Nearly 30 years had passed since I last visited San Francisco.  I was enamored by the city back then, and I was looking forward to visiting again. I met my friend, Kayoko, at the airport in San Francisco.  (Kayo was flying in from Tokyo – her first stop on a round-the-world adventure.)  We had carefully discussed where and when to meet.  Researching on the internet, we discovered that the airport has a meeting place in both the domestic and international terminals. I should have taken the information with me, because when I asked the Traveler’s Aid volunteers they weren’t aware that an International Arrivals Meeting Place existed.  After I convinced them a Meeting Place actually DID exist, they consulted their rolodex (yes rolodex) and found a reference to it.   Another issue I had with the airport was the limited number of restrooms.  There were two sets serving an entire Concourse.  Lines to the ladies room were 10 deep. On the positive side, getting from the airport to downtown San Francisco was a breeze and inexpensive ($5.35 one way) on the Bay Area Rapid Transit (BART) system.

After checking in at the Courtyard by Marriott Downtown, we established a game plan for the day. We each had a CityPass in hand which can be purchased for $59 for adults and $39 for children 5-12.  CityPass provides admission to five attractions, in addition to unlimited travel on San Francisco’s Muni transportation (including cable cars) system. High on my list was a visit to the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art (SFMOMA).  It is hosting an Ansel Adams/Georgia O’Keefe retrospective through September 7, 2009.And as a baseball fan I wanted to watch 300-game winner Randy Johnson pitch. 

The exhibits at SFMOMA were wonderful.  Seeing the same subject photographed by Adams and painted by O’Keefe was fascinating.  Additionally, the museum displays iconic art work by Alexander Calder (Lone Yellow) and Jasper Johns (Flag).  In the evening I walked the little over a mile to AT&T Park to watch Randy Johnson and the San Francisco Giants win over the Texas Rangers. AT&T Park had a wonderful, intimate feel to it.  It’s a beautiful place to watch baseball and probably the only ballpark in the world where boaters can snag home run balls.

The next morning, Kayo and I took a taxi to the Presidio to meet friends at East Beach in Crissy Field. The history of the Presidio spans more than 230 years and was established as the northern most outpost of the Spanish empire.  The US Army began its tenure at the post in 1846 (after 24 years of Mexican control) and for the next 148 years the Presidio was a coveted duty station. In 1994, the Presidio became part of the Golden Gate National Recreation Area.
 
It was a beautiful summer day in San Francisco, and it seemed that East Beach was the place to be for locals (and their dogs) to come to walk, bike, run and play.  The beach is pretty, but the water was still too cold for swimming.  After lunch, we took a short walk to the Palace of Fine Arts.
 
The Palace of Fine Arts was built in the Marina district not far from the gates of the Presidio.  It was built for the 1915 World’s Fair (aka the Panama Pacific Exposition of 1915) which was dedicated to progress, the celebration of the completion of the Panama Canal, and the rebirth of San Francisco following the disastrous 1906 earthquake.  Originally built from temporary materials (designed to decay quickly after the end of the Exposition) to house works of living artists, it was so beautiful, local citizens campaigned to have it “rebuilt” out of materials that would stand the test of time. 

Later in the afternoon, we crossed over the Golden Gate Bridge to the Marin Headlands.  After crossing the bridge, we followed Conzelman Road taking us to bluffs overlooking the coastline, the Pacific Ocean, as well as providing outstanding views of the City. Abandoned gun emplacements were stark reminders of the need to protect our country after the attack of Pearl Harbor.  Quiet, windy and beautiful; traveling this road was one of my favorite experiences on this trip.
After a quick visit to Sausalito, a quaint seaside community with nice galleries and shops, but not unlike countless other quaint seaside communities, we headed back to San Francisco for dinner in Chinatown. 

A friend had recommended Sam Wo.  He said the food was good (it was OK) and cheap ($50 for 6).  He also said the dining experience would be unique.  And it certainly was. (Conan O’Brien has a You Tube video featuring the restaurant.)  I doubt that AAA inspectors would grant Sam Wo's a Diamond Rating, but adventurous travelers – and bargain seekers like Greg Weekes - might enjoy it.   The kitchen is on the ground floor and the tiny dining room is upstairs.  The waitress is entertaining as she shouts to the kitchen below for orders (which are brought upstairs on a dumbwaiter) and yells at the kitchen staff in Chinese.
 
Sunday was spent doing the traditional “tourist” thing.  We headed to Fisherman’s Wharf and Pier 39. We visited the Aquarium of the Bay and took a Blue & Gold Fleet Cruise Adventure.  Initially we had planned to take a cable car to the Wharf.  But when we got to the stop, the line was at least a couple hundred people long.  So, if you want to have the cable car experience be sure to pack your patience.  And then we attempted to take a street car.  After waiting a considerable amount of time, a bus driver stopped and suggested an alternate route, which got us to our destination.  We experienced the same dilemma going back to the hotel. 

San Francisco is a wonderful city.  And as usual, a weekend doesn’t do it justice.  I look forward to going back and finding more of the hidden treasures. And maybe finally getting that cable car ride.