San Jose from Fairmont Hotel
There’s really no contest. After two days in San Jose I thought about running down the streets and yelling “Where is everybody…body…body…?”
For being the 10th largest city in the US, according to the Fairmont Hotel laminated guest book, the city is dead. Hence the echo.
Still, had a great time due to the insane amount of people-watching available at American Society of Public Administrators conference. (Mr. Gnome was a presenter.)
What’s better than watching public administrators flirt, dance, and socialize? Watching inebriated public administrators flirt, dance, and socialize.
Public administrator academics grooving. The guy on the right is my fave.
After tagging along at the conference in San Jose, California, I convinced Mr. Gnome to sneak up to San Fran with me. What an amazing day and a half.
36 hours in San Fran: (Pics taken with point-and-shoot Kodak C763)
Fellow Travel Blogger Meet-up: High gravs with the lovely Ekua at Pi in the Mission. She’s intelligent, beautiful, and a super fun person to talk travel with.
Dottie’s True Blue Cafe: Hour wait for perfect 1930s hangover remedy.
Chinatown: Dried fish, lipstick, gilded plastic, gentrified lady gamers.
House of Nanking: Changed my mind about Chinese food. Best. Tofu. Ever.
Beat beat: Spent two hours and $68 at City Lights, people watched at Vesuvio, felt like Bobby D, caught the band Nick Jade and bought their LP on Kerouac alley.
Millennium Restaurant- Lightly roasted fava beans, stuffed artichoke. One of the best meals of my life (just happened to be vegan).
Next time, I want to ride on a trolley car, take a trip to Napa, and basically spend about 4 weeks exploring this crazy cool city. Any advice for next time? Any love for San Jose?
I’m glad you liked San Fran – it’s my favorite city
Totally wanna go to San Fran.
I’m glad you enjoyed it here! I am always learning something new about my home.
Don’t find many travel writers from the Carolinas! We’ll have to chat more. I’m always excited to find fellow travel writers in the area!
It was great to meet you and your husband! It’s always nice to have a good conversation with other travelers. I’m glad you guys enjoyed SF.
I love San Francisco! They do have the best Chinese food. You also get an incredible workout walking up and down all those hills. I’ve never been to San Jose–how odd that it was so empty!
San Francisco is veggie and vegan heaven! The food is amazing and you could eat in a different vegan place every night for weeks. I don’t think there’s anywhere else like it.
San Jose is kind of a wasteland. Sorry you ended up there.
Agree with Lauren. San Jose does not have all that much going for it. It’s stuffed with people, but they’re not really in the city center. They’re hiding in the burbs.
Oh, SF! My home city. I miss it so. Advice for next time? Head over the Golden Gate bridge into Marin. It’s a wealthy little bubble, but my god, the beauty. Head into the Marin Headlands over Sausalito, and then make it out to Point Reyes in West Marin. Do the hike to Bass Lake. Stop at Mclure beach (or any of the other beaches). It is one of the most beautiful places on the planet, and its often empty of people. You will not regret making the trip.