The city of St Francis last week...

Guess where I've just been?



South Queensferry? Asks Gladstone. No G, it's somewhere even further from the FK postcode zone. Here's another clue:



Ah San Francisco. Home of the weird and wonderful. Sometimes, such as with the imaginatively named Saloon bar on Fresno at North Beach, it's home to both. A bar in a time-warp, from the ageing hippie barmaid to the universally ignored notices reminding patrons that illegal drug-taking is - har har - "forbidden":



The turn last week was Eugene Huggins. Here's a clip of Eugene from Youtube:

[youtube][/youtube]

Have to say ole Eugene sure doesn't look that well these days. He came round the bar at the break with his hat out for tips, using a walking stick and sweating more than a man should after 40 mins of harp-blowing, waking up this morning and talking 'bout his baby.

Moving on from tacky bars, the food and ambience at this place is fantastic:



And there's also a nifty cafe at the Zoetrope Building, owned by Francis Ford Coppola.



Why is his building famous? Well, among other things, The Godfather I & II were edited here, as was the little appreciated classic that is The Conversation:

[youtube]tle="YouTube video player" width="480" height="390" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/yn9GzyBKw30" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen>[/youtube]


While Steve Jobs was announcing the iPad2, your correspondent was working next door at a big game developers conference. It's called the Game Developers Conference, to save confusion. Boy it was full of geeks.

These two wouldn't have noticed if I'd set fire to their shoes.



These two should really be at the funny farm.



Note the one on the left models his shoes on those of our own Immogreen

San Francisco was actually pretty good. In a kinda weird, past-its-sell-by faded grandeur way. Maaaan.

supermo wrote:Guess where I've just been?

You told us in the title! But here's an interesting fact: the bridge in Grand Theft Auto, which most assume is the Golden Gate, is in actual fact the one at Queensferry.

supermo wrote:


Why is his building famous?

To help you again, this building is most famous because it was left standing after the 1906 e/q, and quickly refurbished as a symbol of the city's recovery. What's it called again?

supermo wrote:
These two wouldn't have noticed if I'd set fire to their shoes.

That's Ian Durrant and Zammo out of Grangehill. What were they doing there?

As ever, a great report, Supermo, no matter what fun immo pokes at you!

fuck me, for a timmy bru-monkey, you dont half get around.

ya lucky baSTURT.

G, the Coppola building was built after the 1906 earthquake mate! It has quite a history (I recommend the gnocchi at Cafe Zoetrop, btw): http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Columbus_Tower_(San_Francisco)

John's Grill, on the other hand, DID survive the earthquake, so you were only a building out, as it were.

John's, incidentally, is where Hammett set The Maltese Falcon btw. Steeped in history. I recommend the Jumbo Prawns Dijonnaise (http://www.johnsgrill.com) although I am told the halibut was excellent too.

Sev, obviously as a hoopy I partake of those secret grants we all get from Glasgow Council / the Scottish Parliament to whiz myself round the world like I do. Don't tell the huns, especially not that hilarious josher from the RST

Did I mention Immo's a cunt very sensitive about his pixie toes?

Something went wrong with that Conversation trailer. Here it is again:

[youtube][/youtube]

Sorry Supermo, I was preoccupied with another building in Grangemouth.

But in order to commence an altercation with you, that building (the Sentinel Building) was in the process of construction prior to the 1906 earthquake, and was completed in record time after the disaster to cock a snook at what nature could throw at the city.


I think.............................

And South Queensferry has an Edinburgh postcode.

I'm beginning to come round to Snake's point of view on your postcode obsessions, G.

Fukkin pedant

Canny believe no ones slipped this in. wueeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeelll!

ahh frisco...i have a long felt want

I feel comfortable calling it Frisco cos ive seen Bullitt 4 times and my nose is like Karl Maldens

SnakePlissken wrote:I feel comfortable calling it Frisco cos ive seen Bullitt 4 times and my nose is like Karl Maldens

How does it smell?

I'm wanting to go there for my 50th Mo, did you manage a trip to Alcatraz?

Sorry Jimmy was too busy this time for that. But there are plenty of ferries over to Alcatraz if you have a few hours to spare for the prison tour (ferry doesn't take long though!).

If you're looking for a hotel near Union Square, I'd recommend the Monaco. Nice rooms, excellent bar. BA, KLM and Continental all offered deals with it too:
http://www.monaco-sf.com/

Thanks Mo, I'll keep it in mind. You know I'll have forgotten by tomorrow though


Is anyone else having problems viewing this thread, I can only read past Mo's first post by quoting and reading

Spent a week there in the early 90's.....stayed in H A with some wealthy post grad types. Had a great journey down on some old hippy bus from Seattle....stopped every few hours in some great little places. Native American sweat lodge in Oregon....drove back with some up tight poor little rich kid. Enjoyed SF....even the Castro district. Had the pleasure of going to a memorial concert for Bill Graham a well known concert promoter at Golden Gate Park. Credence Clearwater, Crosby Stills Nash and Young....yup Neil agreed to perform....The Grateful Deid and the only contemporary act was Tracy Chapman.....several hundred thousand mellow dudes were in attendance. Nostalgic stuff!

Could we class that post as one of your flashbacks, Bertie?