Day 7 - Denouement

Had brunch at Eureka, then we went to the de Young art museum. They currently have a good photography exhibit of David Semour’s work, which includes some shots of a young Joan Collins (way before Dynasty!) We also had tea in Golden Gate Park’s Japanese tea garden. Shani & I also went to the Ferry Building on Embarcadero to check out the shops and consume some wine and cheese. And then I packed up and took the red-eye back to NY.

Structures in the Japanese tea garden.


Love amid the bonsai.


Corner of the Golden Gate Park bandshell.

No complaints about my trip. I hadn’t seen Michael since Sri Lanka, so it was nice to hang out with him. However, SF is weird. Parts of the city and surrounding areas are extremely beautiful, with postcard-worthy views everywhere you turn. Yet this was my 4th time in SF, and unfortunately I've never vibed with the city or been able to establish an emotional connection with it. So I predict I'll be back again to visit Shani & Mike, but at this point I don't expect my opinion of the city to change.

Day 6 - Soaking up the scenery

Shani & I drove around to check out some of the scenic routes. Had lunch in the town of Pacific Grove, and then we went to pick up Mike. He was playing golf at Pebble Beach. The lodge overlooks the 18th hole, so we had a drink on the terrace waiting for him to finish the round.

More beautiful coastline.


Posing with the Lone Cypress on 17-Mile Drive.


Mike tees off. Watch out, Tiger Woods!


The 18th hole at Pebble Beach.


We ate dinner at A.W. Shucks in Carmel. Good seafood without any pretense. Drove back to SF.

Spotted: Carly Fiorina having dinner at the table behind us.

Day 5 - Road trip

We drove down Highway 1 for about 3 hours. This stretch of road is really stunning. I love looking at the ocean, and the Pacific coast is particularly cool because it's very dramatic: cliffs, trees and a big expanse of sea. Each vista seemed more spectacular than the one before. I recommend this drive if you're in SF and can take a day to do it.

There are some cute roadside stands along the highway. We stopped at Swanton Berry Farm for strawberry cider and blackberry cobbler. The store's cash register drawer is an "honor till" - it's left open for you to pay for what you take. God bless California.

We spent the night at Mission Ranch in Carmel. The property is actually owned by Clint Eastwood. Apparently he ate Thanksgiving dinner there.

Sheep grazing in a pasture on the ranch.

Day 4 - Turkey Day

Shani cooked a ton of food and ordered a pumpkin pie from Tartine. My mom and aunt came over for dinner. It was a lovely meal, and we had a good time. There is much to be thankful for!

The table setting before we chowed down.

My friend John lives in SF, and I went out with him to Badlands after dinner. Nothing says Thanksgiving quite like drinking margaritas with scores of gay men singing along to Britney Spears videos.

Day 3 - Not quite Sideways

The Golden Gate Bridge.

Spent a full day in wine country Wednesday. Quality family time takes on a new meaning when you're knocking back wine tastings with your mother at 10 am. Visited Viansa and Cline wineries in Sonoma and had lunch on Sonoma Plaza, and then we went to Domaine Chandon in Napa. Back in the city, I had dinner at a taqueria with Mike and Shani.

Autumn leaves in a Napa Valley vineyard.

Day 2 - Bay watch

My mom and my aunt flew in to San Francisco Monday, so on Tuesday I met them at their hotel in Fisherman's Wharf. I got there via the F line, which is serviced by restored vintage streetcars from other cities.

Cool streetcar/tram.

My mom had never been to SF so we had to do some touristy things: We went to Ghirardelli Square for chocolate, and then took a cable car down to Union Square. I'd never ridden a cable car before, and I'd forgotten that the cables actually run underground continuously and the cars just "grip" onto them. The cable car ride was fairly perilous. The Powell-Mason line goes up and down some crazy hills, and the car lurches around. Meanwhile all these elderly tourists want to hang off the side of the car, which was super-frightening to witness ... I guess they watched too many Rice-a-Roni commercials back in the day!

The beloved cable car.


We had lunch and did a little shopping in Union Square. Then we headed to Muir Woods to check out the redwood groves. We also went to Sausalito and then had dinner at a Chinese place in North Beach.

Very big redwood trees.

Day 1 - Where the boys are

Flew to San Francisco Sunday night, November 18. Am spending the week at Shani and Michael's new home in the Castro. The Castro is the heart of San Fran's gay community. It's a very vibrant neighborhood, but it's gay to an extent that makes 8th Avenue in Chelsea or Christopher St. in Greenwich Village seem mixed.

Had breakfast on Monday at the Cove on Castro, walked over to the Mission. Later Shani and I had a drink at Harvey's, a bar named after Harvey Milk (the first openly gay elected official in a major US city who was assassinated by a political opponent).

Nice view of the city from Mission Dolores Park.

Go West

My new client is based in Irvine, CA, so I’m out here for some meetings and a conference. I flew in a little early to visit Karen. I’ve seen Karen in NY and Atlanta, but I haven’t seen her family in over 2 years. As it turns out, they’re moving to Denver in two weeks, so this trip was well-timed!

Karen and Scott’s “nuggets,” Sebastian and Annabel.

Had dinner Wed. night at Mosun in Laguna Beach. It was actually the best sushi I’ve eaten in a very long time. In my experience, restaurants in Laguna are laid-back and beachy; however, this place was packed & fairly lounge-y/club-y, with low-lighting and a DJ spinning in a corner. Somehow it worked, though.

After client meetings today I checked into my hotel. Then I hit the beach. Did I mention that it’s sunny & in the 80s here? (Compared to 40s in NYC.)

Surf City, USA: the Huntington Beach pier.

Another one bites the dust

Ab is moving back to Holland. So NY is losing a tall Dutchman, but I am gaining a free place to stay in Amsterdam. Ab & I went out Saturday night because I'm going to miss his official leaving party. We had dinner at Matilda, a new restaurant in my 'hood that blends Italian and Mexican cuisines. Good stuff. The house cocktail is a prosejito, a mojito made with prosecco. I actually had the blackberry prosejito - yum.

Ab is sad to be leaving NYC, and I am sad to see him go.

Very cheesy

Last night I went to Caselulla, a small cheese & wine café that opened in Hell’s Kitchen about 6 months ago. From the restaurant’s name, I assumed we’d be ordering cheese plates & drinking wine. However, in addition to cheese flights, they also offer a dinner menu with sandwiches and salads, etc. I was dining with four other people, and theoretically we were supposed to be sharing. But I must say, the food really tested my self-control/sharing abilities. Mac & cheese was ridiculous. It contained carmelized onions, which gave it a slightly sweet taste. Bread pudding (served with bacon & maple syrup) was also very ridiculous. I’m Southern; I know bread pudding; this was good bread pudding. We also got the “Pig’s Ass Sandwich.” Not my favorite dish, but it was fun to order. Service was great, and our waiter was extremely knowledgeable. Looking forward to a repeat visit to this cozy place during the winter months...

100% pure marathon

As I've stated before, the marathon is one of my favorite NYC events. This year I had an epiphany: going to Brooklyn to watch the race is much easier than schlepping to the Upper East Side. So I took the L train one stop to Williamsburg yesterday to watch the runners around Mile 11. Admittedly, First Avenue in Manhattan has crazy energy and crowds 6 people deep. However Bedford Avenue was much more chill: no police barricades; you simply stand on the curb and cheer. Rather refreshing. I was really glad I found this new vantage point.

Paula Radcliffe, the female winner, in her 1st marathon since giving birth in January. Um, yeah.


There's nothing more humbling than having an amputee who's in the middle of a marathon stop to thank you for cheering, while you're sitting on your ass drinking a cup of coffee.


Crazy Swiss fan base in an apt. building near where I was standing. They had cowbells.


Saw some funny costumes. This was one of my faves: German guy running with a "beer."

Unwelcome treat

I worked late on Halloween, and got home around 11 pm. A few policemen and a handful of residents were standing outside my building. Then I saw my next-door neighbor in the entry hallway talking to more policemen. Apparently a random acquaintance of hers climbed up scaffolding in front of our building and broke into her apt. from the fire escape (while she was inside). FYI, we live on the 5th floor.

After the cops left, I walked upstairs with her, helped her check her place out and locate her cats. Then I went into my apt. and figured out he'd been in there too! I first noticed my window blinds were awry, and upon closer inspection, realized the window screen had been removed. Fortunately nothing in my apt. was missing or even moved, I think he may have just come in because he wasn't sure which apt. was hers. Not that that makes it better...

Is bibimbap a new kid's toy?

Went to Don’s Bogam in Koreatown for dinner Tuesday with Shani, Rick and Ab. Oddly enough I'd never eaten Korean BBQ before then. Wasn't always sure what I was consuming, but everything was really good.

Unfamiliar territory

I'm often asked, "Do you cook?" The answer to that question is a resounding "No." Not only do I never cook for myself, but I actually have never turned on the oven or stove in my current apartment, and I don't even own any pots and pans.

However last Friday night I helped Grace prep for Amar's birthday party,and wound up sauteeing frozen pierogis in olive oil all by myself. Photographic evidence below.

Note my inventive utilization of both a fork and a wooden spoon to brown the pierogis.