More 2013 wrap-up: San Francisco in April and Chicago in June

Business trip took me back to San Francisco in April.  I never get tired of going there -- tired of the plane trip, sure, but the destination?  Never!    Stayed in a little "boutique" hotel near the cable car turnaround and grabbed the first car to the Fisherman's Wharf area to walk along the beach, looking at the Golden Gate Bridge in the distance on one side,

and the buildings of the city on the other.

Took some time before the conference opening to explore places I'd never visited before, starting with an almost-full day's visit to Golden Gate Park.  Walked nearly the entire three mile length, wandering north and south on the many pathways, taking dozens and dozens of photos.

The Conservatory of Flowers  was a wonder inside and out.  The oldest such glass and wood structure in the country, by the end of the 20th century, it needed extensive repair and renovation and was closed for several years to be rebuilt and refurbished.  

The small Japanese garden section had wisteria in full bloom cascading from above.  Gorgeous!

Another path featured a huge bed of white calla lilies, which I think of as summer container plants.

My evening strolls around the downtown area took me past a high-end jeans store with these wonderful old sewing machines in the window.

I hopped the trolley to search for dinner in the Embarcadero one night.  That trolley car had originally been from Philadelphia! 

My destination provided a great view of the Bay Bridge.

Post-conference, I had a free afternoon before I was due at the airport for my red-eye flight.  Another cable car ride (two actually) to Grace Cathedral on the top of Nob Hill.  In addition to richly colored scenes of San Francisco history lining the interior walls, the cathedral has both an interior and an exterior labryinth. 

Quietly and reverently, I removed my shoes and walked the winding path inside, as a personal goodbye to that favorite city.

Late June took me to Chicago for the annual conference of the American Library Association. Friday evening, my work colleagues and I grabbed a bus to Chinatown for dinner.  We feasted, then dodged the rain to return to our hotel.

Late that night, Daughter #1 flew in to meet me for the weekend!  She spent some time at the conference, attending several sessions with speakers of interest, then visited the Field Museum of Natural History.  On Saturday evening, we explored the Navy Pier, ready to ride the Ferris wheel and view the city from its height.  Alas, it was not in service, but you can see it in the background.

Even from the ground, there was a great view of the Chicago skyline.

ALA headquarters is in Chicago, so we meet there fairly frequently.  Next visit is January 2015 when the weather will be a lot less hospitable!

Reclaiming a favorite place

I woke up this morning, with the startling thought that I'm reclaiming San Francisco for myself.  I'm here alone on business for a few days.   Though I am by no means a world traveler, I have visited a number of cities in the U.S., mostly for work.  San Francisco is one of my favorite cities in the country.   As it has worked out, I happen to come here once a decade. 

My first trip was in the late 1980s, before I met x2b.  That was when I fell in love with this place. In fact, when we first met, one of the things he and I discovered we had in common was that we felt the same way about this city.  We had wanted our honeymoon to be spent taking a train cross-country to S.F., but reality set in and no honeymoon ever happened. 

Ten years ago, my job sent me here again.  Our daughters were 9 and 11 and we brought them with us.  They,  too, immediately succumbed to its charm.   While I worked, x2b and our daughters went several places things I'd gone before (boat trip to Alcatraz -- a truly FASCINATING place), and some I hadn't (they walked across the Golden Gate Bridge).  Together, we rode the cable cars, climbed the stairs to Coit Tower, visited the "crookedest street" (complete with spotting a large hairy man dressed as Wonder Woman), and celebrated D#1's "graduation" from grade school and "matriculation" to 7th grade with dinner on Fisherman's Wharf.  One evening we went to a restaurant in Chinatown which did not fit the stereotype of "Chinese restaurant" or look like much from the outside.  We feasted on incredible food.   Nearby was a playground where he and I sat on a park bench, watching them run off some of their pent-up energy. 

Now I'm back, by myself once more.  I flew in early on Wednesday, so I would have the whole day to explore and I'm taking a red-eye out on Saturday night to give myself some free time when the conference ends.   After I checked in to my hotel on Union Square, I took BART to Berkeley (never been there) to a quilt shop that had been recommended.   On my way to the station, I took a picture of a cable car with my phone and sent it to each of my daughters with a single word:  Here!   D#1 replied that she was jealous, ordered me to eat some sourdough bread for her, and, of course, told me to have a good time.  I responded telling her where I was and where I was going, and she texted back that that was right up my alley!  (Yes, my daughter knows me fairly well...) 

I had hoped that in this S.E.X.(Stash Enhancement eXpedition) I would find some fabric specifically related to the Bay area, but no luck.  It did yield a cut of fabric with California sights and a few assorted FQs.  There was a lot of stock there different from the shops I frequent at home, but nothing that tempted me strongly -- except for the yardage of the entire William Morris Tapestry line!  However, I held back, as I already have way too much WM until I use up .... oh about... mumblety-mumble yards of what I own. 

Yesterday, D#2 sent a text asking me if I was going to eat in the Chinese place we'd been -- and I assured her that it was in my plans.  After the conference ended yesterday, I changed clothes, unwound for a little while, and headed off on foot to Chinatown -- more than around the corner but less than a trek.  By chance, I passed the playground and took a picture for the daughters.

Waited in line at the restaurant (as I expected to do) and was seated with a Spanish-speaking mother and daughter. It's that kind of place -- a single and a pair at a table for 4.  As we ate, my tablemates and I chatted a little. While the mother appeared to know no English, the daughter, in her early 20s, spoke it well.  They were from Mexico City, and spending a week vacationing together.  I told them a little about my last trip with my daughters and how they'd gone from playing-on-the-monkey-bars age to just-into-college and graduating-from-college ages.   

As expected, the food was delicious.  I had an appetizer of shrimp and green onion packets in peanut sauce, and an entree of sesame chicken with sweet potatoes in honey sauce.  This was the first -- and only -- Chinese restaurant where I'd ever had sweet potatoes, and I remembered them well from that 10-years-ago dinner.   We all had "blossoming flower tea".  The tea was served in a clear mug, with a floating rough-textured, walnut-sized ball that looked like dried moss.  Over about ten minutes, it sank to the bottom and opened up like a flower.

A little later, I noticed a light yellowish "stalk" rising from the base of the mug, waving gracefully with each movement of the mug.

Enjoying the mild evening air, I walked back to my hotel with another wonderful memory of this unique city.  The sidewalks sparkled with something in the concrete reflecting the streetlight, and I seemed to be walking on a path strewn with diamond dust. 

Tonight I'm taking the cable car to the Fisherman's Wharf area -- maybe Ghiardelli Square too.  (I will skip the ice cream place where the 4 of us shared a gargantuan ice cream treat designed for a family -- something like 10 scoops, with multiple toppings!)   I will eat seafood, buy trinkets for the daughters, maybe some chocolate for others.   And, like last night, I'll remember wistfully the wonderful family time we had back then, while making a new memory for myself -- coming full circle to spending time in a beloved place again, without an intense longing for what was, but with a satisfaction for what is right now.