the awnings and street car wires you have to grind on in the C-O-M-B-O challenge! I felt like I was living the video game. After nerding out for a bit and seeing a bit more of the Piers and the Embarcadero, I noticed a tower at the top of a hill in the distance. Since this first day was purposely unstructured in order to allow for free roaming, I made my way towards it. However, before doing that, I felt I needed to make an important stop first. Along the way I went by the Transamerica building.

The Transamercia building has a small forrest of redwoods in which their employees can eat lunch and relax.

This building is so iconic to San Francisco and I hadn’t gotten a chance to see it the last time, so I was glad to pay my respects. Next, using mostly my eyes (in other words, not relying on the Maps app on my phone) I walked to Telegraph Hill. Along the way -as I climbed the various hills- I got stunning views of the city and of the Transamerica Building. Eventually, I climbed a series of stairs and got to the top of Telegraph Hill.

San Francisco skyline from atop Telegraph Hill; the Bay Bridge on the left, the financial district in the middle and the Transamerica building on the right.

At the top I got a great view of the financial district and the Bay Bridge. Behind me was Coit Tower. Unfortunately by the time I got there (I think around 6pm) it was closed. I don’t really know if you’re typically allowed inside or to the top, but I didn’t really care, there were still great views of the city from the bottom to of the tower.

Coit Tower

Once at the front side of the tower there were great views of the Golden Gate Bridge (see my Instagram). I took a few pics before using the public restroom* and making my way back down the hill.

The sunset on the way down the hill.

I ended up going down a different side than I walked up. I then made my way through the outskirts of Chinatown to start heading back downtown.

Saw this Hippie van with the church and the clouds behind it on the way back downtown and couldn’t not take a picture of it.

As I did, I walked past Tonga Room/Hurricane Bar at the Fairmont Hotel. I knew about this bar because my friends had gone to SF about a year ago and had posted it on Instagram. I started to go in but immediately felt out of place based on how I was dressed. After going back to my hostel to change, I walked back to The Tonga Room.

The Tonga Room/Hurricane Bar at the Fairmont Hotel.

Because I was by myself and didn’t need a table, I was able to go right in and grab a seat at the bar. I told the bartender that I was/am not a fan of mixed drinks, that I’m more of a beer drinker, but that I felt I should have a mixed drink since I was at a tiki bar. He recommended the Chi Chi and it was the perfect choice. I don’t know if the bartender made the drink weak or just blended it really well, but either way, it was delicious and I could not taste the booze.

My drink, the Ch Chi, a twist on a typical Pinã Colada.

The Tonga Room reminded me of a Boston area staple, Kowloon on Route 1. The difference being that Tonga is much nicer and brings it to the next level. In the middle of the restaurant/bar there is an actual lagoon. On the lagoon there is a small boat, and on the boat there is a house band that plays short sets every 15 or 20 minutes. While I was there, I even experienced a “rain storm.” The lights flickered, there were thunder sound effects, and there was even “rain” that fell from the ceiling into the lagoon. It was a great way to end my first day.

Tiki

After my second drink, an Anchor Steam beer, I made my way back to the hostel and straight to bed.

*SF is great with public restrooms. This is a concept I wish more major cities would adopt. It is super convenient to get the urge to go to the bathroom and have a free one available nearby without having to go into a restaurant that probably wouldn’t let you use their’s anyway.

It’s Back!

Just two years after my first attendance, Mini Takes The States is back. The route for MttS 2014 was just announced; San Francisco to Boston. What a crazy twist, going East to West -New York to LA- the first time, and West to East the second; this time ending in my home town.

I’m still very much up in the air as to whether or not I want to go. It’s a lot of money and a lot of seat time in a car, as well as just a big time commitment in general. However, it was a lot of fun (for the most part) and would be cool to see and hang out with the friends we made the last time, as well as make some new ones.

I feel like the universe is conspiring against me. I went from having one potential thing to do next Summer, to now having three*. I guess it’s trying to make up for this Summer, during which I didn’t go on any vacations, unless you count Maine.

I don’t know, there’s a lot to think about and a lot that can change in a year. All I do know is, no matter what ends up happening, it’s gonna be one hell of a Summer!

Urban Bicycle Adventures

Returning to my roots. Initially, when I started this blog, I thought about how cool it would be to do some posts visiting places around the world and meeting people via the hi wheel. Something akin to Anthony Bordain’s: The Layover. I could bike through specific cities, giving my own version of a tour, and also take cool shots of the hi wheel in iconic places.

Now however, that idea has shifted and morphed. There are several cities around the world that pop out to me as either, bike cities (Amsterdam, Seattle), cities I’ve always wanted to visit anyway (Tokyo, Sydney) and cities that I just think would be fun, yet kinda dangerous, to bike (New York, San Francisco).

The idea I came up with is to make an internet series where I go to these cities (not with my hi wheel, because it’s just not practical, but with the fixie I keep saying I’m going to buy) and simply bike through them, perhaps with a friend or two, chronicling riding through the streets using Go Pros, as well as hitting up noteworthy bars and giving some historical info (stopped and shot with DSLRs) at famous landmarks along the way.

—

I figured it would make the most sense to start in my own back yard and shoot our first episode in Boston this summer. All I need now is the fixie I keep saying I’m going to buy, and a crew that’s willing to help me shoot this. They not only have to be willing but also be interested in the project.

The following is a list of “Adventures” I feel is doable this summer:

Boston: My Own Backyard (Episode 1)

-Boston (proper +)

-Cambridge

-Somerville

-Allston

-Brighton

—Mini Episodes—

Nahant Adventure: Part 2

Early Ride from Melrose to Rockport/Gloucester

Northern Strand Community Trail

Bike to the Sea (event in Malden June 2nd)

—

New York: The Five Boroughs

-Brooklyn

-Manhattan (Greenich village, Soho, Harlem ,all the bits featured in that ep of Project Runway (yes I”ve seen Project Runway))

-Queens

-The Bronx

-Staten Island