The San Francisco fog rolls in...

Although I did not greet this morning as leisurely as yesterday morning, this hotel must be agreeing with me. For the second day in a row, I woke up before my alarm (could just be the time difference), only to realize that I must have stayed asleep in the very position that slumber had found me. I literally slept like a log, a heavy one, unmoving until the sun slunk into the corners of the room and I twisted myself awake. Although that sounds restful, I still have gotten less than eight hours of sleep each night, and midway through the morning, I felt the jet lag weight pressing on my head. The three hour jet lag is ironically the hardest for me.

But there was more to be seen this morning, with a different events planner. We started at the Museum of Modern Art, also called the MoMA, just like in New York. Another potential gala dinner location, it turned out to be a pretty funky space. The floor was was striped of granite polished to a high sheen, interspersed with rougher stripes that almost appeared grey. They rose up out of the floor to the first gallery's entrance and continued up the walls as the underbelly of the stairs to each floor. To either side of this focal point were two huge Austin Powers-esque paintings - almost like a psychedelic Mondrian piece. It all created a very unique and funky feel, though I still didn't have the wow factor that I hoped for. Next, it was on to City Hall again, which we learned had been booked for the dates we wanted. Faced with this disappointment, we still looked at it again, and got to see the balcony where the reception would be held, as long as descend the long, grand staircase. The building certainly has the wow factor, but my concerns that the space would be too big, too formal remained in effect.

We were off again quickly, this time only across the street to the Asian Art Museum. I enjoy Asian Art, so I had high hopes, though when doing a cultural museum for a group where a portion of the attendees will actually be from Asia caused some reservations. The staircase to the suggested room for the dinner was impressive - formerly a library, it still had the hushed silence that you would expect. We would again have the cocktail reception in the loggia surrounding the staircase (for those of you who may not know - like me, since I had to look it up - loggia is the name given to an architectural feature, originally of Italian design, which is often a gallery or corridor generally on the ground level, or sometimes higher as in this case, on the facade of a building and open to the air on one side, where it is supported by columns or pierced openings in the wall. I think we'll be talking about another loggia in a couple of months when I travel to Rome). It was also beautiful, but maybe too formal, and the room had a similar feel. Very grand, but no more so than City Hall. It did speak to me a little more, but I think I enjoyed the symmetry of the room (I like things that are ordered) more than I thought it would be a good fit for our group.

By this time, I was already exhausted, which surprised me since I had slept relatively well (so I thought), and had been able to power through the entire previous day without even a yawn. But we were still on the go, so I drew up my strength and we headed out to the Cliff House. I had high hopes for this restaurant, which is perched on the tip of the city overlooking the Pacific. I hoped to see a huge expanse of ocean and peek over to the Golden Gate Bridge and finally see it up close. But as we drove closer to the edge of the country, the eerie mist could be seen creeping over houses and along streets, almost as in search of something. It covered the sky, shutting out the sun and its shades of blue, casting a grey, but bright glow over everything. We got out at the Cliff House, and I could hear the waves crashing into the cliff and on the shore below, but I couldn't see the water at all - it was almost as if we were stranded in some kind of limbo, or Alfred Hitchcock movie. We peeked quickly into a room where the lunch would be held if we headed out that way, and then headed out to the promenade to "see" the view that was shrouded in mist. I could just make out a series of rocks jutting out in the distance and finally could see the dark grey water angrily slapping at the shore. I realized later when hunting through the guidebook to see what sites I had overlooked, that these rocks are known as the "seal rocks," where sea lions bark at night. I was disappointed to realize that they may have been there today, but invisible through the fog and even my pictures don't illuminate them. I just may have to go back at night one day.

We had lunch there as well, and the food was good - I had French toast, and I finished every last piece of food that they gave me. Apparently, I was hungry! I needed to fortify myself for a few last stops before I was released to the relaxation of my room. We took a long drive back to the main part of town, which reinforced my belief that we should leave the Cliff House off of the itinerary, and headed to the Bently building, which used to be the Federal Reserve building. I was predisposed to like it, since it does bear such a close resemblance to our dog, Bentley, but it's popularity as a prom and wedding location meant that we would already have had to book it. The space was definitely cool and interesting, but still didn't have the pop we were searching for. It was interesting to see where the transactions had taken place in days gone by, and again to see some interesting symmetrical architectural features. Finally we went back to the hotel, where we said goodbye to the events planners, and walked around the hotel to get to the Jewish Contemporary Museum. Both of us were tired, so we were not looking to tour the museum, only to find out its viability for a meeting space. We walked into a very tall lobby, whose walls slanted towards the top to give it a triangular, pointy feeling. Although capacity was listed at 230, I could imagine it as being very claustrophobic, and understood why our lawyer had suggested it not for dinner, but for a reception. Neither of us liked it very much, nor the rather unhelpful attitude of the women at the desk, who refused to let us see the upstairs space without an appointment, because we would be going through galleries (and heaven forbid we might peek at some of the museum's artwork without paying an entrance fee! for shame!). So we quickly headed back out and decided on the plan for tomorrow before I rushed to the comfort of my ridiculous room. Unfortunately a nap eluded me, but after a bit of work, I curled up in my bed to watch the end of the Burn Notice marathon, which was a very nice and relaxing way to spend the afternoon. Room service dinner was a chicken sandwich with delicious fries (those of you who know me, know that I judge hotels based on a few things, and the presence of good French fries is on the list), and chocolate chip cookies. There was way too much food, and although I didn't finish all of it, I managed to fill myself up until almost bursting, while watching old Friends episodes. Followed by a nice bath. So I feel very rested, but still tired to the point of exhaustion!

Tomorrow starts with a breakfast meeting, and then I will pack myself up, check out and hold my bags here, while I wander down to the Embarcadero and the edge of Fisherman's Wharf to check out the Ferry Building. Then I will catch the ferry to Sausalito, getting to see the water view of both Alcatraz and the Golden Gate Bridge (yay!) before meeting up with my venue evaluating companion of the past two days to take a look at Ondine's (a possible lunch destination for the group). We'll grab lunch, wander around Sausalito (another item to check off my list), and then spend a little time at her house, before driving over the Golden Gate Bridge and into town. We might get time to stop at Vista Point, which is where the best pictures of the Bridge and San Francisco can be taken (yay!). Then it's off to the airport and my first red eye home - I'm so glad it will be the weekend so that I can sleep!

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