San Francisco
29th Anniversary
August 2015
With cheap flights in hand ($59 each way) #SouthwestAirlines #SWA #LoveSWA, we headed back to our favorite city and often times happy place San Francisco. It's always a quick flight literally up and down to Oakland. And we had a set between us (that's how you stay married for 29 years) Ipads in hand for distraction we landed on a sunny day heading for the 73 degree mark which is SF nirvana.
The long anticipated BART extension to the Coliseum station is finally open after a multi-billion dollar construction that we watched for years like a pot of boiling water, thinking it will never happen. Our last stay we were able to take it one way, it was down when we arrived. Funny what $4 billion gets ya.Well it is cool and automated and an expensive fare in BART terms. But now you can buy one ticket to Powell Street.
Experience has taught us what tunnel to exit at Powell Street to come up at the corner of Market and 4th. If the price is right we book the Marriot Marquis. #Marriott #MarriottsOutstandingService. We were greeted at the front desk (They have a seperate Elite line there...so bourgeois aka boogee). A smiling Rosana greeted us and welcomed us back. Teresa mentioned it was the anniversary (not only to share but always looking for free stuff ya know) and she worked hard to get us the right room. Facing St Patrick's is a favorite to visit on Sunday and to hear the daily chimes from beautiful real bells in the tower.
We quickly dumped our bags and headed to the SF Eat Drink (sounds good so far) event at Fort Mason. And here's why. I found the event online and sent it to T for a nod of approval. Well at $95 each it is a but of an unknown quantity and we know how to spend that money VERY well in San Francisco. (See previous posts) T noticed the event was sponsored by Discover Card. #Discover #DiscoverCashBack. She looked up the Director of Marketing and reverse engineered a possible email address. We have been card holders for 29 years and her family (Dad was head of Allstate savings) holds one of the first Discover cards issued. It was a product of Sears as was Allstate.
No word back but also no return email until Friday. A fantastic surprise from Discover Card, we had been comped 2 tickets to the event Saturday afternoon and it was VIP tickets! Instead of $95 each it was $175. Free. Wow. I guess we all live with little to no expectation from any large company and especially ones who deal with money. An incredible surprise and stellar customer service from Discover. Can't thank them enough and even looked for a rep in their booth to hug and kiss.
We quickly dumped our bags and headed to the SF Eat Drink (sounds good so far) event at Fort Mason. And here's why. I found the event online and sent it to T for a nod of approval. Well at $95 each it is a but of an unknown quantity and we know how to spend that money VERY well in San Francisco. (See previous posts) T noticed the event was sponsored by Discover Card. #Discover #DiscoverCashBack. She looked up the Director of Marketing and reverse engineered a possible email address. We have been card holders for 29 years and her family (Dad was head of Allstate savings) holds one of the first Discover cards issued. It was a product of Sears as was Allstate.
No word back but also no return email until Friday. A fantastic surprise from Discover Card, we had been comped 2 tickets to the event Saturday afternoon and it was VIP tickets! Instead of $95 each it was $175. Free. Wow. I guess we all live with little to no expectation from any large company and especially ones who deal with money. An incredible surprise and stellar customer service from Discover. Can't thank them enough and even looked for a rep in their booth to hug and kiss.
The VIP tickets allowed early entry and we arrived to walk past long winding lines of hungry self proclaimed foodies. Like us. Right in the door with no line and got a wine glass handed to us for the "samples" (more like feast and pours). Then it off like kids in a virtual candy store.
Wine, beer, liquors along with food from some San Francisco and national greats. Every bite we tasted was not just good it was spectacular. Composed balanced farm fresh deliciousness in a bite size frenzy.
We moved with purpose and increasing inebriation thorough tastings of delicious food and interesting spirits.
Even a gin sampling that was a full cocktail of gin and tonic with choice of gin and tonic. Each glass was finished with star anise, cardamom and lavender flower. The bouquet was incredible sipping this light cool refreshing cocktail. And wow that takes the liquor "sampling" to a new level.
We had to finish this great drink (easy $16 in H-wood) and of course leave no sample un...sampled. My new favorite beer Trumer Pils had a booth and they insisted I take a full bottle of ice cold beer, twice. Not to overemphasize the alcohol since we were not looking to get too loopy but it was generous and abundant and free to us.
The food was really the star, truly delicious tastes of everything from Tony's meatballs to a deconstructed capresse that featured a basil sorbet. What?! Wow! The chefs at the Four Seasons are credited with that one.
We lounged in the VIP...lounge and stepped out on the pier for fresh air and a Alcatraz to Coit Towel view. Ahhh, what a city of sights, sounds, tastes. Then we got tats. It's how we roll.
Wine, beer, liquors along with food from some San Francisco and national greats. Every bite we tasted was not just good it was spectacular. Composed balanced farm fresh deliciousness in a bite size frenzy.
We moved with purpose and increasing inebriation thorough tastings of delicious food and interesting spirits.
 |
| The Gin&Tonic Master |
We had to finish this great drink (easy $16 in H-wood) and of course leave no sample un...sampled. My new favorite beer Trumer Pils had a booth and they insisted I take a full bottle of ice cold beer, twice. Not to overemphasize the alcohol since we were not looking to get too loopy but it was generous and abundant and free to us.
The food was really the star, truly delicious tastes of everything from Tony's meatballs to a deconstructed capresse that featured a basil sorbet. What?! Wow! The chefs at the Four Seasons are credited with that one.
We lounged in the VIP...lounge and stepped out on the pier for fresh air and a Alcatraz to Coit Towel view. Ahhh, what a city of sights, sounds, tastes. Then we got tats. It's how we roll.
Our next stop was to reconnect with T's old room mate and childhood friend from Denver, Valerie. We met at the Horseshoe bar near Fort Mason and had a couple (more) drinks.
Great to catch up on kids growing up and us growing old. Happy trails for us all, thankfully.
Back to our Marriott home away from home to sit-a-spell and think about getting hungry for dinner.
We ate some leftover cheese and bread we had smuggled out of SF Eat and Drink. Dinner was an after thought and across the street is Super Duper Burger. Perfect split, uh with garlic fries. Better than In and Out? Maybe yes. SF only.
Sunday Mass at St Patrick's in the morning then off to the Ferry Market for lunch at heaven on earth Hog Island with the boy attending Sonoma State.
Since the build out the place is busier than ever and the line (in back on the water) was akin to Space Mountains line.
But it moved and we were highly motivated, Joe joined us with flowers in hand right as we were about to make the front of the line. Perfect timing by everyone involved.
Great to catch up on kids growing up and us growing old. Happy trails for us all, thankfully.
Back to our Marriott home away from home to sit-a-spell and think about getting hungry for dinner.
We ate some leftover cheese and bread we had smuggled out of SF Eat and Drink. Dinner was an after thought and across the street is Super Duper Burger. Perfect split, uh with garlic fries. Better than In and Out? Maybe yes. SF only.
Since the build out the place is busier than ever and the line (in back on the water) was akin to Space Mountains line.
But it moved and we were highly motivated, Joe joined us with flowers in hand right as we were about to make the front of the line. Perfect timing by everyone involved.
Sunday we formally celebrated our anniversary at the equally celebrated Bar Tartine. This is a prix fixe menu that includes 15 different tastes. Small plates brought out in small groups to sample/plow through. One of the most interesting mix of ingredients ever assembled in one place. Its in the sketch Mission district but a BART ride put us around the corner. No sign on the restaurant so Google Maps had to tell me I was there.
With no agenda and no plans, we decided to take the ferry (at the ferry market that we stare at every time with Blue Bottle in hand) to Sausalito to wander.
We wandered right into two wine tasting rooms for some unique label varieties. Its not cheap anymore to wine taste and we didn't even get to keep the logo-ed wine glasses (which populate our entire stemware collection at home) but, fun tastings and the one at Madrigal Family Winery was a blast with some off-the-menu selections included that prepped us for lunch, like now.
Our wine boss recommended a local sushi spot. It had the best miso soup ever and then delivered fairly pedestrian sushi. Oh well, just a lunch bite. We walked more and eye balled ice cream shops then hopped the ferry back to gorgeous city by the bay views.
Monday night we checked out Marlowe restaurant. It has long been on my list with solid Yelp and its a short walk down 4th toward ATT Park. This is a cramped and very loud eatery packed late with what appears to be local successfuls.
We were fortunate to get bar seating and really enjoyed the fare of small bites we selected. If not for sitting side by side we would have had to shout across a table so this was perfect. And we didn't pull the average age of the room up 20 years. Another magical day in San Francisco.
Tuesday morning was flight day but we had until 1pm or so.
We headed to Blue Bottle and/or breakfast first stopping in at the always-find-something-there Ross store. 5 stories of discount "stuff" so the selection is great. I can find the wide shoes I like and T finds bargains every time. Then a test came with notice of a cancelled flight (Even though that sucks I have to give a nod to Southwest for letting me know BEFORE I get to the airport). We booked it back to the room to book a new flight and had to book it to BART asap. So day was done, great adventure complete.
