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San Francisco – Pulsating with Personality!
By Elaine Crebo

Landing smack dab in the middle of San Francisco for a week of exploration and adventure is my idea of a great impromptu getaway. To unexpectedly be spending the week with my sister made it a memory to rival any international experience... and thus, Hong Kong met Canada to discover San Francisco and Beyond...

With our flights from opposite sides of the world arriving within minutes of each other marking an auspicious beginning to our trip, Sylvia and I made the short journey from the airport to the centre of San Francisco.

Yet another night in San Francisco was dreamt away at the sleek and sexy Hotel Diva, the flagship property of five Personality Hotels in the city. Tapping the heartbeat of San Francisco, this cutting-edge property features 116 ultra modern guestrooms designed by renowned architect/designer T. Olle Lundberg. Trippy, groovy and with an indulgent oh so diva ambience, it was just too much fun. We were especially taken with David, concierge and twenty-two year employee of the hotel who captivated us with his chatty and candid New York-meets-San Francisco persona. This is definitely a hotel with personality!

Staying in frighteningly close proximity to some major shopping landmarks, I had to drag Sylvia away from the Victoria's Secret boutique and several shoe emporiums that she claimed held her captive (okay, I admit to leaving with a few shopping bags myself!) in order to explore the abundance of activity that awaited us. We used our multi-day City Pass and hopped aboard a city bus to Haight Ashbury; you remember, peace baby and 1967's summer of love! True to its acid washed reputation, there is still a good selection of hippie leftovers and wannabes milling about, ensconced in an area spanning several blocks and teeming with pre-loved clothing shops and vegetarian restaurants. All very dated, but a cool side excursion to evoke visions of the wild sixties. We ate at Kanzaman, a jam-packed falafel joint before heading off to soak up the action in the Castro.

Regarded as the gay mecca of the west and renowned for its annual Halloween street party, we arrived a few days early and still got a mouth-dropping preview that showcased queens and friends in all their crowning glory. The parade of outlandish costumes on the cordoned off street was inspired by all manner of hobbies and fantasies, giving the term eclectic an entirely new meaning!

The following morning found us with our CityPass in hand once again, jumping aboard one of San Francisco's infamous cable cars and delighting in the twenty-minute journey to Fisherman's Wharf. Captivated by the cacophony of activity along the piers, we couldn't resist an afternoon excursion on one of the Blue and Gold fleet for a cruise on the bay to the Golden Gate Bridge and around Alcatraz. I can't imagine anyone aboard the vessel not envisioning their own escape from this notorious prison, heroically swimming to their freedom!

Invigorated by the sea air and having worked up an appetite, we stopped in at the Boudin Bakery and treated ourselves to a scrumptious luncheon on the bright and spacious upper level restaurant. Famous for their sourdough bread, we indulged in a selection of yummies from the extensive menu and basked in the glow of the warm autumn afternoon. A self-guided bakery tour is available for those so inclined to discover the secrets of this culinary delight. Being social butterflies however, we had a concert to attend and reluctantly left the festival atmosphere of the wharf behind.

It was our luck to arrive in town during San Francisco's annual Jazz Fest and we were privileged to experience one of the jazz world's great musicians that evening. Held at the historic Herbst Theatre, we spent hours enthralled with the music of the Andrew Hill Quintet. The renowned composer and pianist, named Playboy's Jazz Artist of the Year 2006, treated the appreciative audience to a selection of tunes from his critically acclaimed Time Lines album.

Coming from Hong Kong and visiting Chinatown may be akin to bringing sand to a beach but we were determined to check out as much of this fab city as we could, and took a stroll through the landmark gates and along the streets bustling with activity. Besides, it was a great opportunity to show off my Cantonese to Sylvia while bargaining for treasures. The fact that everyone replied to me in English made me feel like I was right back in Li Yuen Street!

In anticipation for an event that we were told was NOT to be missed, we decked ourselves out in party frocks accessorised with feather boas, diamante tiaras and faux fur trimmed gloves for an evening at Teatro Zinzanni. Seated at a ringside table under a jewel box marquee, we spent the next three hours enthralled by the combination of cirque and sensuality, music and madmen, acrobats and athletes. Punctuated by a five-course dinner theatrically incorporated into the story line, guests were invited to become involved in a mix of European cabaret, American vaudeville, world class comedy and circus arts – all accompanied by a live orchestra performing the blues, lyric opera, and Latin jazz. Convinced that our attire indicated an enthusiastic audience, we were discreetly asked by one of the performers to participate in a routine requiring us to slip dollar bills into Elvis' costume when he became an Aztec. Whatever, we were game! We only realised afterwards that we had indeed followed his instructions, except for the bit about the time and place of our appearance, which was meant to inspire a gaggle of women in the audience to follow suit. Thus, it was during the crescendo of Elvis' performance that we made our grand entrance onto the stage. ‘Elvis' told us later that he was belting out his trademark song when he looked out and saw us approaching the stage with a vengeance, thinking to himself ‘Oh no, here they come'... not here... not now"! This was all part of the fun that brings the audience and the performers together – truly a unique experience and definitely one NOT to be missed!

Completely captivated by the evening and high on laughter, we were easily persuaded to share an idling limo with another set of sisters we met outside the wharf side venue after the show. They too had come to San Francisco open for adventure, and together we directed the chauffeur back to the familiar territory of Union Square. We were led to Lefty O'Doul's by the sound of rollicking music spilling out onto the street and claimed our territory around a rockin' piano presided over by Frank O'Connor, a lively fixture at the bar and eatery. Joining us as the night turned into the wee hours were a group of lawyers from Delaware, a self-professed computer geek from New Jersey on a speaking tour and a swarm of USC football supporters from San Diego – all grooving to the tunes churned out as Frank's fingers danced across the keyboard, his comedic one liners spilling forth between songs.

And how was your week?

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