San Francisco

Went up for an overnight trip for a holiday party to San Francisco. It was a quick flight on United Airlines and checked into the Ritz-Carlton San Francisco. Another first for me in terms of hotel chains, I decided to use points and check out the Ritz. Overall, I thought the hotel was nice but I don't know if it overwhelmed me based on its reputation. The hotel was super busy with a lot of holiday parties and I wasn't able to try the hotel restaurant or lobby lounge. I did try to see about their afternoon tea but it was only offered on Sundays. The room was nice and reminded me of the SLS in Las Vegas. Turn down service is still done here and the location in the city is convenient to all attractions from Chinatown to Union Square.

Dining

The holiday party was held at Pier 48 and the catering was very good. I don't know if the vendors are preselected from the venue or if the host can choose but they did a good job. After the holiday party, nightcap was at Pacific Cocktail Haven. Not a very big place but we were able to get a spot by the bar and enjoy the holiday pop up bar. It was very Christmas themed in both décor and drink menu.

With the amount of food I had the day before, I was not super hungry for breakfast. It also worked out that I woke up later than normal and it was also close to lunch time. I opted to get a light breakfast and went to Latte Express on 646 Kearny Street, San Francisco, CA 94108 and had a spicy chicken Vietnamese sandwich. It wasn't authentic (the folks that either own or work at this small doughnut place was Chinese) but tasty. It's also right next to the Hilton Financial District.

 After getting a quick breakfast, I was going to a friend's house and thought to bring some goodies. I didn't actually get to share so I was able to enjoy the fortune cookies from Golden Gate Fortune Cookies at 56 Ross Alley, San Francisco, CA 94108.

I had some time to kill before getting to the airport and decided to spend an hour in line at Boba Guys. Having been a few times, friends informed me that they made their own boba and I found out that they also make their own grass jelly. Having only canned grass jelly in America (which is awful) I wanted to see if it would remind me of Asia (Vietnam specifically). I don't recommend waiting an hour but the drink was good.

Afterwards, grabbed dinner at Hops & Hominy. I was looking for something in the immediate area and this hit the spot. Luckily, they were not busy despite the xmas bar crawl that seemed to be happening all day. I enjoyed the chicken wings and catfish poboy. The mac n cheese was good enough.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

New Orleans

Image
I'm back again for a conference. Flew out on United Airlines and was able to snag a first class seat on the way out. Luckily, the Hilton New Orleans St. Charles Avenue was able to accommodate an early check-in. The room was just the same as last time. They are renovating the executive lounge which made the perk inaccessible. I was given breakfast coupons for Luke in exchange. I tried the Southern Breakfast sans meat. I found the biscuit slightly salty but I'm prone to being salt sensitive. Not a good thing when it comes to Southern cooking. For lunch, went out to Ruby Slipper Café and ordered the Catfish St. Peter and a double Bellini. The meal was tasty and the service was quick and friendly. Did some antique and second hand clothing shopping before getting dessert at Sucre . The dessert shop sells gelato, baked goods, and chocolate. The gelato was ok but the smore's skillet was super tasty. Ruby Slipper Café Catfish St. Peter Sucre S'mores skillet and a ban
Read more

Salt Lake and Park City

Image
Flew to Salt Lake City Airport for the holiday weekend on United . No new snow systems so I was not in a rush to get on the mountain and opted to bounce around the city before heading up to Park City. Although I could have opted for a cheaper rental, I stuck with the Toyota Tacoma from Avis . Lodging After landing, I checked into the Fairfield Inn & Suites Salt Lake City South . Normally, not a leisure destination but I thought it would be a good location to meet with friends who live south of the city. They ended up being unavailable that day and my companion's former colleagues weren't available (headquarters was just another 10 minutes south).  The next day, I checked into the Doubletree Park City - The Yarrow . Originally, the weekend was really expensive due to the holidays but the prices did drop to under $200 when I was checking in. I was behind a gentleman who inquired about booking two rooms last minute and he was quoted about $200 for two nights. With the continu
Read more

In the Northwest

Image
So, it seems Hyatt has somehow targeted me for promotions. I received an offer to stay in Seattle, a two night stay for the price of one, in one of their two new properties. It was a great offer and I scheduled a vacation to snowboard and visit family. After landing into Sea-Tac Airport on United Airlines . I found one thing interesting at Sea-Tac,thus airport is very family oriented. Usually, in women's restrooms you'll find vending dispensers for feminine products or over the counter medicine. In this airport, you won't find either but you will find diapers! :) I was able to priceline a rental car from National and picked out a Hyundai Santa Fe. National allows you to pick a car in a category rather than assigning you one and I can see why people like it. A very smooth ride, I'm impressed with the improvements Hyundai has in its car line up. Not too gas guzzly for a SUV (achieved an average of 22 mph over 700 miles), I found the car very comfortable with enough a
Read more