#  >  > Non Asia Travel Forums >  >  > Travel the World Travellers Tales Forum >  >  San Francisco Revisited

## tomcat

...Here in SF with SD to celebrate our second honeymoon. The St. Francis Hotel is on Union Square in the heart of the shopping district and, due to the July 4th holiday, crowds of aliens are everywhere. At a nearby coffee shop there must have been 30 dialects of Starbucks English spoken while a favorite neighborhood Italian restaurant has menus in every known Asian language.
...the Castro, previously the gayest, most outrageous part of SF in the 70s, has become completely gentrified: the wildest place remaining is Bearbucks, a Starbucks hangout for the heavy and hairy...*_sigh_*...I remember when it was a leather bar with backroom slings that throbbed with...um...life. We ate at a forgettable Thai restaurant in the area and left for drinks downtown: gone are the days of the Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence, Dykes on Bikes and the spirit of outrageous rebellion.
...A Peruvian restaurant for cebiche is planned for tomorrow and Thursday's dinner will be at an Iranian pop-up diner: chelow kebab and a sampling of Iranian stews to look forward to...as well as a trip to the San Francisco MOMA and a Degas exhibit at Golden Gate park. 
...So, shopping, eating, drinking and meeting with old friends in the area: no time for jet lag....

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## misskit

Happy Second Honeymoon!

Lucky you. I'm envious. I love San Francisco though, unfortunately, I've not been there for at least fifteen years.

The St Francis is a gorgeous hotel in a beautiful city. Hope you post up a few photos for all to see.

Can't imagine a gentrified Castro. Too, bad. It was such a wild and hardcore place back in it's day.

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## thaimeme



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## bsnub

San Francisco is dead and Seattle is just two steps behind. The tech industry sucked their souls dry.

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## tomcat

> San Francisco is dead


Disagree: it's just very comfortable in its skin...a few wrinkles here and there, of course, but still vibrant and attractive...there's a reason why all the wealthy techies from Cupertino want to live here...and it's not the drag queens...

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## bsnub

^ Ok I will put it a differently. SF is dead to all the middle and working class people that have been forced to leave in the last twenty years. 

The grit is gone and much of the good old places with character are gone.

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## tomcat

^fair comment, but still a great place to visit...

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## AntRobertson

Friend of mine was there recently. Absolutely loved it, raved about the place.

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## bsnub

> but still a great place to visit...


As a tourist yes of course. But for myself the character of the neighborhoods has changed greatly. It's happening here in Seattle as well.

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## hick

Congrats TC and SD!!  All the best to both of you.

Tom doesn't really "do" pics, so I'll slap a few standard ones up just for the halibut.   :Wink:

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## hick



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## hick



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## tomcat

Many thanks, hick!...can you find one of the Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence?

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## misskit

The Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence® is a leading-edge Order of queer nuns. Since our first appearance in San Francisco on Easter Sunday, 1979, the Sisters have devoted ourselves to community service, ministry and outreach to those on the edges, and to promoting human rights, respect for diversity and spiritual enlightenment. We believe all people have a right to express their unique joy and beauty and we use humor and irreverent wit to expose the forces of bigotry, complacency and guilt that chain the human spirit.

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## hick

Easter Celebration

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## tomcat

^and^^Perfect!  :rofl:

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## hick

Dolores Park, San Fran

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## hick

I really do dig on Frisco.  Went there for two weeks once,...stayed for 3 months.   :Razz:

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## tomcat

...those were the days...

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## hick

They really were, Tom.  Would've been circa 1996, I believe.  Good fun.

Any other pic requests, lemme' know  :Wink: 

Enjoy your time.   :Smile:

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## tomcat

Thanks!

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## sabang

I've always liked SF, although the last time I was there was at least 15 years ago. My then live-in GF (quite successful) had a part time apartment on the corner of Jones & Vallejo- and it was an easy, direct commute from HK.

Disliked-
Fishermans Wharf (except for the sea lions).
Too 'in yer face' gays (we know already boys, why bother). Lesbo's too. Passe', even then.
PCness gone mad. My GF's flatmate even resented me having a fag on the verandah! And when I called her 'honey'- we were enemies forever.
Pacific Heights- yuppiedom gone even more sterile. Bleggh.
Castro- just tried too hard to impress, unimpressively.

Liked-
Tenderloin. Rough & ready, full of interesting characters. Actually, not that rough. My favorite bar was there- the sorta place they remember you.
Chinatown. Downtown too (most SFer's didn't). The Taddich grill was an American institution- sadly passed.
SOMA- it's taken off since, but I could have told you so at the time.
The atmosphere. Getting up to a mildly chilly, foggy SF dawn- and listening to the foghorns. Man, I'm getting the horn.
Nob Hill- old, establishment SF. Check out the Clairmont (you won't be able to get into the nearby club, unless you have contacts).
Understated wealth. When you walk by the Getty place, for example- you would never know.
Haight Ashbury- yeh, I admit it. I shouldn't but I do. Lets just call it shabby chic with a dose of history.
Over the Bridge. There you have some of the greatest communities anywhere- places I could happily live.
BoA tower, downtown. Just do- kinda iconic. Sure, the Golden Gate too- who doesn't?
Parks- Golden GaTe, the Presidio. SF people just do their thang- carefree, and no better place to watch than these fine parks.

Is Union square still full of hobo's & beggars TC? Or has it been gentrified (not that I would miss them).
Is the Tenderloin still sleazy? It would sadden me if it wasn't- a very short walk from Union Sq.
Before GF's condo arrangement, stayed at the Hilton on Union.

Have a great time, and congratulations on your Honeymoon.  :Smile:

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## misskit

> SOMA- it's taken off since, but I could have told you so at the time.


The Cadillac Bar and Grill. How wonderful it was. Torn down now.

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## misskit

Just north of SF, my Sausalito front gate.



Fat chance I would ever be able to afford to live there now!

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## sabang

Wow! Sausalito, baby yehh!!

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## misskit

*sniffles*

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## misskit

Just had to check



2 beds 1 bath 660 sqft 

Rent Zestimate®: $3,350 /mo

 OFF MARKET 
Zestimate®: $777,150 ...  and it isn't even on a piece of land. You still have to pay docking fees every month.

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## Norton

I mispent a good portion of my younger days in THE CITY. Hanging in the Haight turning on, tuning in, and dropping out. Those were the days I thought would never end but of course they did. Great times going to free concerts in Golden Gate park. Jefferson Airplane, Grateful Dead, Big Brother and the Holding Company to name but a few.

In between all the happenings just chillin out fishing off one of the many docks the city has. The City has changed but still has a special place in my heart.

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## sabang

> resented me having a fag on the verandah!


Note for San Fransiscans- I meant 'fag' purely from the British English etymology. OK?

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## misskit

^^*Sausalito Historical Society: Sittin’ at which ‘dock of the bay?’*

Sausalito Historical Society: Sittin? at which ?dock of the bay?? | Opinion | marinscope.com


Earl "Speedo" Sims and his wife Betty were friends of mine in Georgia. While they were in San Franciso, they gave me a call and came out to Sausalito to visit. Speedo pointed out the houseboats behind the heliport as where they lived when Otis wrote this song.

Maybe I should get in touch with the writer of this item!

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## tomcat

> Is Union square still full of hobo's & beggars TC?


A few here and there, yes...but many more ragtag musicians performing after dark...lively night time movement around the square adds up to an entertaining urban scene...



> Is the Tenderloin still sleazy?


as ever...looks like denizens are resisting attempts by Salvation Army and city burghers to prevent pissing on city walls...more sordid and depressing than interesting...



> Have a great time, and congratulations on your Honeymoon.


many thanks...

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## tomcat

> The City has changed but still has a special place in my heart.


my opinion exactly...love every piss-soaked brick of the place...

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## tomcat

> I meant 'fag' purely from the British English etymology.


nobody cares anymore..._nigger_ still raises a few hackles, however: sensitive negroes haven't outgrown straight white hate yet...

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## armstrong

> Too 'in yer face' gays





> My GF's flatmate even resented me having a fag on the verandah!





> Nob Hill


 :rofl:

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## armstrong

> Note for San Fransiscans- I meant 'fag' purely from the British English etymology. OK?


dammit.

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## tomcat

Uber'd down to Cupertino for a bbq with SD's old school chums today: beautiful weather, excellent crowd...most folks were highly educated Asian engineers (with husbands and wives) working at Apple, WhatsApp, Google, etc...not at all the staid automatons one might have expected...unfortunately, supermarket wine ("improved" with a wine aerator) predominated...still, lots of unexpected laughs amid very good company...

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## Dillinger

Wheres the piccies? :Smile:

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## misskit

What's SD stand for?

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## Dillinger

Short dick? :Smile:

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## Norton

> What's SD stand for?


sugar daddy. Maybe.  :Smile:

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## DrB0b

Strontium Dog, I've often wondered where he went.

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## bsnub

> unfortunately, supermarket wine ("improved" with a wine aerator) predominated


Are you surprised? I am sure the wine was accompanied by the Costco appetizers.  :Smile:

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## tomcat

> What's SD stand for?


SD is my spouse. When we were dating, he frequently insisted on paying for meals and thus the nickname.




> Are you surprised?


Well, these are folks that have lived in California for much of their lives and serve wine regularly at get-togethers...so, yes, mildly surprised. I brought a bottle of Silver Oak (2012) that was quickly recognized and consumed so it's not taste that was lacking...

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## Dragonfly

SF, good times indeed

wondered how much it has changed since I lived there,

probably too much to go back there  :Sad:

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## blue

> SF, good times indeed
> 
> wondered how much it has changed since I lived there,
> 
> probably too much to go back there


when did you live  there?
last week ?

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## blue

> Short dick?


 :smiley laughing:

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## DrB0b

> Originally Posted by misskit
> 
> What's SD stand for?
> 
> 
> SD is my spouse. When we were dating, he frequently insisted on paying for meals and thus the nickname.
> 
> 
> 
> ...


The 2012 is a little soft for my own tastes. Tastes good but lacks edge.

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## blue

.....

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## tomcat

Lunch today at La Mer Cevicherria: excellent meal of ceviche with various sauces, grilled tuna/greens salad, and a seafood frito misto on the deck behind the restaurant...enjoyed a drinkable merlot before heading off to a local wine bar at the nearby Ferry Building for a wine/cheese tasting...back at the St Francis in time for cocktail hour and the strains of 70s hits from the street through the open window...bliss...

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## thaimeme

The wine snobs have arrive.


Lovely.

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## Humbert

I lived there from 79 to 85. My workplace was right across from the footings of the Bay Bridge at Embarcaderro and Harrison. It was a converted brick warehouse and my office had huge high ceilings and big windows facing the bay and the bridge. At lunch time I would go the YMCA on Embarcaderro and from there run to Fort Mason and back every day through the throngs on Fisherman's Wharf. What a great time to live there.

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## Norton

> What a great time to live there.


Sure is if one can afford it. SF's popularity is surprising given it's geographic area and population very small compared to other far less known US cities. About the same population as Columbus, Ohio.  :Smile:

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## tomcat

very entertaining street music festival in Union Square: mostly reggae/jazz mixed with oldies...SF is celebrating the Summer of Love anniversary (1967-2017): lots of Joplin et al. to enjoy everywhere...Dinner at Tratto's (fast becoming our local Italian): arugula salad with fennel and Parmesan dressed with a lemon vinagrette, baked penne in a light tomato/cheesy sauce and Italian donuts dipped in a bourbon/caramel sauce for dessert: yum factor 5/5...

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## DrB0b

> very entertaining street music festival in Union Square: mostly reggae/jazz mixed with oldies...SF is celebrating the Summer of Love anniversary (1967-2017): lots of Joplin et al. to enjoy everywhere...Dinner at Tratto's (fast becoming our local Italian): arugula salad with fennel and Parmesan dressed with a lemon vinagrette, baked penne in a light tomato/cheesy sauce and Italian donuts dipped in a bourbon/caramel sauce for dessert: yum factor 5/5...


Where are the photos?!?

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## hick

> Tom doesn't really "do" pics, so...


 :Wink: 

...

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## tomcat

Dear mods: I have dozens of entertaining SF pics on my hard drive...please enable the transfer to TD Forum ASAP...thanks, TC...

A relatively light day today: coffee at Peet's, shopping at Banana Republic and lunch at another forgettable Thai noodle place. Tonight: dinner at an Iranian pop-up restaurant...definitely looking forward to meeting the chef and watching him cook. Sunny and bright today: might take a walk around Union Square later...if Johnny doesn't weaken me...

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## DrB0b

> Dear mods: I have dozens of entertaining SF pics on my hard drive...please enable the transfer to TD Forum ASAP...thanks, TC...


Please send your hard drive to

Jojos Discount Internet Emporium
C/O Prince Blessed Jehovah  Goodnight 
17 Lord Kitchener Avenue
Nairobi 
London W1F6HT
Africa


Kindly attach full bank details and your photos will be visible very soon indeed. May the Lord bless you.

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## Dillinger

Some nice food mentioned in here.

Does it come served like this TC?

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## tomcat

> Does it come served like this TC?


Some of it does, much of it doesn't: SF offers everything...

Iranian pop-up an unmitigated success: the chef is from northern Iran and so is his culinary  inspiration: trout on a coulis of mixed herbs, Iranian rice topped with a beet/radish yogurt, eggplant stuffed with pomegranate molasses/polenta mix and a number of other treats. A wonderful evening out with a group of Americans who lived in Esfahan in the 70s joined by a group of young Iranian women who travel back and forth...very flirty with the coffin codgers...

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## tomcat

After 2 double JWBs to round off last evening, the morning start was a tad slow. We ubered to the Pier 39 tourist trap where I successfully avoided a trip to Alcatraz and an inspection of the interior of a WWII submarine. I did, however, try a bowl of clam chowder: excellent: succulent clams and creamy soup served in a bread bowl...it's been a while since I've had a chowder. We ubered to an excellent wine store to resupply with another 2 bottles of Silver Oak cabsauv and walked back to the St. Francis with a quick stop for cheese, crackers and fruit at Whole foods...SD plans to spend this afternoon at the nearby Apple store while I check out the Nordstrom discount rack...acoss the bay to Berkeley tomorrow for another get-together with friends...and lining up the museum tours for next week...

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## hick

> very entertaining street music festival in Union Square: mostly reggae/jazz mixed with oldies...SF is celebrating the Summer of Love anniversary (1967-2017)

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## hick

> Dinner at Tratto's

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## hick

> Pier 39 tourist trap












> St. Francis

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## bsnub

Cracking me up Hick.  :rofl:

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## hick

I'm here to serve.   :Wink:

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## misskit

Yummy. Clam chowder in sour dough bread.

Guess in Thailand we could do one from a bread loaf and a can of Campbell's.  :Sad: 

A bottle of clam juice is non existent here.

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## Norton

> A bottle of clam juice is non existent here.


Reminds me of my all time favorite hangover cure.

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## misskit

^Oh, so good. Haven't seen a bottle of Pickapeppa in years! Is it still made?

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## thaimeme

> Yummy. Clam chowder in sour dough bread.
> 
> Guess in Thailand we could do one from a bread loaf and a can of Campbell's. 
> 
> A bottle of clam juice is non existent here.


Though, I've never had the need for the products myself, Kitty - but I believe that a small variety of tinned clams [in their own juice] are widely available in the larger supermarkets - local and import. The caveat would be depending on locale and demand. 

Try _Foodland_ [Chiang Mai].

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## Norton

> clam juice is non existent here.


Ask around for nam hoi. Sure CM has gobs of it.  :Smile:

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## katie23

Happy anniversary, tomcat. Wishing you a safe & memorable trip. 

@hick - thnx for the pix, even if they're from the net. Adds pizzazz to the thread. 55

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## Dillinger

Wheres Blue's post gone?

This thread was just about to get interesting :Smile:

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## cyrille

Blue making things interesting?

Really?

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## Dillinger

The responses would most certainly have been

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## Humbert

> Wheres Blue's post gone?
> 
> This thread was just about to get interesting


About as interesting as a lynching.

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## biff

Always remembered the Spencer Davis movie  .."San Francisco"where there was that huge earthquake..
Looks a nice city though..

San Francisco (1936) - IMDb

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## cyrille

> Always remembered the Spencer Davis movie  .."San Francisco"where there was that huge earthquake..
> Looks a nice city though..
> 
> San Francisco (1936) - IMDb


Spencer Tracy...the one not in a group.  :Wink:

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## hallelujah

It's a shame TC doesn't do pics...

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## tomcat

Many thanks to hick for the pics...each and every one as good as those on my hard drive waiting to post on TD...

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## tomcat

> It's a shame TC doesn't do pics...


I've got tons of pics on my hard drive: it's well past time to update the software here...

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## bsnub

> I've got tons of pics on my hard drive: it's well past time to update the software here...


Just upload the pics to an album on imgur.com and then post the links using the "insert image" above the post box. Easy peazy.

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## tomcat

*sigh* ok...I'll try...

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## hallelujah

> *sigh* ok...I'll try...


Good man.

 :bananaman:

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## hick

> *sigh* ok...I'll try...


When in doubt, wikihow.   :Wink: 

3 Ways to Upload Images to the Internet - wikiHow

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## tomcat

Today, as it's Sunday, I suppose, Korean gospel singers planted themselves in  Union Square with loudspeakers and electric guitars to make joyful noises unto the Lord...no obvious interest from the many Asian passers-by but the local street loonies occasionally joined in to thank Jebus for their cardboard mats. Spent the morning at the California Academy of Sciences in Golden Gate Park: fairly extensive aquarium fauna, but nothing unusual on display...a few assembled dinosaur skeletons to impress visiting children along with entertaining planetarium shows. Surprisingly good cafeteria that served the masses efficiently and sent them on their way well fed. The only drawback, unfortunately, is that some parents allowed their spawn to run free with the volume set to 11...still the visit and lunch were worth it...

...out on the streets later: Michael Jackson Billy Jeaning around homeless harassers on Market St to the delight of crowds of Asians who may not have realized that a few coins tossed in his direction would have been appreciated...a cocktail before bed ends the day's events for me...I may have lost SD, however, to a nearby Target...might be able to squeeze in another cocktail before he gets back...

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## Dillinger

1- download and install 'uploader for imgur' to Android phone
2- open app and press upload

And click on photo you want to upload

3- press copy image url on top right of photo you just uploaded to imgur and paste it into the black and yellow postcard in Teakdoors reply box



4- i bet youve got an iPhone

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## tomcat

> 4- i bet youve got an iPhone


bingo...and prefer to use a laptop for downloading anyway...but thanks!

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## tomcat

Enjoyed the Edvard Munch exhibition at the SF MOMA yesterday...good to see a number of young people in the crowds interested in this artist. "The Scream" wasn't included in the collection on display, but it _was_ a fairly comprehensive review of Ed's work. 

Our group of four had lunch at the art museum's In Situ restaurant: a sort of tasting menu celebrating internationally famous chefs...my favorites included the Japanese wasabi lobster, the Turkish lamb shank ravioli and a glorified garden salad that included "moss sponge"...Domaine Chandon Brut to accompany: wonderful day in SF.

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## lom

> 4- i bet youve got an iPhone


I bet it is white.

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## tomcat

SD and I enjoyed the best Jap cuisine we've ever eaten last night: we followed the Jap-American waiter's suggestions for sashimi, negiri and sushi and enthusiastically ingested such treats as tuna belly, big-eye tuna, scallop, crab claw (cooked) and an interesting variety of different fish...all alarmingly fresh and flavorful. We ordered endamame in sea salt for extra carbs: delicious when served steaming and lightly salted. I had an Orion beer to accompany: my first beverage from Okinawa...not bad at all...

The restaurant (Akiko's) has only 10 tables and seats by reservation: no walk-ins. Lots of disappointed faces as folks were turned away to face the Arctic streets of SF...I wonder what became of them...

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## Neverna

> The restaurant (Akiko's) has only 10 tables and seats by reservation: no walk-ins. Lots of disappointed faces as folks were turned away to face the Arctic streets of SF...I wonder what became of them...


I can imagine the scene outside the restaurant (of disappointed people walking away) in the style of LS Lowry.

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## lom

> were the people sad in Lowery paintings?


Their sexual preference is not known, maybe they were happy.

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## tomcat

Magnificent Degas exhibition at the Legion of Honor museum: he was deeply focused on women's hats, apparently...the museum store had a number of hats reproduced from his paintings for sale. Proust kept coming to mind as he and the artist were contemporaries. 

Lunch of mussels, flounder and a grilled mushroom and eggplant sandwich accompanied by a Domaine Chandon blanc de noir sparkling wine in Marin and on to last minute shopping in Sausalito. Back for the last night in the St. Francis...time to pack up, enjoy a JWB and wait for the uber to SFO...a wonderful vacation in all!

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## blue

how long is this fantasy trip going to last?

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## Topper

TC,

Have you managed to squeeze in some Dungeness crab during your visit?  If you can, I'd recommend it very highly.  It's the king of crabs in my opinion.

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## tomcat

The closest I got was the claw meat of a hairy crab at Akiko's...saw it on offer elsewhere (at a Vietnamese, I think)...

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