well, i’m on my way home from san francisco.  and i can definitely say the trip exceeded all expectations.

it’s always a toss up when you’re traveling for work.  you’re either going to be completely busy and not have a spare minute to see the city you’re in, or you somehow luck out and have an abundance of time.  i planned for some extra time and then happened to luck my way into some as well.

here’s what i got to see:

- dolores park: absolutely gorgeous view of the city.  i got the vibe from my friends who recommended it that its best known for its people-watching, but alas, the only time i could visit was about 8:30am.  a few people were there, but it was okay, i was more interested in the view.

- mission viejo: well, this was a bit of a miss.  i walked up and down valencia st. only to realize that i was there WAY too early.  it was right by dolores park, so as you can imagine, i was about an hour or two too early for the stores to be open.  i grabbed some coffee at four barrels coffee, so it wasn’t all a loss.

- haight-ashbury: by the time i abandoned the mission (ha!), i knew the shops at haight-ashbury would soon be open by the time i made it over there.  i hopped in a cab and beelined for amoeba music.  i love this store.  i spent about 45 minutes and $60 buying records i mostly already owned in digital format.  old out of print ida and low records and whatnot.  i walked up and down the streets which were much more boutique-y and cool than my last visit in the mid-90s.  there was still a strong weirdo contingent, which i was happy to see.

- downtown: near my hotel was just about every store imaginable, so i set my sights on making the rounds at H&M, express, forever 21, etc. in search of a new winter coat.  it was probably because i was in san francisco which isn’t exactly a “winter coat” market, but i didn’t find jack shit.  oh well.

- cable cars: i woke up bright and early saturday morning to take the cable car.  i got the perfect spot, right up front and hanging off the side.  it was a total thrill.  i suspected that it might be a little cheesy to ride the cable car, but i loved every minute of it.  what a great way to see san francisco’s different streets and neighborhoods.

- pier 39: i walked up, took about 10 pictures of sea lions, and then left.  what a ridiculously overblown tourist trap!  the sea lions were awesome though!

- alcatraz: this was the highlight of my trip.  the last time i was there, i was 13 and not as into history as i am today.  i loved walking around the prison, listening to the audio tour, and snapping tons and tons of pictures.  what a haunting place.  you could feel the ghosts and the history in each room and cellblock.  i spent about 3 hours walking around here before catching the boat back to the city.

- musee mechanique: i would have never found this place if it wasn’t for kelsey’s recommendation.  it was amazing… basically a museum filled with antique arcade games, nickelodeons, coin-operated wurlitzers, and other things.  it was seriously so cool.  i got a bunch of quarters and spent about an hour exploring the different machines.

- coit tower: my good friend christina met up with me late on saturday afternoon and she drove me up to coit tower where we took in the view of the city.  i’m so glad she picked me up, because originally i had planned to walk there and i am pretty sure it would have killed me.  it’s at the top of this ridiculously steep hill.

- golden gate bridge: i didn’t get SUPER close to the bridge, but christina took me to a park nearby where you could see it really well lit up at night.  as if on cue, as we arrived, someone was putting on a fireworks show across the bay.

- in’n’out burger: a must-eat west coast spot.  no explanation needed.  man, it was packed though.

- burma superstar: i got so many amazing recommendations from people leading up to my trip and while i was there, so this is my return recommendation.  if anyone heads out to SF, you MUST eat at burma superstar.  i’d never had burmese food before and this was easily one of the top ten best meals i’ve ever had.  amazing.  i woke up this morning depressed because i’m pretty sure richmond doesn’t have a place like this.  so delicious.

all in all, i feel like i got a really great feel for the city.  thanks again to all the people who sent in suggestions/recommendations.  it’s a beautiful place and i hope that my next visit is sooner rather than later.