I have a few travel information requests, I thought I would post them here collectively. Please offer any advice you can in the comments.
Trip #1: On my way to Austin, TX I get to be in San Francisco from 9:15am until checkin for my next flight at about 1pm. If you had never been to SF before but you had always wanted to go, how would you spend this time? I understand there is a bus from SFO to the Transbay terminal. Is there a better/faster way to get down near Fisherman's Wharf or wherever? Maybe the best way to spend a few hours is just to find a place with a great view and walk around, go for sushi or coffee or whatever. Hopefully Loren has some tips. I don't know who else knows the city well, but any ideas are welcome! Also, if anybody wants to tour guide me for a couple hours in exchange for beers, that would be fun.
Trip #2: The week after that I will be in Boulder, CO. I'm not going skiing, but I want to go hiking, and I will have a car. Is there hiking around Boulder or Denver that really stands out? Anything else in those cities that I should make an effort to see/do/eat/drink?
Trip #3: This should be the big payoff. My parents-in-law are going to drive through the south, including Houston, Red Stick, NO, through Alabama/Miss to Florida. I am looking for some advice and things to see/do for fun that would not be included in your standard travel guide. Really unique restaurants, great blues/jazz places that aren't right in the centre of NO, how to get in on an authentic crawfish boil, etc etc. You get the idea. They are mid-50's, in good shape to hike, climb, whatever, somewhat adventurous and fairly seasoned travellers.
I look forward to benefitting from your combined wisdoms. Non-headers are welcome to email me and I can post your comments in here if that's ok.
emily [email] said at 5:21 PM 02-04-2005: This post is right up my alley. I went to Denver and Boulder last year and wished I wouldn't have spent that much time in Denver. Boulder is a much cooler town. Denver just sucks. It reminds me of Houston but with mountains in the background. You can hike all over around Boulder, in fact, there are trails that go out right from downtown and it's all beautiful. In reference to your parents, I can hook them up with tickets to the D-Day Museum in NO. Just e-mail me their names and when they want to come and I will have the tickets waiting for them.
myriam [email] said at 6:09 PM 02-04-2005: I loved Boulder.
There is a trail very close to it that goes up to the old "Fourth of July mine"--it's a great hike, if you start in the morning you can picnic at the mine and be back down by sundown. You'll go through aspen groves, then pine forest, then meadows of columbine, and end up at the top of a rocky ridge in the middle of the rocky mountains, with waterfalls in view all the way. you even have to cross a brisk mountain stream. it is an excellent hike and not too tough.
Secondly, DO NOT MISS having tea at the Boulder-Dushanbe teahouse. It is a fascinating teahouse that would be right up your alley I'm guessing. Boulder is sister-city to Dushanbe, Uzbekistan, and Dushanbe gave Boulder a present of this huge hand-carved, incredibly intricate traditional uzbeki teahouse. When it arrived in Boulder in crates, no one couuld figure out how to put it together, so they had to fly a dozen uzbeki carpenters all the way to Boulder to build it for them! It's beautiful, and they have great tea and desserts. I highly recommend trying the South African roibus tea, coupled with a slice of warm gingerbread cake with cream drizzled onto it.
woody [email] said at 11:09 PM 02-04-2005: Thanks mucho for the offer. I will see if that kind of museum would interest them.
That is good to know about Boulder hiking. I would imagine many trails that go up high would be impassable in February, but I can probably figure something out when I'm there.
ed [email] said at 5:23 PM 02-04-2005: Where in Alabama and Florida will you be/be traveling through? I got nothing on the west coast gigs, but might be able to help you out on the easternmost portion of your southern swing.
myriam [email] said at 6:13 PM 02-04-2005: Also, for SF--and I don't know the city that well, I have only visited often as an adult but grew up in the Bay Area--I would just take a cab straight to Coit Tower and go up it for great views of the city. You'll see the most that way. Also you could pick up some good sushi in japantown, or go to BENIHANA, my favorite corny japanese restaurant (with a real stream winding through it! and men who chop things up at your table!) EVER.
in the cab you could ask the guy to take you thru Nob Hill and check out the amazing houses. It's sort of kind of on the way. In the cab you'll get to experience zooming up and down the hills, too, which is half the fun of visiting SF. I'm guessing you prolly won't have time for a cable car ride but that's always awesome.
loren [email] said at 12:45 AM 02-05-2005: No offense but going to Benihana in Japantown is like going to McDonalds in Italy... sorta. I mean to say that Benihana is a chain restaurant, and right next door is the real deal sushi boat place that I don't know the name of. =D
Oh, and again, not to offend, but Twin Towers has a much broader view than Coit, though Coit is definitely closer to the touristy stuff. Twin Peaks is pretty far out.
jake [email] said at 1:53 AM 02-05-2005: I had the same thought about Benihana's. My cousins from Omaha thought it was the hot shit thing to do out here...until they moved here.
On second thought, I'd go to the McDonald's in Italy, just so I could have a proper Jules and Vincent moment when I got back.
myriam [email] said at 12:13 PM 02-05-2005: Oh I know, it's totally a corny chain! I just love it, randomly. :) No offense taken, I know it's lame.
Also, no offense taken about the Coit recommendation, I was hoping you guys would come on and give better tips! I never lived in SF proper so I don't know much about the city. I'm glad to hear about Twin Peaks... new stuff to visit!
myriam [email] said at 12:16 PM 02-05-2005: also the last time I was at benihana I was 6 years old! It made a lasting impression on my childish self, not unlike Disneyland.
arnie [email] said at 12:52 AM 02-05-2005: Goddamnit Carla!!!! I have to take you to a good taqueria when you are here. One that offers authentic options, like tongue, brains and face meat!
nelson [email] said at 6:08 PM 02-05-2005: Pancho Villa's(in the Mission district, at 16th and Valencia) sells all of the bodily parts mentioned above.
I think that's my favorite Mexican restaurant in San Francisco.
nelson [email] said at 6:11 PM 02-05-2005: El Balazo's is four blocks from my home, yet I almost never eat there.
Arnie's right; burritos in the Mission are so much better.
loren [email] said at 12:50 AM 02-05-2005: 1st off, don't take the bus. BART (www.bart.gov) now goes directly from SFO to SF. Though since you are time constrained you might want to consider taking a door to door shuttle ($15 as opposed to the $5 BART ride). It'll get you there in half the time. The BART ride is about 45 minutes.
Hrm... what would I do if I could only spend a few hours. That's tough. It definitely depends on the weather too. You gotta go see the Golden Gate, that's for sure, unless you have already. It's going to be tough to do much in 3 hours without a car. Ummm... Damn that's hard. I'll have to think about it. When is this trip?
woody [email] said at 1:03 AM 02-05-2005: Monday. I'm currently thinking maybe the Wharf/Pier 39 area for some bay viewing and picture taking if it's a nice day? Is that a good place to see the GG from too?
arnie [email] said at 1:33 AM 02-05-2005: Yeah, you have a good view of Alcatraz, GG bridge, and the Bay Bridge, and smelly sea lions.
You ought to take a shuttle to Pier 39, from pier 39 walk to Ghiradelli Square(along the way you can pick up lotsa cheap souviners, plus there is a chance you may get to see the world famous bush man) and take the Cable Car. You can see alot of the well known sites on the cable car like Lombard St., North Beach, Chinatown, and you end up in Union Square where you can pick up gifts if you are so inclined. Also, when you are in Union Square, go to the top floor of Macy's to get some good pictures of the area. There is also Coit Tower near Pier 39, but it can be pretty lame, and the bus doesn't go there too often.
nelson [email] said at 6:15 PM 02-05-2005: Sadly, the Bush Man actually got arrested a few months ago because he freaked a kid out so bad with his usual antics that the kid's father complained to SFPD.
SFPD arrested him for "disturbing the peace". Talk about uptight tourists...
anotherben [email] said at 11:58 AM 02-05-2005: on a 3-hour layover in san francisco i hopped on the bart and made it down to piers for a sourdough sandwich lunch, walked along the bay, saw the fog bank that the bridge was in, fed a seagull the remnants of my sandwich, rode a trolley up some really steep streets, and got back to the airport on the bart with 5 minutes to spare.
when you go to new orleans you should eat at mandinas. when you go to the red stick you should see the old state capitol (an old gothic castle looking monstrosity with truly amazing oaks surrounding it). in n.o. lafittes bar is definitely worth a trip to the quarter for.. something like 300 years old it was once the front (it posed as a blacksmith shop) for jean lafittes operations when he ruled the river, lakes and gulf around louisiana.
buffalo bill is buried on a hill outside of denver. and the denver airport has a lot of wierd murals depicting various end of the world scenarios as well as a bizarro masons stone structure thing on the end of the main terminal looking west.
woody [email] said at 1:38 PM 02-06-2005: But you would totally like them! Though "Dad" would probably rip out any piercings you have and pour acid on your tattoos.
Just kidding, but he might make jokes about your sexuality if you wear jewellery.
woody [email] said at 1:24 AM 02-08-2005: Damn! I could havae had a tour guide, but I forgot to check my hotmail until right before I left:
Sender's Name: Michael
Sender's e-Mail: michael@knighten.net
Subject: trip
Sent via http://www.killoggs.com/feedback/
Message: I tried to post the below in response to your post about SF/Boulder,
but didn't realize that Killoggs was members-only now? That sucks. Anyway:
Trip #1 - SF (where I live now) - What day will you be in SF? If I'm around, I
might be able to drive you around for a while.
Trip #2 - Boulder (where I lived for 6 years before coming to SF) - best hike is
Mt. Sanitas, go up Walnut road from Broadway till you see the park on your
right. The other best hiking is Chatauqua Park, which is up Baseline from
Broadway, and is easier hiking than Sanitas and you can see all of Boulder
valley. Continuing up that road also past the park also gives you some of the
best views in the state.
As for what to see in Boulder, go to Pearl Street for sure. Best Sushi is Sushi
Tora, best margs are at the Rio, coolest bar is Rhumba and best live music is
Round Midnight.
Go eat breakfast at the Village Coffee Shop on Canyon, near campus, its a
30-year old Boulder tradition and has the best hash browns anywhere. Also, my
buddies Ryan and Shanna own it.
Have fun...
Oh well, I cruised the Bay Area this morning, I'm a little bagged right now, I'll write a little summary tomorrow. But essentially you can read ABen's paragraph and it was pretty much that. But it was enough to know that I will be back with the family AS SOON AS I POSSIBLY CAN! What an awesome city. I can't believe some of you people actually get to live there.
