San Fran Icon...

Thursday, November 27, 2008 Posted In , , , , , , , Edit This 0 Comments »
... Sam Wo's. I wondered if MM got it completely wrong when he directed me to walk into this dirty little restaurant in Chinatown.



It is supposed to be a favourite with locals and tourists alike but I was not sure we had come to the right place when I looked through the front door. "Is this the back door? Kitchen entrance? Stables? Pig trough?"


You are supposed to go in here. You walk through the kitchen and up the narrow stairs. All the utensils and plates are on a filthy cupboard thingie against the wall. The tables and chairs are old and nasty. The walls and floors are stained and icky. (Keep your hands to yourself if you know what's good for you.)


There is a dumb waiter that the grumpy waitress pokes her head into and yells some scary-sounding Chinese down. The service is indifferent at times, surly at others. Apparently, "grumpy" has been working there for twenty years and told one friend's date, "You no like blocolli? Look! Is good!" and proceeded to eat it.



For all it's faults (and there are many), this place is legendary. It has been in business more than 100 years and it looks like it. Apparently, the previous owner used to make the customers get their own drinks and serve themselves whilst he was insulting them. "You retarded? We no serve coke in here! Look on menu! No fork... chopstick only!"
If you want to go there, be careful to keep the kids away from the balcony. It's a 2nd floor dive to disaster. "Grumpy" herded the children away from it more than once. "No go there!"
The food was good... and cheap. I recommend it if you want to have an unusual experience to reminisce about. ("Remember the time we all got e.coli? Oh, the memories!")

Of Biblical Proportions

Tuesday, November 25, 2008 Posted In , , , , , Edit This 2 Comments »
San Francisco is slowly pushing its LDS residents out of the city. It's not because the hate crimes are getting the better of them, (smashed windows, mobs outside the Temple etc…) but the cost of city living is high and there are few good schools that people feel comfortable sending their children to.
There are 770,000 people within the Bay area and only one Stake. It's a beautiful, thriving city overlooking a breathtaking bay but you can barely walk one block without tripping over toothless beggars who are harmless but in desperate need.

One wonders if/when the situation will be similar to that of Lot not being able to find ONE honest person within the city before he is commanded to leave and everything goes to heck from there.








No Suicides Please

Monday, November 24, 2008 Posted In , , , , , , , , , , , , Edit This 3 Comments »
We drove into the city late at night. Have you ever been to Turk Street? No? Don't put it on your itinerary when you visit San Francisco. We parked and walked to W's hotel being careful to step around the homeless people and the streams of pee. The hotel itself was a very nice one but the police sirens going off at ten minute intervals may make sleep quite impossible. Earplugs optional; waterproof boots recommended.


You can't visit San Francisco and not go on a cable car. $35 for the seven of us to ride for ten minutes? Yup... highway robbery. San Francisco is one big money vacuum. Expect to pay vast amounts for parking and food. We ate at Fisherman’s Wharf. (What’s with the 3.5% health tax tagged onto the food bill? “Here’s your food and thanks for paying for my flu shot.” ?? )



We walked across the Golden Gate Bridge. It’s not so much golden as… red. M had a little tantrum about not wanting to carry his jacket and was sent into time out. He slumped onto the deck right under the "Don't-Commit-Suicide-Please Emergency Phone". He was not amused when I yelled, "DON’T JUMP!"




I'm glad we took plenty of pictures before the city installs a new steel 'suicide net' to catch would-be jumpers next year. I wonder how they are going to keep the thrill seekers from throwing themselves into the net? Will they post a sign saying, "If You Jump Off Here Because You Want A Cheap Thrill And Not Because You Really, Really Want To Die, You Will Be In Big Trouble Buster!" ?

Actually, that could be quite fun to do. (Note to self: Go back to SF and jump off Golden Gate Bridge ...wheeeeee!)


The fog rolled in and obscured half of the bridge. It seemed like it jutted out into nowhere.  See how it hangs in the sky in much the same way that bricks don't? (My whole life I've wanted to use the previous sentence. For all my Douglas Adams fans. And that would be - just me.)



Experience The Rock

Saturday, November 22, 2008 Posted In , , , , , , , , Edit This 1 Comment »
I did not enjoy my stay at the maximum security penitentiary. The toilet was blocked, the bed was hard and lumpy and the room was only 5' wide x 9' long x 7' high. We were told, "You are entitled to food, clothing, shelter, and medical attention. Anything else you get is a privilege."
Such was the beginning of our evening tour of Alcatraz. It was the last stop for the most criminal of criminals. I read on the wall, "You break the rules, you get sent to prison. You break the rules in prison, you get sent to Alcatraz."
While we were touring the prison, we are treated like we were convicts. We were ordered to 'walk on the left side', 'stop at the end of the hall,' and 'enter your cell'.
We learned that the prison guards and their families lived on the island! They had a recreation centre for the children and all sorts of modern conveniences. The children would sail to San Francisco for school and come home at the end of the day. They felt so safe that they didn't even lock their doors. Most of the guards also worked at Ghirardelli's chocolate factory across the Bay. They brought home free chocolate for the children. The convicts were tortured by the smell of chocolate wafting past their deprived nostrils!
I don't know how the inmates survived this lifestyle. The intent was to keep the criminals locked up until they were no longer considered "disruptive" or "incorrigible". Al Capone was kept there but spent most of his time in the prison hospital. Some couldn't wait to get out. Five of them committed suicide and fourteen attempted escape.
I was ready to escape after about two hours. The place gave me the willies.





But, despite my discomfort, I took the time to choose an appropriate gift for the children I had to leave at home. They will be so excited to receive the genuine imitation gold Alcatraz fridge magnet.



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