City Visits

View from the Westin SF Market St
Originally uploaded by suzipaw

I'm in bed, under the covers, a northerly view of the Paris of the West before me. The screech of brakes is barely audible here on the 32nd floor. When the weather is clearer, the Golden Gate bridge, Coit Tower, Alcatraz, and the southern curve of the Bay are all visible from my two floor to ceiling windows. But in its teasing San Francisco way, much of the view is usually shrouded by night, fog, or a combination of the two.

As usual, staying in a hotel only confirms that cable TV is a wasteland. I couldn't stay on one of the 60 channels for any length of time last night or tonight. How sad is that? Though it was a tad amusing to watch "Pretty in Pink" in the bathroom mirror while primping for the day this morning.

I had a great Saturday in the city last weekend. M had a continuing education class all day, so I came down with him and whiled away the morning hours shopping in the Union Square neighborhood before friends joined me at the SFMOMA to take in the Avedon exhibit. We headed over to the Mission to see more art, plein air style in the form of murals, then dined on South Indian food at Dosa on Valencia. It was a long day, but it was such an energizing mix of activities.
Sunday was spent mostly on domestic chores, including washing clothes in our washer and dryer now settled on their handsome new platform, and getting ready for the show this week.

I drove down Monday morning, and am now I'm back in the big city, enjoying the experiences, though they're mostly limited to the universe of the hotel. I did get out and about early this morning, picking up a latte at my favorite organic coffee shop, sipping and walking around Yerba Buena Gardens with elderly Chinese Americans, admiring their dedication to exercise. It was a very good work day today, but I'm looking forward to going home. And going to sleep, it's a little past my witching hour…