SaN FRaNCiSCo

Altho' we only spent 5 days in San Francisco, the conclusion was unanimous: It's much better and friendlier than L.A. and a nice place to live. Probably coz it's a compact city like S'pore. I remember mentioning that i would volunteer if our SF office needed any support, even if it's not on expat terms. At one time i was even considering if i should do my MBA in UCLA (Berkeley).

Golden Gate Bridge
They have this cycling tour that you start from somewhere in Sausalito, cycle to the nature trail and then on the bridge to return back to city centre. Didn't have time to do that and we didn't pack the proper gear. Leave it to next time when we next visit. :)

I like the excellent location of our hotel... it's juz a stone throw away from the shopping district! :)
Guess What! Next Door to our Hotel: A Gay Striptease Club! Everynite, could hear the music from the club. And in the morning when we walked past, we tried to peek (discreetly) at the posters pasted at the entrance. :P
There's this small eatery near the hotel, where the chef looked like Pastor Tony. We were so tempted to ask him if he has a relative in S'pore. :P
Shopping: Banana Republic, Victoria Secrets, Nike : ) It's such a shame that we didn't dare to rent a car to drive to the factory outlets. Else, would've bought more of the other american brands...

The Infamous Alcatraz island. The narration from the recorder headset. The timing is very Precise with every step you take. We also had fun hopping onto the cable car, to tour the Chinatown, the crooked street, and Fisherman's Wharf.

The Fisherman's Wharf
It's crowded with tourists.
Bought losta cute fridge magnets from the souvenir shops. Not cheap tho', some @ US$6/piece. And we bought the yummy colorful Salt water taffy! *droolz*
They've got many restaurants and eateries too. Bubba Gump Shrimp Co: The deep fried seafood is so-so... liked the idea of the flipcards on the table. "Stop, Forrest, Stop" --> the waiter/waitress will attend to u. "Run, Forrest, Run" and they'll leave you alone.

One thing i dislike about dining in restaurants: TIPPING. Why can't they give set a flat 10% as service charge? It makes the dining experience quite unpleasant when the waitress had to specifically remind the diners that standard tipping of about 15% is expected. And when it comes to bimbotic diners like me, who can't count without a calculator, and ended up under-tipping.. the waitress would show me the Black Moody Face. *Bleah*
Found that the japanese restaurants were more discreet in this aspect, and the quality of service much better.

Sausalito
Was curious of this place from that Maggie Cheung and Leon Lai's movie. Looks like a cool neighborhood to live in, with the expensive looking houses.

Marina District
Yuppy Lifestyle. We were there on a Sunday morning. Looks like an ideal lifestyle, jogging with your dog along the beach, games with pals, etc. I like! : )
Think i can get used to the lifestyle in San Francisco. : )