U.S. Cities – Page 9 – thosecoolkims

SF, Day 3.

So much today – where to begin?!? We got up early with yummy breakfast in mind. We tried to hit up the local spot we kept reading about, Dottie’s True Blue Cafe, but much to our disappointment, there was a line around the block! So, we decided to keep the splurge alive and head over to The Clift Hotel, which was designed by Phillippe Starck. Ed stayed there last time he was in SF on business (lucky guy!) and he said I had to see it. Boy, was he right! It was a grand place and very exciting. Unfortunately, I was too intimidated to take pics in such a fancy place, but I have to say that it was the best breakfast we’ve ever had! We’re still salivating.

Today was also “Bay to Breakers” here in SF, which is a BIG DEAL. Ed coined it as “Burning Man, the Marathon”. There were people everywhere, in all kinds of outfits, with all kinds of alcohol and various other things that were making the 7+ mile trek across town. It was pretty cool, but pretty overwhelming – it was already pretty busy in town being a Sunday and all. But with this giant event, we figured we’d skip the sightseeing and take the road trip we wanted to go on to Bodega Bay. Of course, aside from thinking it would be a pretty drive with excellent seafood, this was the major source of inspiration:

(Yup, the spot of Alfred Hitchcock’s The Birds!)

The drive didn’t disappoint, it only took a little over an hour and we had the chance to drive over the Golden Gate Bridge. So pretty!

Ed was hungry….

but Carrie squashed the thought…

heh.

Here we are!

Then it was off to Bodega bay where we had great scenery and awesome Dungeness Crab and Chowder at a great Restaurant!

We looked all over though and we couldn’t find the schoolhouse and the playground in the teeny-tiny town! But it was definitely a nice time getting out of the city and it really felt like we were on vacation today. Now, we’re getting all settled in at our new home for the evening, The Phoenix, and we are gonna get drinks at the Tonga Room, a Tiki Bar that has a live band doing cheesy covers on a raft that floats through the indoor lagoon. Sweeeet!!!!

SF, Day 2 addendum: Frisson!!

Yep, Frisson was incredible. It was even all orange inside, and we all know that’s Ed’s favorite color! Carrie continues to amaze me with her ever increasing tendencies to try new things…she ate chicken pate knowing full well what it was! Anyways, the food was delicious. Some pics…

SF, Day 2

Today started off with a bang. We got up relatively early with plans to explore. First, Carrie got to indulge in a little retail therapy at a bonafide Benefit Cosmetics store. Benefit is from San Francisco and Benefit is Carrie’s favorite!

So cute. Carrie loves Benefit makeup!

Next we headed up (um, down) Lombard Street because a) it’s the curviest street in the country, and b) it just wouldn’t be a vacation if Ed didn’t have to go on some crazy driving mission. It was cool though, and it gave us a lovely view of the city-by-the-bay. Ed was very excited to drive down this famous street!

After Lombard Street, we hit up SF MoMA. Wow – it was perfect. They had this really cool student exhibition there – California College of the Arts at 100: Innovation by Design – it was AWESOME. We were so impressed by the collection. It was our favorite exhibit of the day, without a doubt. L.A. should be ashamed of itself, MOCA doesn’t even come close!

We shopped around in the museum shop, oogled all the fancy modern merchandise and decided it was time for a cocktail, so we cruised around the corner to the W Hotel for our usual martinis…

Speaking of swanky, now we have to go get ready, ’cause we’re going to fancy dinner at Frisson

Check this place out!

SF, Day 1.

We made it! We arrived after a hassle-free flight from LB to SF on Jet Blue, and boy was it nice. No drama! We barely had time to finish our celebrity-trash magazines before we hit the ground, talk about quick transportation!

Ed even found a place where you can rent a hybrid, so in the spirit of blending in with the crowd up north, we hopped in our Civic Hybrid, and headed off to the city. Ever seen the South Park episode where San Francisco is suffering from SMUG – not smog – because of all the righteous hybrid drivers? Ha. It’s a good one. Ed also scored a portable Navigation System that he is evaluating at work, so we brought it with us and now we can find anything anywhere – it’s gonna be a good weekend!

We checked into the hotel and decided to grab a bite to eat. We walked down the street and stumbled upon this gem:

Yum. This place was old school and had a nice kitschy vibe to it. Our table sat in front of this cool fake foresty area – very similar to the Train Ride at Disneyland when you cruise past the era of the Dinosaurs.

Staying true to their name, they even managed to delicately place an odd old ship amongst the fake greenery in all it’s glory…

The food was delicious – we had yummy guacamole, a few margaritas, and the fave of the evening – tasty Mexican Soup.

Tomorrow is SF MoMA (among others)! Can’t wait to check out this city!