HONEYMOON SALAD ENDING
Trip to San Francisco on a Shoestring…awesome! Inspiring! Fabulous!
At the last minute, I decided to attend a two day conference of entrepreneurs in San Francisco. In these tough economic times I did not wish to incur unnecessary debt. Therefore, I decided to use up my accumulated mileage with American Airlines Advantage and paid a fee of $10 from NY to CA.
I was lucky to get a cheap ride from SFI to the Bay with Airport Express for $16. If you search, you can get cheaper rates or take public transportation.
I searched on the Internet for reasonable hotel rates within walking distance to the conference center at the Marriott on Fisherman’s Wharf, but I found only one that had an available room. The San Remo on Maison Street is a hostel-type hotel with hanging flowers within walking distance to the bay. It was charming, reasonable and very clean.
The downside, but not relevant to me was that there is no elevator and we shared bathrooms on each floor. I felt very safe due to the front door being locked at all times. I found that I never had to stand in line for the shower or the toilet. Since I shared the quaint room with a friend, the cost of $75 per night was perfect, although there was a sign outside that said $65.
After unpacking, I had a chance to go for a walk and grab something to eat at a nearby cafe. I enjoyed a freshly prepared spinach salad with portabella mushrooms and tofu for $7 while sitting outside in the glorious sun.
Usually, if I go to an unfamiliar city, I’ll purposely walk as much as possible to various areas to view it as a local resident in lieu of a tourist. I anticipate getting lost, thus I end up seeing, absorbing and feeling the pulse of the city.
This time I didn’t get lost a single time! I was shocked that I actually found myself back to the San Remo without ever having to make detours or look at my map. That was strange…The only time I had ever been in this area was 35 years ago during the “Flower People” era for a very brief walk on the wharf.
Shortly before arriving, I had signed up with Bay City Bikes for a 2 ½ hour bike tour with a group of 40 bikers. Most of them were also attending the conference. I think we all had one common goal-complete the bike tour without staying too far behind and not getting hurt.
For the first couple of miles, I was getting impatient. We were going at a snail pace through the city dodging traffic. Once we were on the major bike path and approaching the Golden Gate Bridge, we started to go up steeper and steeper inclines. Whoa! My legs were burning from the constant pressure. Slow down!
We had crossed 3/4 of the Golden Gate Bridge, when suddenly the wind snapped up my favorite aqua hat and I attempted to grab it. Well, within a split second I went flying over my handle bars. Luckily, I retrieved my hat before the bay had a chance to swallow it. Unfortunately, my bike’s steering column was all twisted from the fall.
Thank God, no one was behind me! That would have been a mess! I only had a few scrapes. Somehow, I managed to get across the bridge and had our tour guide fix my bike.
From there on, it was all downhill into Sausalito for a quick lunch and the ferry back to The Wharf. The cost of $50 included the bike rental and also the ferry was well worth it.
Without a doubt, the ride was exhilarating. It gave us an opportunity to see the spectacular views and to enjoy a beautiful sunny day with a bunch of new friends.
After this glorious day, I was invigorated and refreshed to focus on my numerous projects. Everything seemed much easier to accomplish. Occasionally, you have to step away from your daily surroundings to rejuvenate your soul.
About the Author
To me, there is nothing more fascinating than the human foibles in our daily lives. If we can laugh at ourselves, we can also reach out to others…
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