Tag: San Francisco

Travelogue Day 3 – Endulgence

SilentBen1 Comment

Finally I’m getting on track with my sleep … sort of.  After barely staying awake through the second training session yesterday afternoon, I came to my room to collapse for an hour nap.  This helped me get my second wind and stay up until midnight (more typical timing for me).  I still found myself awake at 5 AM, but I belligerently stayed in bed until my alarm went off.  As a result, this post is now coming later in the day than the last two.  I’d say that I’m sorry about this, but I’m really not.

So as part of my efforts to enjoy my trek, I’m making a point of sampling various local cuisines whenever I can.  Since the conference is providing a number of meals for us and I have a decent meal stipend, this is working out fairly well.  I’ve only eaten from the hotel restaurant once so far – apparently the head chef is a contestant on The Next Food Network Star. If the eggs Benedict with crab meat I had for breakfast yesterday was any indication,  then I can see why.  The other samplings I’ve tried while out here include an elegant seafood dinner on Pier 39 (complete with a view of Alcatraz), breakfast at Mel’s Diner, and Jack-in-the-Box (we were aiming for a Japanese sushi place that came well recommended, but they were too busy so we settled).  The catered food so far has been pretty impressive as well – many including well prepared fresh and local produce.  I haven’t planned out the remainder of my dining experiences for the week, but I am trying to skirt the line of adventurous and cautious (I’d rather not end up sick for the rest of the week).

While I am seeming to get my sleep schedule adjusted, I somewhat dread becoming completely acclimated as I will just have to shift back in a few days.  I definitely think that if I plan a vacation out this way anytime in the future (which I’m strongly inclined to do), I will pad it on both ends.  Though I may have to wait until the kids are older (I can just picture Grasshopper bouncing on me in bed at 4 AM ready to take on the world).

Travelogue – Day 2

SilentBen2 Comments

Once again, I am sitting and writing due to my displacement-borne insomnia.  I will likely fully adjust to the time zone shift by the time I am leaving to go home.  In the meantime, I will persevere with the aid of caffeine and sunlight as my guides.

Yesterday after reading my way to a respectable hour of the morning, I decided to start planning my day.  It was the only day in this trip that I really had mostly to myself – the rest to follow will be heavily scheduled with classes and sessions and the various other activities that are common to conferences.  I opted to start with breakfast on my way to visit my company’s local office.  After some very good French toast at the counter of a bustlingly busy Mel’s Diner, I ventured on to the office (actually I ventured to where Google Maps told me the office was only to find it was no longer there – after a couple phone calls I got my bearings).  It was an odd juxtaposition to the office I’m used to – I’m not sure what the current count is, but I know that our PA office houses more than 100 people and is often noisy in multiple ways (conference calls, industry climate control, and regular chatter), whereas the SF office only boasted a headcount under a dozen (I’m sure there were people out, but not a lot) and was a lot quieter than I’m accustomed to.  But the people there are great and in the times where it wasn’t silent, the spirit that I’m used to was there.

After spending the day catching up on emails and issues (there are always issues) – a day that seemed much longer than it should have been (me and my chrono-displacement) – I opted to ignore my fatigue and be a tourist for the evening.  I figured it might be my only chance to do so.  I started by catching the F line up to Fisherman’s Wharf.  I walked Pier 39, took in the sight of dozens of sea lions basking on floating docks nearby, and enjoyed a nice seafood dinner with a view of Alcatraz.  After doing some gift shopping for the kids, I decided on 2 additional stops before calling it a night – a bookstore (I’m nearly finished the book I’m reading and need to be prepared for the long flight home) and Ghirardelli Square.  I hoofed it to both destination and considered keeping an eye open for a shoe store as I went to get a good pair of sneakers.  After watching the sky progress through the various phases of sunset over the bay, I found a cable car to carry me back to my temporary home.  Funny – of all the walking I did, I seemed to have missed all of the hills that are so telltale of the area … that is until the cable car ride.  It seemed that the route I was on aimed to hit every slope in town.  It was pretty impressive that the old, bumpy, and noisy box that was our carriage could navigate such grades simply on the electric power provided through the lines above.

I still haven’t made it to the Pacific and I’ve only seen the Golden Gate from a distance, so I don’t consider my adventures complete.  Hopefully time will permit me some additional travels during my stay.  And hopefully I can manage to adjust my sleep schedule before I simply have to let it slide back to normal.  In the meantime, I must get myself some coffee and prepare for the day ahead of me.