Grateful

Lu: It was Thanksgiving and we couldn't leave wine country without a good morning tasting. ;) the weather was beautiful and set the tone for a good Thanksgiving adventure.We were on our way from beautiful wine country to San Fran. I've never seen it in the day, and the drive to it was a beautiful invitation. We immediately parked the car on the other side of the Golden Gate Bridge and walked over half of it. Soon after our walk we set out to start our mysterious thanksgiving celebration. At the end of the day we had a great success. We started off the night sharing a rum cocktail for 2 at a tiki bar and preceded towards the wharf for a famous Irish coffee. We tromped all around the city in all sorts of ways. The streetcar was definitely my favorite way to get around. It was such a cool way to view the city. Each area we visited felt very different, it was a lot of fun walking around. We found a yummy late night Chinese restaurant to top the night off.

Ma: Lucy is such an easy travel partner. She won't let me drive because she says she is too much of a control freak, but other than that, we agree on most everything. She's a good driver and fast, so that's good. Jumping onto the Golden Gate Bridge walkway as soon as we entered San Francisco was a perfect way to stretch out after the drive and to see the city spread out
before us from such an historic vantage point. Our eyes traveled from surfers catching wave after wave to the lonely Alcatraz and then miles of water, mountain and city. I highly recommend doing that if you ever find yourself there. We stayed at the Phoenix Hotel in the Tenderloin/Little Saigon District. The Phoenix is a hip refurbished motor lodge and the hotel of choice for touring bands. For a little more than $100/ night you get a very comfortable " hip" room, great bath products ( I'm all abut that), free breakfast and the use if a perpetually heated pool in the middle of a chic lounge area with cabanas, lounge chairs and lots of art and sculpture. This was probably my 4th time back there but I never knew that the best Bahn Mi sandwich was right across the street! For $350 at Saigon Sandwich you can sink your teeth into a crusty french roll filled with roasted chicken or pork in a savory sweet sauce with hints of five spice topped with freshly shredded carrots, sprouts, cilantro and thinly sliced jalapeño peppers. Lucy and I both agreed it was probably the best sandwich ever and we ate them standing up while watching the toaster get her tire repaired! San Francisco is truly a romantic and beautiful city and even in only one day you can experience the sight sounds and tastes of so many cultures.

What we did in less than 24 hours: Walked the Golden Gate Bridge, Thanksgiving dinner outside at Cafe Flora in the Castro District, climbed Twin Peaks for a 360 view, chilled at The Phoenix Hotel, cocktails at the Tonga Room in the Fairmont Hotel, street car ride to Fisherman's Wharf, Irish Coffee at The Buena Vista, China Town, midnight snack at Yuet Lee!

Note: We love Anthony Bourdain and have had good luck following some of his food and drink pilgrimages.