Updated
July 14, 2003
Whoa -- what
a great time we just had in San Francisco and the Bay Area! Katie
and I flew out on Thursday morning for San Jose, picked up a car
-- a Subaru Outback -- and headed to the Phish concert at Shoreline
Amphitheater in Mountain View, CA.
It was our first
Phish show live, and what a treat!! We checked into the hotel and
grabbed a bite to eat -- a late lunch at a cool little Italian
joint -- and then hooked up with the rest of the phans at the parking
lot pre-party. We figured we were getting there early at around
4, since the lots open at 3, doors open at 5 and show goes on at
7 -- but we were just part of a long line of cars, puttering on
into the parking area.
Everyone was
just hanging out in the lots once we got there -- think of it:
thousands of neo-hippies, college kids, Deadheads, and even Parrotheads
like us, transformed to Phish-heads, sharin' in the groove, tailgating,
drinking beer and what-else, and jamming to the tune of a hundred
guitars, drums, boom-boxes and voices.
Katie and I took
a cruise around Shakedown Street -- the impromptu market set up
by other concert-goers, and I picked up a hand-made Guatamalan
kick-bag for $5 -- same price as we paid for a pair of Sierra Nevada
Pale Ales from a guy just up the row!
The concert was
really cool, too, and typical of what I was expecting: lots of
dancing, lots of grooving, lots of love, lots of sharing -- and
lots of other stuff...
By the end of
the night, we were whipped and hungry -- so we pulled into In-n-Out
Burger for a tasty treat. Very good!
The next morning,
we packed up the wagon and headed to San Francisco to hang out
and do the tourist thing. We hit Haight Ashbury and Golden Gate
Park first; then did lunch at the Beach Chalet -- an ocean-side
brew pub with good beer and a great view.
That night we
walked around Fisherman's Warf for a bit, had a snack at another
brewpub, and went for dinner in North Beach, the Italian area.
The little restaurant we ate at, Sodini's, was recommended to us
by an old neighborhood resident that saw us standing on the corner,
looking puzzled as to where to go. Trust me, he didn't steer us
wrong! Food was good, place was packed, and we were full and tired
by the time it was over.
On Saturday,
we got up and went to Union Street and around the Marina area shopping
and chilling out. Really. It was fairly cold for our Houston blood
-- but it felt nice anyway. Lunch was at a place called The Grove;
the Cuban pork sandwich rocked!
Saturday night
found us in Chinatown at a little place I found in one of the online
sites -- it was the place NEXT DOOR to the place that's in all
the guidebooks. Absolutely fantastic chinese food -- and rock bottom
prices. The spice was wonderful in the garlic pork, and the Lover's
Shrimp was yummy...
Sunday we got
up and drove across the Golden Gate Bridge and got lost coming
back -- ending up in an asian area near the Haight. We stumbled
across St. Anne's Catholic Church right in time for mass -- so
we stopped in for it! Seemed like the right thing to do!
After that, we
grabbed a bite to eat at Moose's cafe on Washington Square and
saw Mare Wittingham at the table right next to us (outside). I
didn't even know who she was -- I was looking at her Martin guitar
case, but Katie recognized her as one of the Brat Packers...
Anyway, we got
back in the car, took the Bay Bridge to Oakland and hopped our
Southwest free flight home via Phoenix. Picked up some Taco Cabana
and the kids from Nana's, and unpacked today.
All in all, a
good time...
