rickps | I Left My Stomach in San Francisco

Another weekend visit to Sodom on the Bay come and gone. Saw a bunch of friends, ate way too much good food, and left satiated but sad that the weekend wasn't much longer, say a lifetime. Some random observations...

The Castro never changes and yet it does. A few more empty storefronts. Some token activity around the Patio, again. I got a giggle out of the "Castro Wedding Chapel" with its gayly painted sign at the former home of Rent-Tech (and a variety of other less-than-successful businesses).

Starbears invariably becomes ground zero during my visits. Mao was right, everyone does float by sooner or later. But not

fuzzygruf this time. How is this possible??

Classic SF weather - sunny, warm, windy, gray, misty, damp... And all in about 15 minutes.

Dined one night at the Elite Cafe on Fillmore near California. Slightly pricey. Some of the best food I've had in years proving that it doesn't take fancy ingredients and foo-foo sauces to make an excellent meal. The recommended Meetinghouse Biscuits deserve their own food group. Only one downside - when the bar (which runs along one wall) is rocking, it's noisy!

Hearing that real estate prices in parts of the city are falling was a shock.

San Francisco homies may disagree but SF drivers are among the most polite I've ever run across.

Got dragged to the local Jaguar dealer on Van Ness. The showroom featured ornate columns, high burnished wood ceilings, expensive tile flooring, and soft luxuriant lighting accents. A real shame that dripping oil and the smell of fried electrics from the Jags and Land Rovers ruins the whole effect.

Sunday lunch at the Hard Knox Cafe on 3rd (now two locations!) was another gastronomic feast. Not quite 'authentic soul food' and far from gourmet, but you'll not go away hungry or unsatisfied.

San Francisco's vibe is unlike anywhere else on the planet. Probably a good thing.

I'm already counting the days until I make my next trip back in August.