Baghdad By The Bay

The end of July found me in San Francisco for a number of reasons; Grinderman (Nick Cave's side project) was playing two shows (Great American Music Hall and Slim's), there was a possibility of Barry Bonds hitting #755 (tie) or #756 (record breaker), sightseeing, and the enjoyment of culinary delights with my friend Eddie.

We stayed at a friend's apartment in Portrero Hill which is a nice, up-and-coming neighborhood where the hipsters go after getting sick of the Mission District. It's also a 20 minute walk to AT&T Park. I had purchased tickets to 3 games in hopes that Bonds would be nearing the record. While we didn't see the record-breaker, we caught #754 along with some enjoyable baseball at a beautiful stadium. McCovey Cove had a classic vibe full of boats, kayaks, and a floating putting green! AT&T Park has beautiful architecture, a number of baseball tributes throughout, a great view of the Bay, and excellent food. And the outfield is one giant party. Here's a pic of Bonds, appropriately alone:

As I said, one of the reasons for our trip was to enjoy what San Francisco had to offer on the culinary front. I've been a fan of SF's culinary scene since college (the late 90's), making a conscious attempt to sample something different with every visit. During my last trip I enjoyed the excellent Vietnamese cuisine at Sunflower on 16th in the Mission. The visit before found me at House of Nanking (Chinatown), and enjoying the tasting menu at one of America's great restaurants; Gary Danko. On this trip we ate one of my all time favorites - Jay's Cheesesteak (Mission). We also sampled chowder and an excellent assortment of oysters at Swan Oyster Depot (Russian Hill), lunch at Squat and Gobble in Lower Haight, breakfast at Dottie's True Blue Cafe (Downtown), Good Luck Dim Sum (Richmond), incredible Vietnamese at Tu Lan (6th and Market), Taqueria Cancun (2 locations), and El Farolito.

"There's some satisfaction in the San Francisco rain. No matter what comes down, the Mission always looks the same." - J. Garcia.

A Mission institution, El Farolito:

Visits to Alcatraz and Fort Point were highlights. San Francisco, as seen from Alcatraz:

Grinderman played the entire "S/T" album both nights with different all-Bad Seeds-song encores each night. The first night (Great American Music Hall) featured an obviously inebriated, ex-Bad Seed, Blixa Bargeld doing co-vocals on "Weeping Song" as well as "The Ship Song" and "Red Right Hand", while the second night (Slim's) featured Jello Biafra and Henry Rollins doing backing vocals on "Deanna", although neither seemed to know the song very well (Rollins center-stage, Biafra stage-left):

Two Harbors

The recent fire on Catalina Island was confined mostly to the interior and east end (near Avalon), therefore the trip my family made to Two Harbors and the west end last weekend did not afford us an opportunity to witness the damage.

My mother, my brother and I left Newport Harbor aiming for somewhere around Little Gibraltar / Lava Wall (about the mid-point) on Santa Catalina. Our 24' Sea Ray flew across in one hour due to minimal swell and wind.

Little Gibraltar (w/ Long Point in the background):

Two Harbors (a/k/a/ "The Isthmus") is an unincorporated town with a population hovering around 300. As such, it provides a much quieter, more rustic Catalina experience than Avalon has to offer. We hiked west to 4th of July and Cherry Coves, enjoying the views of both from the road.

Isthmus Cove as viewed from the west:

I saw this boat in the Newport Harbor yacht anchorage a few days later (notice the water clarity!):

We spent our time hiking, reading, swimming, BBQ-ing, and relaxing. Life in Two Harbors runs at a much slower pace than almost anywhere else in Southern California.

Guernica

Yesterday (April 26) was the 70th anniversary of the bombing of the Basque village of Guernica.

American Samoa

I will be moving to American Samoa in August 2008. Why? Because I was offered (and accepted) a job as a clerk for the High Court of American Samoa. What's that entail? Basically, I research and write memos about issues before the court, then make a recommendation to the Chief Justice or Associate Justice. The High Court of American Samoa is what you would imagine; the highest court on the island of American Samoa. The job lasts for one year, so plan on visiting me sometime between August 2008 and August 2009.

Check out this blog by Michael Weaver, the current clerk (and one of the gentlemen who interviewed me); Weaver In Samoa.

Egypt

Erin and I just returned from a 10 day trip to Egypt which included great sightseeing and good eating (Lebanese restaurant at the Intercontinental hotel on the Nile, and some great "street" cuisine). Our one day layover in London included lunch at the Picadilly Itsu (where Alexander Litvinenko was poisoned) and dinner at the River Cafe.

You really do see THIS kind of stuff in Egypt: