Wine, Walking, Cabs and Wine

Well it's been a week here for me in the Fog City. Quite honestly it's been great with beautiful weather (and from what I'm told only to get better starting in September), tons to do and entertaining situations throughout.

I'm still downtown in my hotel and it is nice because I can literally walk most places. I have been walking my fool self all over this city. I walk to work, I walk to dinner, I walk to go shopping...I walk walk and more walk. When I can't walk because it's more than 3 miles I take a cab. If someone forced me to sum up my first week here in one word it would be 'walking'.

Ironically enough my first week here brought an earthquake not here but back east. Californians clearly undaunted by such natural disasters, my esteemed colleagues decided to welcome me to the office with a good old fashioned earthquake drill. The city apparently hears the sound of a drill alarm every Tuesday at noon, which happened to be just an hour or two after the quake was reported on the east coast, so their timing was impeccable. I flew under my desk at their urgent prompting and remained in a panicked state, thinking the earthquake had traveled across the whole of the U.S., until they all started laughing...at me. Thankfully I can take a joke...but it's on
San Francisco, it's on.

One thing I cannot get used to is the constant soliciting on the street for money. I've spent my fair share of time in enough cities to get used to the homeless asking for a dollar or what have you, but it's the other parties that get me to the point of annoyance. Now, before you write me off as a selfish and ungiving jerk, you should know that I'm a sucker for charity. I once got in trouble when I was 9 for giving away all of my first communion money to the guy that came to our door soliciting donations for Green Peace. But this is just ridiculous...I mean the amount of solicitation on the street is overwhelming, and to be honest a little melodramatic. I had a girl from Planned Parenthood today jump right in front of me asking for a donation because she's "from Planned Parenthood and we're under attack"...I mean aren't we all in one way or another??

Other than that I have certainly enjoyed some of San Francisco's fine libation establishments. Today I went down to the Embarcadero on the water and shopped around the marketplace before I sat at a wine bar that offered 2 oz. tastings, 5 oz. pours and wine flights. All of this while looking out at the aqua green Pacific ocean and watching the sailboats cruise by. There aren't too many Sunday afternoons that can compare to that.

This week I'm working our company booth at the Dreamforce conference (think Facebook on steroids, San Francisco is a hub for the techie cutting edge) that involves a lot of schmoozing, networking, cocktailing and dining so I will update come next weekend.

Oh, I visited my diner server again on Friday after work. I know, you probably can't understand my intrigue with him. But I can't help it, I am...some people just hold my attention and make me curious about them. Maybe it's the way he kind of shuffles around the diner...or the fact he's so mild mannered and spacey I wondered for a bit if maybe he was mentally handicapped in some way..."slow" if you will (and if we're being un-PC). But in the end I know I'm intrigued because of the question he asked the other night. I decided to strike up conversation and I learned he's been working there for 7 years, 5 days per week, 6 hours per day. I wanted to go so far as to ask him his name but nice and polite as he is he never really seems up for chatter. I ordered the same plate of fries and glass of red wine in an effort to see if I would get the same question as I did last time (see my last post if you're lost here). I ate only half of the fries once again and waited. He shuffled here and there, started his nightly cleanup (the diner closes at 8)...but he never checked to see if I wanted it wrapped. I started to think it was just a fluke, maybe he didn't realize what he asked when he did last time....his head was in the clouds possibly.

Then my curiosities were further piqued. The couple a few seats down from me had ordered an egg salad sandwich that came with a side of cole slaw. Only one half was eaten and the couple paid and left. I watched him go collect the plate, place it on the opposite counter and pack up the egg salad (not the bread) in a small Chinese takeout container. Then he took another small Chinese takeout container from his stash and boxed up the cole slaw.

I came so close to asking who he was wrapping it up for, but I didn't have the nerve. It was almost like observing a rare animal in their natural habitat and not wanting to disturb the scene. Either way, the act has only increased my intrigue and now it is my mission to learn more about this man and the reasons behind his wrapping...stay tuned.