Warning, Watch for Cable Cars

Here I am in Palo Alto, California. I flew into San Jose last night and am enjoying my time here. The weather is simply amazing and it seems like a modern and progressive place. This can probably be attributed to the diversity of people who live and work in this area and who attend local schools like Stanford. It was nice to finally see Silicon Valley and seeing Sun MicroSystems brought a special smile to my face. It seemed like a who's who in the high tech field all in a stones throw from one another. It must have been an amazing time here in the late 1990's.

I was listened to Stanford University's KZSU 90.1 radio station in the car this afternoon and it reminded me of the WNYU days and how much I enjoy independent college radio. A really eclectic mix of music. I spent a good part of the day exploring San Francisco and a word of advice --pack a sweater as it can get rather chilly when the sun goes down. I decided to invest in an all day pass for the historic cable cars and rode the Powell and Hyde line one two many times. There are a total of 3 lines in operation and just watching the "grip man" operate one of these machines is well worth the trouble of actually catching one. The hills in S.F. are particularly steep (rollercoaster steep!) and it is quite a thrill to hang your head out of a cable car as it rolls menacingly down the street.

We explored some antique shops on Grant Avenue in San Francisco's historic China Town after an amazing lunch of authentic Peking Duck. The wise old woman in the camera shop recommended "The New King Tin" restaurant and the food was out of this world! My favorite antique dealer in the area was the Dragon House and the gallery had some amazing pieces of art. The gentleman that owned the store was very kind and even let us take some pictures of the pieces I was admiring. I went to a gourmet Chinese Tea shop called Ten Ren Tea and had an amazing cup of Jasmine Tea and it warmed me right up. It is green tea that is scented with jasmine flowers and is very popular in Asia.

We ended our evening by stopping to see the Golden Gate Bridge and had a light dinner at a Nepalese restaurant called the "Taste of the Himalayas" on Lombard Street. I had never tasted Nepalese food and it was quite good; It was very similiar in taste to traditional Indian cusinine with subtle differences in spices.

San Francisco is indeed a energetic and vibrant city with much to offer a weary traveler. Pack a sweater, stroll up the steepest street you can find, ride the cable cars to China Town and try the Peking Duck. You'll be glad you did !