Day 6 (6/12/09) - San Francisco (You Can't Fight City Hall)

In a nation obsessed with speed - fast cars, fast talk and fast food - for people to line up for a cafe, it really must be something. Right? Dottie's True Blue Cafe, in the Tenderloin of San Francisco, is a local institution that was recommended by various travel guides. We had read that the line extended far beyond the door (even 20 minutes prior to opening time), so when we arrived for brunch at 11.30am we were not surprised to find ourselves at the back of a queue. Still, when one waits 40 minutes to eat (and I don't even line up for nightclubs anymore), the expectation that there be something extraordinary waiting on the other end is not an unreasonable one.


The cafe itself is very small and crowded. The decor is kitschy and cheerful, which is more than I can say about the staff. But that is understandable, given the number of customers that pass through those small blue doors. Nik and I ordered "The Open Road", a combo of eggs, bacon/sausage, fried potatoes, pancakes and juice. The food was nice enough, and reasonably priced ($12.95 each, and $1.85 for tea/coffee with free refills). I suppose I expected them to at least get my order for tea right (they didn't) and perhaps smile a little (they didn't). However the meal was so filling that Nik and I did not eat again until 9pm...and I would still recommend this if one is in San Francisco, as it really is a neighbourhood icon.

We headed back to the hostel to plan what was left of the day (it gets dark around 4.30pm) and decided to visit Hayes Valley, an area that has become quite a trendy part of town in recent years, with many new boutique shops and bars. It is perhaps best known for being located in a historical part of town; we caught the bus to Hayes and Laguna to walk up the hill a few blocks to Alamo Square Park, which offers 360-degree views of downtown San Francisco (we even saw the top of the Golden Gate Bridge, despite the cloudy day).



It really is a picturesque area, and the locals clearly make the most of their park too. Dogs wandered the park grounds as their owners sat down, taking in the surrounding view.


We had planned to make it to Haight-Ashbury, but our parade literally was rained on, so we walked all the way back to Union Square. We did stop by City Hall on the way, and managed to get a few nice photos despite the weather. We also managed to grab $30 tickets to see Wicked on Tuesday night.


For dinner we went to a diner and ate Buffalo wings and burgers. I justified the nutrition factor by counting the carrot sticks that came with the wings as my serving of vegetables for the day (in all seriousness though, we will be buying fresh fruit in the morning, if it weren't for all the walking we are doing I would feel like a toxic waste dump by now).


Tonight has probably been the coldest weather we have experienced all trip, so we are catching up on laundry and sleep instead of wandering the streets. Nik decided it would be funny to play a nasty little trick on Zarah, tricksy hobbit that he is. I entrusted him with the clothes to be washed, and when he returned he told me, "all the washing machines were full, but I put the clothes in one of the funny looking ones on top" (the dryers). I could have punched him.

Stay tuned to see if he makes it back alive after our trip to the Golden Gate Bridge...
Until then!