There's almost nothing left for me to write about San Francisco. I've written love letter upon love letter to that city. I continue to return again and again. This trip was right on the heels of a trip to Japan and planned that way. I certainly have used and do use travel in a deeply psychological way; I'll keep that for my therapist. I am also the person who will use any excuse to travel. Halloween in San Francisco seemed like a good enough, though entirely ridiculous, reason to go. I have developed a pattern in San Francisco, so everything seems incredibly easy.
I flew out on Halloween morning and spent the day walking around, taking photos, and eating. Upon landing at 9:00 AM PST, I went to Sightglass Coffee to catch up on some work. Then, I walked through Chinatown and North Beach to Coit Tower. Coit Tower is one of the only memories I have of my first visit in 2003. For whatever reason, I visit this landmark every time. Honestly, and simply, the view is excellent. After, I walked down to Tony's Pizza Napoletana; this pizza had been on my "pizza list" for a decade. It was early afternoon, and there were spots at the bar. I ate a whole margarita pizza myself. Again, Neapolitan pizza isn't my thing, and this wasn't one of the best I've ever had.
Another route I have is the walk from my hotel near Alamo Square down into the Mission. My travel partner joined me the following morning, so we met at Tartine Manufactory for breakfast. Amazing as always. There wasn't anything on at SFMOMA that I wanted to see, so we went to the Fraenkel Gallery, the SF Leica store (which had a great photography exhibit), and the photo gallery at the Academy of Art University. Afterward, we walked through Chinatown to The Coffee Movement (excellent) and stopped at Vesuvio for a drink. Afterwards, we had tickets for Pier 24 Photography. This was the museum's last show before closing its doors. The exhibit, "Turning the Page," was on the "photobook" and wasn't what I had expected. I imagined the exhibit would be about the process of making/editing a photobook, but it was simply an exhibit of random photographers who have recent photobooks. Yet, I'm glad I was able to visit one last time.
The following morning, we discovered pastries at a bakery that will stay with me for a while: Loquat—absurdly good, flaky pâtisserie of all kinds. We returned the following day as well. After one coffee, we went for another at Saint Frank Coffee. This coffee shop had been on my list for a long time, but it is in a part of the city I don't typically explore. They also had fantastic coffee; a "competition cappuccino" was notable and a unique offering.
Then, we had a perfectly lovely walk down to Fort Mason and the marina. It was a Saturday in San Francisco; the skies were blue, and everything felt okay. We ended up at the Palace of Fine Arts. I hadn't been there before, but it was an architecturally meaningful visit for me; Bernard Maybeck, the architect, was a mentor to one of the people I researched, architect Julia Morgan (most known for Hearst Castle). Originally completed in 1915 for the Panama–Pacific International Exposition and rebuilt in the 1960/70s, the faux-Roman/Greek ruins are so incredibly out of multiple time periods that I have to love its very existence.
After miles of walking, we somehow ended up at Verve Coffee on the way to the Mission. We also made a stop for cocktails at Elixir. Then, we made an unconventional decision to see Anora at Alamo Drafthouse. Going to the movies on vacation may be a new, totally achievable thing I've always wanted to do. I hadn't seen a film in a packed theater since Oppenheimer, and it was the precise communal viewing experience I wanted. We all laughed together at the correct places. The movie is fantastic, and it certainly felt that way in that theater.
The following day, after another stop at Loquat, we made my pilgrimage to the Sutro Baths. It was relatively busy on a Sunday, but the sun was out, and the waves were huge. I'm always trying to re-experience my first visit's misty, foggy weather. We decided to walk through the Presidio until we no longer felt like walking. This took us down to Seal Rocks Beach, which I hadn't been to before, and to the end of Lands End Trail. This Sunday "hike" in San Francisco let me deeply feel the differences in the landscapes and cities I've been to and lived in. We are not the same. Next, we took a self-driving Waymo (only available in SanFran, LA, and Phoenix) to Toronado. I adore this beer bar, and it's a required part of my SanFran itinerary.
Before the redeye back to Philly, we stopped for beers at Zeitgeist and then finished with a dinner at a restaurant I have long revered but never visited: Zuni Café. I'd had a solo reservation before but canceled. Yes, I'm entirely willing to order their signature dish, a whole chicken for two people, on my own, but my trip last fall wasn't the time. This was the time. And every dish was as perfect as I had imagined for the previous ten years.
The quick trip was everything I wanted. It was the pre-election, last-days-in-paradise-trip I needed: an absurd, brief visit to one of the most expensive cities in the US. The notion that the election was only a few days away was nowhere to be found in this blue city. It felt like the last moments of true freedom of mind, and, ultimately, it was just that.
