Omakase

Wednesday, March 04, 2009

Favorite picture of San Francisco trip

I took 320 pictures while in SF, with the vast majority featuring bridges, Alcatraz, or water.

The one above- taken with my camera phone- is my favorite for the fact that the poor cameraphone lens unintentionally blurs the view to produce a soft, almost impressionist view of the city and Alcatraz. (Click on the picture for a full view.)

What do you think?

Monday, March 02, 2009

Heck of a weekend (#3)



Saturday was a spectacular day weather-wise in the Bay area (60's, partly sunny), so I set out to see as much of the city as possible.

Mission accomplished! Here's a depiction of the day's route per Google Maps. By my reckoning, I hiked ~12 miles all over San Francisco on Saturday.

(You have to imagine a ferry ride from San Francisco to Suasalito - I can't mix and match walking and public transportation on the same map.)

Here's the highlights of the day:
-a tour of AT&T Park, including a visit to the clubhouse, dugouts, and on the field.
-a ferry ride from SF to Sausalito. (Sausalito is a tourist trap, btw.)
-scenic visits from Vista Point, overlooking the Golden Gate Bridge and SF.
-a walk across the Golden Gate Bridge.
-views of the Marin Headlands from Fort Point.
-a walk through the Presidio to Fisherman's Wharf.
-Tasting 6 very nice California wines at Pier 39
-Hiking back to my hotel via Chinatown, but the highlight was an unplanned stop in Little Italy for a dinner of homemade penne.


I also took something like 200 pictures, the majority of which either came during the ferry ride across the Bay, or the walk across the Golden Gate Bridge. I'll share them as soon as I get them uploaded, which firstly relies on me getting home!


View Larger Map

Another scene from SF

I took a guided tour of AT&T Park (home of the San Francisco Giants) on Saturday, with time on the field (where this was snapped), in the dugout, and in the clubhouse. really enjoyed it, but I'm pretty sure the bus full of Australian teenagers didn't get a darn thing out of the tour.

What a weekend!

While in SF, I caught up with a bunch of buddies from Darden (grad school). It always amazes me when our Darden class gathers how smoothly and positively we connect. You wouldn't have known that we all had ever split up after school or gotten older,,,,unless you checked hairlines!

Pictured below are 4 of the 5 guys who made it out Friday night. To the right of me in the picture are Ed Berkowitz, Rob Hayes, and Brian McCracken. (Steve Berreman left before picture time.)

I'd love to tell you that this picture represents >$100m in net worth, but Mr. Slingbox couldn't make it.

Also making the night enjoyable were the activities. We started at a fine Irish Pub (Foley's) and finished with a trendy restaurant ("oola," or something like that,) located in the SoMa district.

With my new friends on the Great Wall of China

With my new friends on the Great Wall of China
Click to go to my online photography

World sun clock

Uncommon Man's Creed

"I do not choose to be a common man. It is my right to be uncommon -- if I can. I seek opportunity -- not security. I do not wish to be a kept citizen, humbled and dulled by having the state look after me. I wish to take the calculated risk; to dream and to build, to fail and to succeed. I refuse to barter incentive for a dole, I prefer the challenges of life to the guaranteed existence; the thrill of fulfillment to the stale calm of utopia. I will not trade freedom for beneficence, nor my dignity for a handout. I will never cower before any master, nor bend to any threat. It is my heritage to stand erect, proud, and unafraid, to think and act for myself, to enjoy the benefit of my creations, and to face the world boldly and say, "this I have done." All this is what it means to be an American." -- Anonymous