So the last ten days or so have been pretty crazy. It all started with a flight from San Francisco to Austin on the ninth. There I prepared for a series of meetings with business connections and hopefully potential opportunities for new business. Those meetings were to be had in San Antonio, so shortly after arriving in the Austin area I was headed out. Continue reading
Our last day in San Francisco found us back at the Department of Motor Vehicles. But before we ran our last errand in The City, I picked up breakfast for us from Sugar Café. We shared a Cinnamon Pecan Brioche and a Dark & White Chocolate Brioche. They were very tasty. Too tasty. Ryan and I decided that they spelled certain death should we make that a regular breakfast.
Cafe Sugar is a neat little café. It feels like it belongs in Los Angeles with its modern furnishings and a tiny bit pretentious employees. The menu is full what read to be pretty delicious items though with a name like Sugar Café, you would think there would be more sweets on the menu. I guess really though, that’s okay, we eat enough crap as it is.
I hope to enjoy an entire meal there the next time we get out to San Francisco.
This time Ryan was getting his ambulance license. The wait was quite a bit longer this time around.
We had the same, hilarious DMV agent. We threatened to be back and what do you know, we were and we had him. He was really fun, made being at the DMV not so painful.
All the studying paid off as Ryan passed his ambulance test with flying colors. We took the 24 down Divisadero to the Castro where Kevin was waiting. The plan was shopping and then lunch at Nirvana.
I picked up a little gift for Micheal and Ryan got a couple of things for some co-workers.
Lunch at Nirvana was awesome. Mike and Kevin used to bring me there all the time, well, at least three times haha. I had the Tofu Panini on Focaccia while Ryan had the Mano Mango Noodles. They have quite a few vegetarian dishes, highly recommend it.
Kevin drove us to our Hotel 480 where we were staying to pick up our bags and then off to San Francisco International Airport (SFO) to catch our flight out of San Francisco.
We used the excuse that we were on vacation one last time as Ryan got a Kona Mocha Chip ice cream and while I sipped on my Dark Chocolate Frappe from Pete’s Coffee. I sure do miss Pete’s, they make the best cappuccino.
So here we are, waiting for the boarding for our plane to begin. I’m hoping to get some work done on the flight so I’m not so rushed when I get home to finish this project.
We made it to San Francisco a couple of hours late, something to do with excessive traffic on the runway at SFO. So that kinda sucked but I got some work done with the extra time so I guess it wasn’t so bad.
Oh, but there is a problem. The car rental place closes at 6pm. Our plane landed at 4:15, we got our luggage at 4:45, we got on the Bart at 5:00 and we have a 50 minute ride to our stop and then a seven block, up hill walk to Avis with a 50lb suitecase and two carryons. If we don’t make it, we are screwed.
We make it. (meh, not in the mood to create rising action, straight to the dénouement)
Get the GPS, not dealing with getting lost at this point, not matter how well I know the city. Head to Santa Rosa. We meet up with Kayla and Jeana for some awesome Sushi. Awesome sushi. Of course, why wouldn’t it be awesome? It’s California sushi.
After dinner I give Ryan a tour of Santa Rosa. Where I worked, where I went to school, where I lived, where I hung out, it was way too exciting for me. The house where Seth and I lived was totally renovated and looks amazing.
So then we are off to the river house, where I lived when I first moved to California and where I ended my stint in California and where I will likely pick back up, my life in California. It was late, we were tired… I go to the door, insert my key, pull the handle, it opens.
Then, without hesitation, it slams itself closed.
I try again. It closes again.
We hear a voice speaking through the crack in the door, “Hello? Who is this?”. I reply, he opens the door a crack, tells us he needs to get dressed and asks if we can go through the back.
Get dressed? Ok? Back door, sure. We have what I can only guess was a rabid Australian Cattle Dog mixed-up-mutt threatening our lives with his backing, snarling and dripping canines. Vincent, the man who answered the door, the owner of the dog and the contractor on the house, insists the creature is harmless, and frantically lets us into the house. He shows us all the work he has done… blah blah, we certainly can’t stay there. I guess Vincent has taken to living there. Hmmm.
We make some calls, no one has a place for us and we end back, after touring through Healdsburg, back in Santa Rosa and we sleep in our car.
Thanks Home Depot parking lot. Meh, it wasn’t so bad, we woke up early, got some breakfast, met up with Callie and my old Starbucks customers and friends. And then it’s off to San Francisco.
Drop off the car, unload our luggage at the hotel, and then I go to lunch with my cousin Patrick at this great little place called Mario’s Cigar Shop. Fantastic paninis.
Despite sleeping in a rental car our first night in California, we had a blast.