DAY ONE November 8, 2005 Written by Jay Jacobson After I wrote "First Steps" last night (which originally was just an email to a friend, but I decided to convert it into a posting here), I did not go directly to bed as planned. Even though I was going on zero sleep, I was wide awake, as is normal for me when it is dark outside. On the way back to the apartment from the grocery store, I had walked by a small neighborhood Irish bar, so I decided to go back there for a drink last night. I figured it would at least help me sleep. I got there around 10PM; the place was small but very cozy. They had a fire going in the fireplace, about a dozen tables, and a pool table in the back. There were seven or eight people in the bar and they seemed pretty friendly. I got to talking to one of the guys (Dave) and it turns out it is a very small world afterall. You see, Dave works at some furniture place and he sells beds. Interestingly, just last week, Dave sold a bed to Nob Hill Place for an apartment they just remodeled. It is the same apartment where I am staying! Yeah, I know, very silly. It was just strange to run into the guy who sold them the bed I slept on last night. I left the bar around 11:30PM and walked back to the apartment, which was only a block away. I did a little work, then hit the sack around 12:30AM. Today the alarm went off at 8AM and I managed to crawl out of bed at 8:30AM. I slept well, but was still tired. I spent a couple of hours waking up, doing a little work, and getting ready. I was getting hungry and decided to head out and start exploring the city - hoping to run across a few coffee shops to check out along the way. I walked north through Nob Hill, Russian Hill, and eventually ended up near Fisherman's Wharf. Unfortunately, I did not find any coffee shops along the way, and once at Fisherman's Wharf (being a big tourist area), I knew I would not find any great local spots there. I did, however, run into a nice Italian restaurant and stopped there for breakfast. I had a chicken panini sandwich and a bowl of tomato soup (which was so wonderful that I went and personally thanked the chef). After food, I walked along the Embarcadero, through North Beach and Telegraph Hill. From there, I cut over towards the Financial District and along the way I discovered the porn district (I do not know what it is called, but it is basically the red-light district). The area was bizarrely clean - almost "classy" in a strange way, but not quite. Interestingly enough, the "Porn District" is not listed on my San Francisco map anywhere. :) Among seemlingly hundreds of strip clubs, adult shops, "book" stores, and such, I came across a very small Frech bakery and coffee shop. Inside, the whole place smelled wonderfully of fresh baked bread and a very nice French woman was behind the counter. I ordered a double-shot cappucino with a little bit of chocolate. It was absolutely delicious and really hit the spot. I continued on my walk and went through China Town. You know you get there when you literally feel like you just stepped into Bejing. It is *very* crowded, everything is written in Chinese, and there are dead chickens hanging in the shop windows. There were many sidewalk markets, but all of the food was "authentic" Chinese, and all of the signs were in Chinese, so the only things I recognized were ginger root and Chinese eggplant. From there, I walked up the hill - back to Nob Hill, where the apartment is located. I walked a few blocks over where I had seen a coffee shop last night. It is a nice place called the Red Door Cafe, but they are only open until about 7PM - that just will not cut it for my needs. Nonetheless, I am here now as I write this. I will probably hang out here for another 90 minutes or so, until the battery in my laptop dies. As I sit here, a few thoughts strike me. First and foremost, I *REALLY* need to figure out how the transportation system works here. They have a very robust network of busses, cable cars, street cars, subways, light rail, and trains here. There is no doubt that this city is very livable without owning a car. I love that! However, *everything* is a walk up or down a steep hill. I think I can get a monthly pass for only about $45, which provides for unlimited usage of almost all the public transportation. The confusing part is just that there is so much transportation, I have no idea where to start. Having lived in places my whole life where owning a car was required to get around, I just have zero experience with figuring out public transportation systems. You can catch a ride on almost every corner, but I need to figure out all the different lines and routes. Hopefully, I can pick up a route map tomorrow and start getting it straight. After spending the entire day today walking around, up an down extremely steep hills, getting more exercise than I have in the past month, figuring out the transportation system is a big priority. I think you can pick out the locals by the size of their leg muscles. Another striking thought is how one can literally walk a few blocks and be in a totally different neighborhood. Everything is so close together, but all the neighborhoods feel distinctly different. The people are all very eclectic too. I am sure they are here somewhere, but thus far, nobody seems overly snotty or pretentious. I get the feeling that San Francisco is like New York, without the crabby New Yorkers. I am also surprised at how clean the city is. Not that I would want to eat off the sidewalks or anything, but for a big urban city, it seems uncommonly clean. There is much more of the city I have yet to see, but so far, I am liking it very much - even with my sore legs. Tomorrow I think I am going to hit Union Square. They have lots of shops there and I need to find some kind of backpack-style bag for my laptop. My existing setup is too big and not very condusive to a lot of walking. There seem to be many bars, clubs, stores, and restaurants that are open late; several even 24-hours. I am hopeful that tomorrow I will be able to track down a good coffee shop... one that does not close down at 7PM. More of my Bay Adventures: http://kinetic.org/bay-adventure/ My website: http://kinetic.org/