Hello again! Writing this from a plane to Charlotte from San
Francisco. Last I wrote I was in VA Beach, visiting Mom & Ron, relaxing and
loving every second of it. Being in VA Beach made me realize JUST how much I
missed living down the road from my family and the importance of being close
by. Hopefully we’ll all be able to gather in one state at some point in the
next few years.
I was home for about a day and a half between trips, so I
had about enough time to unpack, repack and hit the road again. Headed to San
Francisco from Wednesday to Sunday for a work trip. The work portion was just
during the week, so I happily extended my stay through the weekend so I could
enjoy my favorite city and see Margie. I arrived late Wednesday night, checked
into the BEAUTIFUL (but rather club-like) W Hotel in Soma and went out for
drinks at the “Thirsty Bear” pub across the street. I really got to know the
few co-workers who came along on this trip and they were great. One gal in
particular made me realize just how lucky I was to have developed girlfriends
at work. Was SO happy that she came along, and we got to spend a lot of time
touring the city together.
Anyway, we were in SF for focus groups. It was a very unique
research study and I was psyched to be a part of it. Such a cool experience. We
did some in-home ethnographies along with traditional facilitated focus groups.
Thursday night after the groups were over, I met up with
Margie and we went to a great bar/restaurant called Jasper’s. We were then brave enough to venture over to
the Tenderloin to check out the world-famous “Speak Easy” bar called “Bourbon
& Branch.” It was the first speak-easy bar in SF and well-known for it’s
whiskey, library room and secret bookshelf doorways. We researched the password
to enter and took a risk trying to get in, as it’s usually reservation-only.
Somehow we made it in and it was well worth the risk! Such a cool place. Almost
felt like the setting of a Sherlock Holmes book. Look it up!
Friday was more work, a second brunch at The Grove (adorable
place near The W), lunch at Café de la Presse in Union Square, some adventuring
with my co-worker and new favorite gal, and then an awesome night out in
Berkeley. Margie was wonderful enough to buy us tickets to see Edward Sharpe
& The Magnet Zeros (one of my favorite bands) and they played at The Greek
Theater in Berkeley. We took the train over with a bunch of her friends, had
dinner at a great pizza place called Junipers and made it just in time for the
first song. We had a ball. I met a lot of great people and loved seeing
Berkeley. Reminded me a lot of Burlington, which made me miss home.
Saturday Margie and I ventured down to the Ferry Boat
building for the farmers market. I’ve done this before but it was Margie’s
first time. We ate lots of food, sampled, explored and had our first Blue
Bottle coffee experience. Worth waiting in line – yum!
We rode cable cars (my first time!) back to Margie’s
apartment, picked up her vespa and drove to the Coit tower to continue our
touristy adventures. We then drove to the Golden Gate Bridge, snapped some
photos, had lunch on Chestnut Street and headed home to relax before dinner. We
went to an adorable wine bar for wine and cheese and then headed to Little
Italy area for drinks.
Heading to the SFO airport was very sad for me, as I had
nearly forgotten how much I had fallen in love with the city. It has been
nearly a year since my last visit, and far too short of a trip! I’ll be in
Charlotte for a sales meeting and then headed home for a week or so. Next week
I’ll headed to Baltimore for Expo East and then I should be back for a month
before my next trip.
Missing family and counting down the days until my trip to
VT for Thanksgiving. J
