Two Weeks in San Fran, Day 8

July 10, The Tenderloin

Three of my new favorite finds here in the City:

First is a handy little pocket size book called Mundane Journeys by Kate Pocrass and Patrick J. Kavanagh. Chock full of quirky little things to notice and mundane places you would normally walk right by, it's a glimpse into some of the more interesting tidbits of San Francisco. The book, unfortunately, is out of print but Rosa Lee Harden (Kevin Jones' lovely better half) offered their copy to me and I am in heaven. I haven't gone anywhere without it.

Second was a recommendation from the above-mentioned gem, that I discovered was actually right across the street from The Phoenix Hotel in the Tenderloin, and is not to be missed: Saigon Sandwich. My tofu sandwich, at $2.50, was a HUGE french bread roll with fried tofu in some sort of magical sauce, with carrots, cilantro, hot peppers (but not too hot). I ate mine at the hotel while Dave was on a conference call and I am instantly addicted, though it took a good 20 minutes to each the whole thing.

Third, is a box of cards by Chronicle Books called City Walks: San Francisco by Christina Henry de Tessan (with Maps by John Spelman). Subtitled "50 Adventures on Foot", it's a box of 50 beautifully-designed and printed cards (with yummy matte laminate and friendly rounded corners) with different walks through all kinds of areas in San Francisco. Each one is carefully researched with some off-the-beaten-path treasures as well as tried-and-true neighborhood favorites. You can do architectural, environmental, cultural or shopping walks. Each morning I've been selecting a few, sticking them in my back pocket (the 4x6 size is perfect for that) and heading out.

Once the calls were done, Dave and I decided to explore SF's oldest park, Buena Vista Park. The hike to the top affords some amazing views of the immediate Haight area below as well as the entire city beyond. At the top, Dave noticed a neighboring hill, which we discovered (later) was Corona Heights Park. An even steeper (though shorter) hike puts you atop a giant group of boulders with a breathtaking (albeit very windy--hold onto your hats) 360-degree view of the entire city. Watching the fog roll in over the hill was so mesmerizing, as it is to me every time I see it here. I'm such a tourist.

We ended up walking down into the Haight (past some of the most spectacular houses I've ever seen--oh Tyler, you and I would never make it out of this neighborhood...) and into the often-panned Haight-Ashbury shopping district. True, it was very commercial but not as touristy as I had expected. We stopped for coffee, found a great wine shop and bought a great bottle, walked up and got some cheese at the famous Say Cheese, then found the Goodwill and nabbed 2 wine glasses and a knife (for the cheese) and got on the bus home.

Two more Saigon Sandwiches for dinner and our day was pretty darn near perfect.