web analytics

Culturally worthwhile day

Body didn’t know, last night, if it was sleepy or awake. So alternated between the two states at random, testing them out. Asleep at 11pm, awake at 1am, 2am, 3am, 4… asleep at 9am, 10am…

You see the pattern. Spent the night going to the window, burningly alert, staring out at the city. ‘Can’t wait to get into it!’ Then sleeping like the dead. Missing, ultimately, my half-made plans to see Alcatraz first thing. Next time I’m in San Francisco, I’m determined to do the Alcatraz sunset tour.

Got up, confirmed with the man on the hotel desk that my method of getting from San Francisco to San Jose (researched during the awake hours in the middle of the night) was the best available, wandered through a day just as bright but much colder than yesterday. Had Mexican again! Hurrah! This time with Jason, Kirstyn & Sir Tessa (blog links to be inserted as I remember ’em). Wandered with the crew to Union Square where Jason & Kirstyn left to find the Golden Gate Park or the Tutankhamen exhibition (or both) & Tess & I decided to take advantage of the unreasonably strong Australian dollar & try some shopping. Victoria’s Secret, which has always fascinated me, turned out to be not quite as appealing as Peter Alexander, but the one chosen department store of all the pickings — Macy’s — offered up several delights. Some of which Sir T. is still suffering amidst a room full of Toucans. Too-much-cheesecake-not-enough-red-velvet um, cake at the Cheesecake Factory atop Macy’s got the better of me, but the hot caramel apple cider was deLISH! And tea! Mmmm, tea made properly hot. I love you, San Francisco.

More wandering, off to the Golden Gate Bridge, which is beautiful, really beautiful in the same way art deco is beautiful, classical sculpture is beautiful, mist on mountains is beautiful. Also, in the gift store you can buy canned fog. But careful opening the can, as fog dissipates on exposure to air (says so right there on the can).

Cable car rides up & down the 50-degree+ inclines of your regular SF streets (it was exhilarating, exactly like a roller coaster), us clinging to the rails for our lives because if we started rolling down the hill we’d end up in the bay within 90 seconds. It’d be just like a sheer drop off a cliff, I’m pretty sure. Dinner on Geary St — wagyu burger, yum! — and then cable cars back up Nob Hill to my beautifully posh hotel. Ahhhhh, hotel. How I’ll miss you.

Now catching up on reading via Twitter. So far:

Forget everything you’ve heard about publishing, Adam Penenberg.

42 Essential Third-Act Twists, erm, Dresden Codak?

Worthwhile Culture, Jeremy Fisher, ASA President

A brilliant day!