Tobia and I met Marc in SF this past weekend. Joe Dimaggio’s restaurant closed down and a new Original Joe’s was put in there instead. As it is really close to Marc’s place, we thought we’d try it out, and it was quite good.

Following lunch, we walked around, hitting up several joints and bars along the way.

Marc had to draw the line and amicably say goodbye to us when we decided we’d act like tourists really in what is our own city around here… we went to do the Ride the Ducks. We’d done that in Seattle and enjoyed it, and thought we should try to see SF in tourists’ eyes.

My favorite part of the ride was going into the water in the Mission Bay district. We got nice glimpses of the city, from angles I’d never seen before. I also appreciated being in McCovey Cove recalling the wildness I used to see on TV every time Barry Bonds hit a homerun. I also really liked the new condo developments around UCSF in that area… I’d move there if I didn’t already have a house, and if I could afford it.

Our tour ended where it started, right at Fisherman’s Wharf. From there we walked down to Pier 3 to meet our friends at Plant Cafe. We were a group of 8 and had a great dinner.

Following dinner, we thought we’d walk to China Town to see the New Year’s Parade they had going on. As we got closer, we realized we were probably too late, so Tobia suggested we go to the Punch Line Comedy Club instead. Unbelievably, we were able to get some tix right before the show started, and ended our night laughing hard out there.

To me this guy is an iconic SF figure. Sitting just below Ghirardelli Square, he speaks at least a few lines in dozens of languages and often makes people laugh. Actually, many times he guesses people’s nationalities as they simply approach his area. He is really jolly, I’ve spoken to him a handful of times over the years.			The new Bay Bridge can be seen behind the current one.
		McCovey Cove

I spent so much time in my teenage years playing roller hockey here, at De Anza Park in Sunnyvale. Some of my fondest hockey memories were here, skating 3 on 3 (with two goalies) with/against Beast, Frog, Dinger, Victor, Hesse and others. All the drama that came with not only carrying the home-made nets we had, but sharing the space with the skate boarders too, is still in my mind. At some points in the year, we’d be out there every single day for hours, and from time to time, late at night with the lights on.

There were other places, too, like “Oren’s Circle” out in Santa Clara and Corvin’s (for those rainy days) that were also excellent, but no place was quite like “The Hockey Circle” in Sunnyvale, often followed by a drive thru at Taco Bell for dinner.

Frank and I planned a beach BBQ, and I got to select the destination. So I picked Gray Whale Cove State Beach, just between Pacifica (South of Devil’s Slide) and Montara for our Saturday picnic.

Gabriel, Richard, Val, Jared and Arthur also joined Frank, Tobia and I.

We brought our new mini-BBQ grill, some chairs, meat, and half our kitchen sink from home. So did some of the other folks. The path down to the beach was a bit tough given all the supplies we had to carry. It was a pretty steep decent, and then a ton of stairs down to the sand. Well worth it, though.

We had an awesome time, getting there before 11am and staying until just after sunset. I couldn’t believe how warm it was, possibly in the mid-low 70s.

After the picnic, we headed for some small bites, but really just to relax, at Moss Beach Distillery in Montara. That was really nice, and eventually afterwards we all headed home pretty late at night.

On Sunday we hiked with my in-laws up to Coyote Peak at Santa Teresa County Park in South SJ.

And, for the cherry on top for the weekend, the Giants beat the Patriots in the Super Bowl!

Whale Cove SB. Top right of pic is Devil’s Slide		Val
		Jared and Arthur	Looking down at San Jose from atop Coyote Peak