CLASSIC TRIP - San Francisco, California 1998, Part 2

THE ROCK

See Part 1 of this trip here.

Finally, we were ready to go over to Alcatraz. The Red and White Fleet provides transportation over to the island. The full price of $11 for adults includes a voucher for an audio tour when you get there (there are also discounted tickets available if you don't want the audio tour).  (The prices now start at $32.75 and service is provided by Alcatraz Cruises - Ed)

The ride over was uneventful. The boat does make a complete circuit of the island before docking giving you great views of the entire island.

Once on the island, rangers greet you and give a brief history of the island before leading you up to the cell house. You can also skip this if you want and head up by yourself.

We had our lunch at the dock (the only spot on the island where you are allowed to eat or smoke) and then headed up.

The buildings down at the dock date back to 1857 when the island was a fort erected to protect California's gold fields. There are some interesting tunnels behind the bookstore that meander through the old basements here. Most are roped off except a series of tunnels that lead to a small museum display.

The tunnels also lead to an alternate path up to the cell house that, to us, was more interesting than the more heavily used path. Here you can see much more of the old military barracks ant the guardhouse/sally port.

Up at the top of the hill you can see California's oldest lighthouse location (still in operation, current lighthouse dates to 1909) and the ruins of the warden's house which burned down in 1971. Then you enter the cell house.

Entering the cell house, you pick up a walkman style tape player with headphones. Then you proceed into the cell block to a point where you are told to turn it on. The tour itself is fascinating, conducted (on the tape) by a former guard and former inmates.

You see the cells... Al Capone's former cell, Robert Stroud's (the birdman) cell, the cells where convicts tunneled their way out, isolation cells, and others where rioting inmates herded in hostages and shot them. You can enter some regular and isolation cells to get a feeling of what it was like.

You also visit the dining area and the library, where the worst Alcatraz riot originated from.

Apart from the tour, you can visit the prison hospital, the military morgue, the recreation yard, and paths around the island where many, many flowers bloom (see picture).

After the tour you can meet former inmates who have wrote books about Alcatraz in the bookstore. Today's guest was Jim Quillen who was sent here for kidnaping about half a century ago. He is also one of the voices you here on the audio tour.

We rode the boat back with Mr. Quillen which led to an interesting point where Tim was allowed (for the only time in his life, we hope) to take candy from a convicted kidnapper! We talked with Mr. Quillen on the way back, who seems like he's made peace with his past and insists on being called FORMER prisoner of Alcatraz (when Tim asked if he was a prisoner here), and got some more stories in between book signings for other passengers.

COIT TOWER

After Alcatraz, although still too early for dinner, Letty didn't feel like going back to the motel and going right back out for dinner. To pass the time, we took Muni's #39 bus up to the Coit Tower on top of Telegraph Hill.

This famous SF landmark was given to the city as a tribute to it's firefighters after the big quake and fire of 1906 by a wealthy woman of the time. The tower is shaped like a fire hose nozzle and the views from here are exceptional but the tower itself has no access for wheelchairs so we were stuck at the bottom of the hill. Thumbs down to the city for not installing a ramp here (it would be very easy to put one on the west side of the tower).

The view from the bottom is still on top of the hill and is spectacular. This landmark has a very small parking lot and waits of over an hour are commonplace on weekends for a spot to park. Taking Muni's #39 avoid much of this wait and the hassle of finding a spot. Thumbs down to all the impatient drivers who almost run you down trying to cut in front of everybody else who waits patiently but thumbs up to the view.

Heading back down the hill, the #39 bus takes you to North Beach, one of SF's best neighborhoods for fun. Here you will find many nightclubs, bars, shows, and great Italian restaurants.

This is one of the best spots for dinner in SF so we decided to see what we can find here. We have gone to Capp's Corner (on Green and Powell, next door to Club Fugazi-Beach Blanket Babylon) many times in the past (thumbs up) but wanted to try something different on this trip.

Figaro Ristorante Italiano owner Luigi Dominici was standing at his front door giving us mouth-watering descriptions of the food within, so we decided to put him to the test. We were not disappointed.

Letty had the angel hair pasta with prosciuto, I had the spinach ravioli with tomato cream sauce, and Tim had the penne with marinara. An order of polenta with mushrooms for antipasti started us off along with the freshly baked sourdough bread with olive oil. Delicious, plus great service. Figaro, at 441 Columbus Street (at Vallejo) gets a big thumbs up from us.

After dinner we headed up Columbus a couple of doors for desert at Stella's Italian Pastries. Washed down with some delicious coffee, we had some napoleons, cheesecake, and Italian donuts. We died and went to heaven that night (see picture) so another big thumbs up here.

We caught Muni's #15 bus back to the Wharf where we transferred to the #42 back to our motel. On the way in we bought a bottle of wine to settle down with before turning in.

SUNDAY

After a good night's sleep, we headed up Lombard in search of breakfast. Today we went to Mel's Drive In, famous as the drive-in from American Graffiti (not filmed at this location though). Although Mel's has cashed in on the diner craze, it is an authentic one (over 30 years) as opposed to the recreations you see at most diners.

Breakfast was good and basic and Mel's was crowded but fun. Thumbs up.

Lunch would be about the time we flew home so instead of expensive airport food we bought some Balance bars at the GNC store on Chestnut before heading out.

Back at the motel we packed, and feeling confident from the trip so far, decided to forgo the shuttle and take public transit back to the airport.

BACK TO THE AIRPORT - THE ADVENTURE CONTINUES...

We waited...and waited...for Muni's #42 bus to take us to the BART station. We were noticed that about every other #30 bus (which also goes to a BART station) was accessible despite being listed as not and was also coming by every couple of minute. So we switched and walked up one block to the #30 stop and caught it to BART.

At the BART station, we almost missed the train because we didn't know that the Fremont bound (and OAK airport) train didn't run this way on Sundays. Luckily someone told us at the last minute and we climbed aboard. This made a transfer to another train in Oakland necessary after an interesting trip under the bay (which makes your ears pop).

At the Coliseum/Oakland Airport BART station, we had a choice of taking AC Transit's number 58 bus or the AirBART shuttle to the airport. We chose AirBART. We chose wrong...

The first AirBART bus shows up...and does not have a wheelchair ramp. The bus driver assures me that SOME of the AirBART buses do have lifts, and to just wait. At this time, Letty is starting to be concerned that we are running out of time and may miss our flight. The tickets for AirBART (which must be purchased in advance via a machine in the station) has soaked up the last of our spare change so it's either walk or wait. A recheck of our flight tickets lets us find out that our flight leaves at 2:55 (we thought it was 2:00), so with 55 minutes gained, we decide to wait.

15 minutes later (AirBART is supposed to run every 7-10 minutes) an unmarked, white shuttle van pulls up which does have a lift. A handwritten note in the side window says "Airbart". I ask the driver if this is indeed the AirBART shuttle and she says yes so before any passengers board I tell here that my son needs to board in a wheelchair. She says ok...just wait a minute.

After loading my wife and about 10 other passengers, the driver comes to me and tells me I should wait for another bus because this one is full. At this point my cork, holding back much pressure already, pops. I, in no way gently, inform her that is why I #@%! told you before you started loading passengers on board about my son and to either get us on board or look for a new job.

That bit of persuasion seemed to do the trick and we were finally on board (after we had to show the driver how the lift worked) and made it to the airport 30 minutes before departure. AirBART gets a very big thumbs down...next time either AC Transit (who seemed to have their act together much better) or a shuttle van.

The flight home was as good as the first with just a minor delay (7 minutes) out of Oakland because the plane's radio wouldn't come on. It was fixed immediately (the pilot said otherwise we would have to get another plane) and we were on our way home after a very nice weekend...AirBART notwithstanding!

-Darryl
Copyright 1998 - Darryl Musick

CLASSIC TRIP - San Francisco, California 1998, Part 1

We're going to travel through time here, starting in 1998 and bringing you right up to 2010 with a series of reports from the San Francisco area.  Today, we go into the Wayback Machine for our first trip on a plane with Tim's power chair.  Remember the time frame when you see prices and business names...both might have disappeared since then.  The World Wide Web was in its infancy, digital cameras had yet to be invented (so the pictures below were scanned), and Tim was 10 years old.  We're off to the City by The Bay...

Give me a cheap fare to San Francisco...and I'm there!

Surfing on the 'net one day before Christmas, I noticed some cheap fares advertised on the Southwest Airlines I page. Your webmasters, being the intrepid travelers that we are, couldn't pass this opportunity by.

Burbank airport, old and small, was as good as remembered with no crowding and close in gates. They did move the long term parking out of the airport though...the old lot was given to the valet service. Now you must park a few blocks away. Thumbs up to the airport with another thumbs down to the parking.

Southwest gave us a superb flight that was right on time with great service. The seats were comfortable, the staff was friendly and helpful. We were even treated to a song before takeoff by one of the flight attendants (good singer too!). Southwest gets a big thumbs up!

Oakland Airport bills itself as the shortcut to San Francisco and many travel writers have said that you will arrive quicker in San Francisco if you fly to Oakland instead of SFO. I have to agree, it is faster during busy times (beginning and end of the week) but on regular weekdays it'd probably be just as fast at SFO. The fares to Oakland to tend to be lower though.

Oakland airport is very easy to navigate around and is much smaller than SFO. Access to public transportation is very easy. Oakland airport gets a thumbs up.

Transportation to our motel was via Bayporter Express shuttle. This is your typical airport shuttle service, a la Supershuttle, and they have one wheelchair accessible van in their fleet. There is also public transportation available via AirBART bus to the local BART station, BART to downtown SF, and then MUNI bus transportation to our motel.

Not wanting to deal with a lot of transfers and also with the unknown (this was our first time flying here via the Oakland airport and with the electric wheelchair), we opted for Bayporter, even though it was a $18 premium over public transit, because we wanted to minimize the amount of surprises that would await us.

Although the wheelchair ramp was not working at first, the driver fixed it promptly and we were on our way. The ride was smooth, uneventful, and fast with only about a 15 minute wait for the van when we arrived. We give Bayporter a thumbs up.

After stowing our bags at our motel, lunch was the first order of the day. We hopped on MUNI's #19 line (Polk Street) and headed south.

One of our main objectives on vacation is to find good food.  Letty is a big fan of the cookbooks put out by the California Culinary Academy which just so happens to be located in Baghdad by the Bay! What's even better for us budget-conscious travelers is that the academy runs a gourmet restaurant (staffed by students and instructors) where a truly first class meal can be had at coffee shop prices...except on Fridays (like the day we were there).

On Fridays the CCA features the Grand Buffet. Now there are buffets and then there is the Grand Buffet. Here, the CCA puts out a spread of some of its more famous signature dishes. Roasted leg of lamb, grilled halibut, polenta with bleu cheese, chicken with cranberry bean sauce, and eggplant Parmesan are just some of the hot entrees to choose from.

To start off, you have a freshly tossed salad, fresh sushi, a large selection of hard meats and cheese and more. To end your meal there is a desert bar with such pastries as chocolate decadence, pound cake, napoleons, and cheesecake.

All this takes place in an old refurbished theater with 80 foot ceilings surrounded by the kitchens of the CCA (all have big viewing windows so you can see America's future culinary superstars at work). All in all a marvelous meal.

Now the downside to the CCA. While every other day you can get a good meal here for less than $10, on Friday's the buffet will set you back $20 per person plus drinks. While worth it for the meal you get, $70 for lunch (for three people) is a budget buster on a trip. Even with the price, though, CCA gets a thumbs up for some really great food in a unique atmosphere.

After lunch we hopped back on the 19 bus, this time going north, to Ghiradelli Square. From there it's a short walk to Fisherman's Wharf and pier 41. We'd been to Fisherman's Wharf and it's too touristy for us but you must come here to get on the boat to Alcatraz Island.

Tim has never been to Alcatraz and had his curiosity piqued after watching the movie "The Rock" so it seemed like a good time to take him. Our plan was to head up here after lunch and, if tickets were available, catch to boat over and spend the afternoon there. Unfortunately, the last boat was sold out so we bought tickets for the next day and continued on. As a side note here, we just missed the last boat on February 28 and prices were increased on March 1 so we got to pay extra too!

THE MARITIME MUSEUM

While we were in the area with nothing to do, we went to the Maritime museum which is just on the other side of Fisherman's Wharf from pier 41 (about a 3 block walk). This worthwhile stop has several historic ships on display including a couple of old schooners, tug boats and the Eureka, an old wooden railroad and car ferry.

The Eureka was the highlight of the day for Tim. We are all were fans of the Don Johnson show, Nash Bridges, which in large part is was filmed on this ferry. The set of Nash Bridges was intact on the ferry when we visited. The security guard was in his last day of employment in the production company and was in a particularly generous mood.

The guard allowed Tim to go onto the set and look around. He also provided us with many pages of script changes that were faxed to Don Johnson on the set and also gave us some official Nash Bridges yellow police tape. Check out this picture (above) of Tim taken on the set.

The ship itself is pretty remarkable with its 4 story boiler and side paddle wheels. It's amazing to think that this is how people crossed the bay before there were any bridges here.

Another very interesting vessel here is the San Francisco Ark, an old Sausalito houseboat restored for the museum. People used these houseboats (and still do) as floating weekend getaways from the city. The Maritime museum gets a thumbs up as well.

After the museum we walked back to Aquatic Park to watch the cable car turntable in action. We tried to go to the Buena Vista for an Irish coffee, but it was just too crowded to get in. After a stroll through the shops at Ghiradelli Square, we wandered back to the motel where we had still yet to see our room (we had just dropped off the bags earlier).

Lodging was at the Travelodge by the Bay and our room with 2 queen sized beds was nicely adequate and just roomy enough. We had gotten the room through Central Reservations (800-677-1500) for an unbelievable price of $59 plus tax. That's dirt cheap in SF! I was glad we did because the front desk was quoting arriving guests a price of $95 for singles.

The motel was centrally located on Lombard Street, just off the corner of Van Ness, in the Marina District. It can be noisy, thankfully we had quiet neighbors. You can hear everybody else's TV around you. There was also a very bright light just outside our door that streamed into our room. We did get a good night sleep and rate this motel well. We've had much worse here before. TL by the Bay gets a thumbs up this time, but we would like to have had a switch for the %#!$ light!

For dinner we headed down Chestnut Street (one block north of Lombard). The business district is about a 1/2 mile walk from our motel.

Tim let us know in no uncertain terms that he wouldn't eat any Chinese food on this trip except for rice (as he’s grown up, so has his tastes. Tim is no longer adverse to Chinese or just about any other ethnic food – Ed). To keep the peace, while we had hoped to get some of the city's great Chinese food this trip, we went looking for something else. We ended up at one of Village Pizzeria's branches on Steiner at Chestnut. Village Pizza is our favorite pizza in San Francisco so we knew we'd like that.

Village Pizza didn't disappoint. Letty had a very good baked rigatoni dish while Tim and I had a delicious pepperoni pizza. One thing they do here that is neat is they give the kids some raw pizza dough to play with to pass time until the food arrives like play-dough. Tim had a lot of fun trying to mold his into as many shapes as he could.

We were able to make small talk with some other diners and the staff here who were all very friendly. About halfway through dinner, the street outside became full of bicycles. Not just a few, but thousands!

For a good 20 minutes, masses of bike riders filled the street, shouting and laughing as they rode by, followed by a SFPD escort. We found out that this is Critical Mass, a demonstration conducted by bay area riders on the last Friday of each month to promote bike riding as an alternative means of commuting.

They start at the ferry building at the end of Market Street and ride to the Golden Gate Bridge filling the streets as they go. Later on the news we learned that many drivers hate this (although the bikes have as much right to use the road as the cars - but they should also obey the laws and not get in the way unecessarily) and that's why the SFPD provides escort for safety. We didn't see any hateful drivers in our area though.

With a liter of Cabernet to wash down our dinner, we had a great time here and decided to call it a night. Village Pizza gets a big thumbs up.

SATURDAY

Day Two of our trip started with breakfast. Cafe Caravan, one block north of our motel at Chestnut and Van Ness, provided the start for our day. Breakfast was good in this very small hole in the wall. I had sausage and eggs, Letty had an omelet, and Tim had some pancakes. The coffee was delicious, and everything on our plates was delicious. Cafe Caravan gets a thumbs up.

CABLE CAR BARN

We had a morning to kill before our boat to Alcatraz left (at 12:45pm) so we decided to spend it by going over to the Cable Car Barn on Washington Street. This is one area of the city that is not real well served by accessible transportation...everyone else can get there via cable car...so we ended up walking here, about 1 1/2 miles. It didn't look bad on the map but that doesn't show all the hills there.

After getting a good dose of exercise, we made it to the barn. This is where the machinery that runs the entire cable car system is located. You can watch the cables go through their various pulleys and wheels on the way to their journey underneath the streets. The cable cars operated by clamping onto these cables and being pulled along their routes.

The displays here are interesting as are some of the old historic cars located here. Any museum that can hold a kid's interest, as this one does, gets a thumbs up from us. A big thumbs down though to Muni for not providing adequate transportation to its own museum. A good gift shop sells some great souvenirs here.

After awhile here, it was time to start heading over to pier 41 to catch our boat to Alcatraz. We walked over to Columbus and Jackson (about 6 blocks from the Cable Car Barn) to catch Muni's #15 bus to Fisherman's Wharf. In between, we waded through the very crowded bustle of Chinatown where some sort of protest was going on. We never found out what it was about (all the signs and pamphlets were in Chinese).

We made it to Fisherman's Wharf at 11:30am, which gave us enough time to buy a lunch to take with us. Tim was having fast-food withdrawal pains so he had an early lunch of a cheeseburger and fries at the Burger King located in the mall at 350 Bay Street. In that mall there was also a Safeway with a deli where Letty and I picked up a couple of hoagies to go.

Stay tuned for Part 2 where we end up on "The Rock"...

-Darryl
Copyright 1998 - Darryl Musick

FIELDS OF DREAMS: Oracle Park, San Francisco, California

We've reached number 2 on the list of Major League baseball stadium that we've visited. So close to the top, it's the home of the current (and 2010) world champions, it's Oracle Park in San Francisco...

Oracle Park (formerly PacBell Park, formerly SBC Park, formerly AT&T Park) is the home of the San Francisco Giants who moved here from cold, windy Candlestick Park when the 2000 season began. In 2002, three games of the World Series were played here when the Giants faced the Angels for the crown. They lost to the Halos in the 7th game of the series in Anaheim.

Finally, nine years later and an eternity away from the Barry Bonds drama, they picked up their first west coast world championship when they beat the Texas Rangers in the World Series.

Over the curse of the Barry, they came back on the back of the beard...Brian Wilson...the closer that helped lead them to another championship last fall.

This year, 2013, they've fallen into the cellar, lost their closer, and are almost 20 games back from the resurgent Dodgers, who now have Brian Wilson and a good shot at the pennant . Over the years, many legendary players have been on this, one of Major League Baseball’s oldest teams. In fact, since becoming a team in 1883, the Giants have won more games than any other team. Willie Mays, Bobby Thompson, Willie McCovey, Gaylord Perry, Juan Marichal, and Barry Bonds have all called this team home. In 1989, they played their cross-bay rivals – the Oakland A’s – in a World Series that was interrupted by the 6.9 Loma Prieta earthquake. After a ten day delay, they were swept by the A’s.

Here are the stats…

Year opened: 2000
Surface: Grass
Construction cost: $357 million
Capacity: 41,915
Field dimensions: Left field – 339 ft.; left center – 404 ft.; Center field – 399 ft.; right center – 421 ft.; Right field – 309 ft.
Home teams: San Francisco Giants (National League, MLB) 2000 –present; San Francisco Demons (XFL 2001; California Redwoods (UFL) 2009; California Golden Bears (NCAA) 2011
Events attended: one game

One of the most beautiful parks in baseball with gorgeous views of San Francisco bay. In the park, large sculptures of a baseball glove and a Coke bottle invite kids to come out and play. The bottle has slides that the kids can use – a ramp even lets wheelchair users go to the top of the slide but I don’t know what you’d do once you got there. In right field, big windows open up onto the cove where fans on the sidewalk can get a glimpse of the game being played inside. It’s also the only major league stadium that I know of that uses a woman as a public address announcer.

The playing field has one feature I personally do not like, onfield bullpens. I think it’s dangerous and unnecessary. Other than that, the field is immaculately maintained.

Yes, we were there to rub it in the next year!

The seats in the stadium are canted toward home plate, unless you’re in the wheelchair section where they just point straight ahead. Accessible seating is plentiful here and available on all levels. We sat in the upper deck where wheelchair users and their companions sit in the third row.

Ticketing can be difficult as most games are sold out. Over the phone, we did not have any problem except trying to actually speak to someone. It’s a voice-mail hell when you call the front office and the prompts lead you nowhere. Press “0” (not an option on the voice menu) and you’ll get an operator who can quickly transfer you to someone. Once we did that, we had a friendly ticket seller who promptly sold us the tickets we needed. Ticket prices are demand based and set like a stock market, they can rise and fall with the demand…the team’s website list the current prices on a chart. As of this writing, prices range from a low of $13 to a high of over $250. I don’t know if I like that system.

At the stadium, wheelchairs are ushered to the VIP entrance where disabled fans can use the park’s only public elevator to reach their level. Once we got to the top deck and the usher showed us our seats, no wheelchair locations were to be seen, however, the usher promptly took a wrench out of his pocket and removed a seat, revealing the wheelchair location.

The staff here is very friendly and efficient. One thing I like here is that the ushers do not let anyone take their seat during game play action. You must wait until the ball is dead before you can return to your seat so you don’t block someone else’s view. They are also very good at keeping standing fans out of the wheelchair areas, which is a big problem at a lot of other parks we’ve visited.

The food…simply the best in baseball as you’d expect in such a gourmet’s delight as San Francisco. Orlando’s Caribbean Barbecue in Center Field has delicious island inspired food such as the ChaCha Bowl, filled with jerk chicken, veggies, beans, and rice sprinkled with habanero sauce if you want it.. The basic hot dogs are among the best in the league. A plethora of different beers are on tap, along with a great selection of wines and cocktails. The park is famous for starting the garlic fries revolution among baseball, although I’ve had better in France and at the Date Festival in Indio, California. That East Coast guilty pleasure, fried dough, can be found here…a very good version covered in melted butter, powdered sugar, and cinnamon.

As can be ascertained by the description above, Oracle Park is among the minority of ballparks that serve Coke instead of that overly sweet Pepsi. Prices are on the high side.

The stadium is well served by transit. Muni’s trolleys run right to the stadium after they pick up passengers from the BART subway on Market Street. It’s all accessible but be warned that the meanest, rudest, and “could not care less” transit employees we’ve ever encountered work for these two transit agencies.

So it boils down to great views, good team, fantastic food and drink, good staff, good wheelchair seating, decent transit, challenging ticket policies and pricing. Still enough “pros” to outweight the “cons” and make Oracle our pick for the second best Major League stadium and the best ballpark west of the Mississippi.

(Note: We will be visiting and updating this park later this summer...2019...so stay tuned for an update - Ed)

Darryl
Copyright 2010 – Darryl Musick
Updated for 2013

A Sunny Sunday by the Bay: San Francisco

It's been awhile since we've actually set foot in the City by the Bay...the last time we were actually, technically in San Francisco was when we drove through at the end of our Napa Valley adventure, which you can see in the video.

In 2005, we visited to go to a Giants game and add Oracle Park to our Major League baseball stadiums visited. Way back in 1998, we visited Alcatraz and Tim got to go on the set of a TV show at the Maritime Museum.

Watch the Video!

We don't have a lot of time but we do have a whole day to spend here.

It's not far from the none-to-accessible hotel we had to stay at in Pleasanton to the BART station. It's the end of the line so the trip takes us 45 minutes across the East Bay, Oakland, then under the bay to the Embarcadero station.

Upstairs, we catch one of the historic trolleys of MUNI's F line to get us to Ghiradelli Square. Tomorrow is Memorial Day and this first weekend of the summer travel season finds us elbow-to-elbow with other travelers.

A little over an hour since our train departed Pleasonton, we're at the destination of Taylor and Beach Streets, between Fisherman's Wharf and Ghirardelli Square, except we can't get off the trolley yet.  Another trolley...who's driver is on a break...is blocking the wheelchair ramp and our driver decides that's a good reason and time to go visit the bathroom.

For a few minutes, it's just the three of us on an empty, antique trolley.

Our first stop is to be the Buena Vista bar, home of the Irish coffee, across from the cable car turnaround. We cannot find an accessible entrance, although my wife thinks there could be a way through the kitchen. Nevertheless, the place is packed and we don't want to spend our time pushing in and waiting for a table.

The Buena Vista is scratched.

Instead, we head to Ghirardelli Square and McCormick and Kuleto's, a branch of the McCormick and Schmidt's chain, to try the Irish coffee in their bar. It is good and comes with a stunning view too.

You can see more from here and our other San Francisco drinking spots in our San Francisco Pub Crawl Cocktail Hour article and video.

Outside, while Letty browses one of the shops, Tim and I talk with a concierge who shows us which of the buildings used to house the chocolate factory (which moved in 1963). In exchange, I told her about the ruins of Domingo Ghirardelli's first U.S. chocolate factory that we'd found in the Gold Rush town of Hornitos.

Kara's Kupcakes was nearby and Letty was still in the store, so Tim and I sampled the Red Velvet and Carrot Cake varieties to our mutual pleasure. When Letty came out, we went to the chocolate store to buy some, then to the ice cream bar where Letty and Tim shared a sundae.

After, it was some street wandering around North Beach and Russian Hill before we went back to the trolley and the Ferry Building at the end of Market Street.  One more stop there for a crowded dinner at Gott's Roadside, a bathroom break at a nearby Hyatt, then back on the BART for the trip back to Pleasanton.

Tomorrow it's baseball...stay tuned.

Darryl
Copyright 2014 - Darryl Musick

Pictures Copyight 2014 - Letty Musick
All Rights Reserved

Game Day and the Mighty Mississipi - Minneapolis, Part 4

I was hoping that this day would dawn clear. We’d bought tickets for our Minneapolis baseball game on the only day they’d be in town for our trip…the last day. Minneapolis has a completely outdoor stadium and a reputation for surly weather. We had one shot, and one shot only, to catch this game. No rain checks for us and the weather is promising “scattered thunderstorms.”

Watch the Video!

Not to worry, though. The day did start sunny and stayed that way the entire day.  Game time is 7:05 tonight, giving us one more day to explore the city.

The mighty Mississippi river is only a short block from our hotel, the Residence Inn at the Depot. We haven’t really had a chance to explore it, until now.

We walk over and emerge onto a large lock. This particular section of the river is the only spot, from way up north in Minnesota to the Gulf of Mexico, where there are falls. A set of locks…one on each side…carries boats and barges over the falls, which have been shapen by man over the years to be more of a spillway now.

Just south of the locks and falls is the Stone Arch Bridge, a former railroad bridge that is now used by pedestrians and bikes. At a ½ mile long, it’s our ticket across the river.

Starting out at a set of flour mill ruins, the bridge gives us unparalleled views of the river and of the many abandoned mills set along the banks of the river here. It was because of the rushing water of the falls that they are here…the water powered the wheels that ground the grain.

Pillsbury Park on the other side leads us to Main Street where a block long collection of taverns awaits but we’ll save that for the game.

An old iron bridge leads us over to Nicolet Island, past a bed and breakfast, then onto the Hennepin Avenue Bridge where we finish the crossing back to walk along the river back to the hotel. Around 2 miles total.

A little rest at the hotel, then it’s off on the Hiawatha Light Rail line to the game.  Target Field is new and beautiful. Access is wonderful. Tickets are a bit pricey but the food and beer prices aren’t bad. (You can see our entire stadium review at our Target Field entry in our Fields of Dreams series)

The Twins, not having one of their best years, take it as best they could to the visiting Chicago Cubs. It’s a back and forth game with a lot of action and several long home runs, and the home team finally edges out the visitors in the 10^th inning.

Coming back at night, looking out the train, my wife mentions we could have walked. Yes, but with all the drug dealers and hookers we saw, I don’t think that would have been the best choice we could have made either.

It’s the last morning here in the Twin Cities. We have an afternoon flight, giving us time for one more treat.

When we came into town, we had the incredible Jucy Lucy at Matt’s Bar. There’s also another claim to that special burger, the 5-8 Club…a former speakeasy south of town…that serves the Juicy Lucy. Of course, we have to try it and compare.

As at Matt’s, the place is packed and we have to hover over the tables to score one as someone leaves (you’re on your own here for finding a place to sit). We get one and look over the menu, which is extensive compared to Matt’s.

The burgers arrive and immediately we notice that the patties here are bigger than Matt’s. The onions are also sliced instead of diced. My wife likes this version better, I like the diced onions better, but they’re both very good.

With that last comparison in the books, it’s time to make the last drive to the airport, turn in the rental car, and take the flight home.

Hope you’ve had a good time, I know we did.

-Darryl

Copyright 2012 – Darryl Musick

All Rights Reserved

Photos by Letty Musick

Copyright 2012- Letty Musick

All Rights Reserved

FIELDS OF DREAMS - Target Field, Minneapolis, Minnesota

Right now, Target Field in Minneapolis is the third newest ballpark, behind the new Marlins Park in Miami and Sun Trust Park in Atlanta.  It’s the home of the American League’sTwins, named after the Twin Cities…Minneapolis and St. Paul. An animated sign in right field illustrates this with two ball players, Minnie and Paul, shaking hands across the Mississippi River.  It replaces the Hefty Bag…the derisive nickname of the unmissed Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome.

The Twins have had some real superstars on their roster over the years. Kirby Puckett, Burt Blyleven, Harmon Killebrew, Kent Hrbek , and Frank Viola are some players that called Minnesota home. They’ve won three World Series titles in 1924, 1987, and 1991.

This year, 2013, they’re sitting in fourth place, a dismal 16 games behind the Tigers, led by longtime manager Ron Gardenhire and featuring such star players as catcher Joe Mauer and first baseman Justin Morneau.

Here are the stats…

Year opened: 2010

Surface: Grass

Construction cost: $545 million

Capacity:  39.504

Field dimensions: Left field – 339 ft.; left center – 377 ft.; Center field – 411 ft.; right center – 365 ft.;  Right field – 328 ft.

Home teams: Minnesota Twins (American League, MLB) 2010 –present

Events attended: one game

The stadium sits in downtown, just north of the warehouse district about a mile and a half from the old Metrodome.  It’s easily accessible by the Hiawatha light rail line and by the Northstar commuter railroad, both of which have stations at the stadium. It’s also served by various bus lines, has plenty of parking, and is linked to the downtown Skyway…an all-weather pedestrian bridge system in downtown Minneapolis.

Reflecting the area’s Scandinavian heritage, light rock and blonde wood are used extensively throughout the stadium, giving it a northern European look. Many seats even have wooden backs. It kind of looks like a stadium that was designed by Ikea.

While they don’t have kitschy little traditions like a sausage race, they do have others. One touching tradition is that a local veteran is selected to raise the flag during the national anthem.  Here, Muriel Cantor, raises the flag. Muriel was an army nurse and the first American woman in Paris after its liberation in World War II.

Sight lines are excellent throughout the park. Many seats have shelves in front of them instead of cupholders. This comes in real handy to have a place to set your food, drinks, laptop (free WiFi throughout the park), and anything else you’d like to have handy.

Wheelchair accessible seats are available in all levels, from the first row to the upper deck.  Tickets at this newer park are a bit hard to come by due to the many sellouts.  It’d be best to have an alternate date in mind when you call (800) 33-TWINS for tickets. Prices are demand based, meaning they go up or down (but mostly up) based on the demand. Generally, they run $16 - $120. Our seats in right field cost $42 each…not the cheapest stadium around.

Another very visible accessible feature are the closed captioning boards near each foul pole where hearing impaired guests can follow along with the public address announcer.

Food runs from the typical hot dogs and other varieties of sausages to Minnesota favorites such as whitefish on a stick (very good, by the way). Beer selection is good but some popular brands, like Leinenkugel, can have very long, slow lines at their stand. Pricing is decent at $7.75 for a large, premium beer.

It’s a gorgeous stadium with very good access and amenities. It’s easy to watch a game here and, even though many wondered why such a weather battered city would not build an indoor stadium, a wonderful place to sit in the sun enjoying baseball as it should be.

-Darryl

Copyright 2012 – Darryl Musick

All Rights Reserved

Photos by Letty Musick

Copyright 2012 – Letty Musick

All Rights Reserved
Updated for 2013

Hiawatha and Minnehaha - Minneapolis, Part 3

After being introduced to Jucy Lucy and setting sail on the St. Croix…or would that set paddle?...we’re going to be seeing the city by train today. That train would be the Hiawatha light rail line that cuts a north/south swath through the city starting at Target Field in the north and ending at the massive Mall of America to the south.

We’re going to start at the bottom and work our way up to the top.

Watch the Video!

Traveling south, we pass the airport…two stops on this line…and in the southern flatness of Bloomington a massive parking structure looms across a large parking lot and field. We don’t know it quite yet… I do have suspicions…but this is hiding the mall that sits inside of it.

The train pulls into the structure, which holds the end of the line station at Mall of America. An elevator ride takes us to an unlabeled floor (thanks to the kindness of strangers who told us which one) where an accessible bridge connects the parking lot to the mall and in we go.

The Mall of America is…well…a mall. A very big one, on four levels that go in a very big circle around the perimeter. What makes it unique is its position as the largest mall in the USA, and a couple of other things like having an aquarium in the basement and an amusement park in the center.

The amusement park is the big attraction.  Not some kiddy carnival, it features some heavy duty rides. Roller coasters that drop vertical into loops and barrel rolls. Flying NinjaTurtles that dive and loop as you ride them. A log ride. A scary ropes course. And much more.

Prepared to be disappointed in it, I admit I was impressed by the Nickelodeon themed fun zone.

Other than that, it’s pretty much like any other indoor shopping center you’ve been too…let’s head back to the train.

Pulling out of the mall, we pass the Veteran’s Cemetery and the airport to get to our next stop. We’re having lunch at Minnehaha Park.

This large area south of downtown is a verdant, green expanse of lawn and trails stretching over 193 acres from Hiawatha Avenue to the Mississippi River. After crossing over from the train station, it’s about a quarter mile hike to Sea Salt, our lunch destination.

Just before we get to the restaurant, we hear the roar then step onto a footbridge crossing the creek that plunges 53 feet into a gorgeous grotto. This is Minnehaha Falls.

We stop to take in the view and to find a good wheelchair accessible spot for Tim to see the deluge as well. Along the north side of the grotto are several good spots for chair users to get a good view, not so much on the south side.  The many stairs also means that wheelchairs stay on the top instead of hiking down into the canyon.

Sea Salt is just a few feet away with a large dining room but better is the outdoor areas where you can hear the roar of the falls and take in the scenery.

Ordering is at a counter and servers bring the food to your table. You seat yourself.

Letty has a crab cake sandwich which she devours and pronounces excellent. I’m not so much of a seafood lover and there is precious little of anything else on the menu. I take a chance and order a basket of calamari to share with Tim.  It is excellent and the dipping sauce, combined with a few varieties from the huge salsa bar, makes the fried squid go down easily and tasty.

A little meandering back through the park and then to the Hiawatha Line for the next stop…Nicollet Mall in downtown Minneapolis.

A farmer’s market is going on here in the few blocks of the mall where Mary Tyler Moore famously threw her hat in the air during the opening credits of the show.

A statue celebrates that particular moment in TV history on one of the corners.

Lined with top-tier stores such as Brooks Brothers and Neiman-Marcus, the mall is also home to the headquarters of Target. Their flagship store disappoints me by being as messy and understocked as any other Target I’ve been to.

The upscale shops and farmer’s market are also in contrast to a kind of hooliganism going on around us too. A group of guys rough-house on the corner, one being pushed into Tim’s chair (did him more harm than Tim). Ladies that can only be said to be “professional,”  and a half-dozen police officers pummeling a suspect on the sidewalk while pedestrians calmly walked by.

It should be a nice area, and there is good shopping, but the street scenes are disconcerting.

We take it upstairs to the skyway, a series of interconnecting bridges that link most of the buildings downtown. Made for the extreme cold winters so people don’t have to brave the elements, it also comes in handy to feel a little safer walking around downtown. We have some coffee and ice cream before heading back to the hotel.

One more thing to do while we’re here is to go to the baseball game that is the reason for the trip. That’ll be in our next and final chapter…see you then!

-Darryl

Copyright 2012 – Darryl Musick

All Rights Reserved

Photos by Letty Musick

Copyright 2012 – Letty Musick

All Rights Reserved