A Day in San Francisco



OK, so now that we live in the Bay Area, we needed to go into the city—also because it was 99° in Menlo Park on Friday, and a similar high was predicted for Saturday. Why not escape to San Francisco, the air-conditioned city?

Gauss and I have been visiting Sam Woh’s in Chinatown since the mid-1970s. It is our favorite “greasy chopstick” restaurant, and it didn’t disappoint. We walked past the first-floor kitchen, where a couple of guys were chopping vegetables, and up the steep staircase to the second dining area. It is furnished with rickety tables of varying finishes and vintages, and little backless stools.

Service is about what you could expect from someone who has eight full tables to set up, serve, and bus in addition to operating a dumbwaiter and keeping the kitchen staff in line. The abusive male waiter from the last century is no longer there. Now it is staffed by a tiny woman with a very big voice who alternately charms and berates the customers.

Hint: when you go to Sam Woh’s, order fried noodles or fried rice. They’re yummy, and the portions are huge, which you will need if you walk the streets of the city all day.

Fueled by our noodles from Sam Woh, we walked up to Telegraph Hill, hoping to catch a glimpse of the famous Wild Parrots. We heard their telltale screech, and looked up in time to see a small flock disappearing over the roofs of the nearby houses. We enjoyed the brisk ocean breeze and great views.

We finished our day back in Menlo Park. After riding the train back, we walked across the street from the station to a local restaurant, Iberia, and enjoyed some tapas and a bottle of mineral water before walking home and collapsing. We slept for about 11 hours!

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