Harry Potter and the Golden Gate

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Perhaps the most anticipated event of the trip was the midnight premier of the new Harry Potter movie. The lads ventured into the outskirts of San Francisco (Daly City to be precise) and arrived at the theatre around 1030pm for the midnight showing after some delicious Indian food and a quick refresher of the previous movie on DVD in the hotel room. The movie was very entertaining. Those fans with a more dedicated novel-based Harry Potter rather than a novel to big screen adaptation may have been a tad bit miffed at the liberties taken by the director, but none found the movie any less entertaining. The crowd was sadly very uncostumed for a midnight premier. After what seemed like constant go-go attitude since the arrival of the third amigo and the realization it was after 3am, the trio retired post-premier satisfied but exhausted. The following days did not slow the pace of the summer adventure.

Using credit card reward points and free hotel nights, the group was able to stay in downtown SF cheaply (paying only for parking, but that was not inexpensive) but had to move hotels everyday. Packing and unpacking took its toll and ate up a few hours everyday, but it was all survivable. The hotels more than made up for the inconvenience. We were able to stay at the Intercontinental and the Prescott Hotel. Next time, however, we will stay in a moderate hotel within driving distance and deal with parking downtown to be able to unpack for a few days.

Unfortunately, two of the major SF attractions did not cooperate with our tentative calendar and thus inability to book ahead. Alcatraz tours were sold out for next five days and the ever-present fog hindered all good views/exploration of the Golden Gate Bridge. However, the trip was far from a loss. The SF Museum of Modern Art had an amazing photography exhibit featuring the life of Richard Avedon. The de Young museum had opened (literally 2 days before our arrival) the King Tut exhibit, which was truly spectacular. Also, we were able to attend a happy hour at the CA Academy of Science, which houses the new location of the Steinhart aquarium, the planetarium, and the natural history museum. The tickets were 10 dollars instead of 30 and they sold adult beverages! Now, after touring musuems and other points of interest along the way for the better part of a month, I must say, if you can at all arrange it, visit these places with wine and an absence of those under the age of 21, mostly under the age of lets say...16. Two thumbs way up to this great Thursday night event!

The guys also found their way to the Castro (although oddly only at night, we think the street signs are misleading during the day) and had a great time catching up with Miss Rahni (recently relocated from Charleston) and seeing their version of nightlife. Places patronized in that region of town include: QBar, Trigger, Lookout, and Badlands. All three were a little surprised by the nightlife of SF. The establishments were smaller in size than any of the previously visited cities and the crowded although diverse did not seem as 'energetic'. For all of the discussion and differences, the group found while enjoying themselves also remembering previous cities and a slight feeling of missing 'home'. Perhaps, they are so far ahead in SF, that the nightlife cannot simply be contained like it can in other cities and one must venture further into the city (or maybe it was just an off few days). We did notice most of the people we met, were not locals but visitors like ourselves. Further research is warranted.

Our journey continues...one guess...southward...towards the land of artichokes and a huge aquarium (and someone named Steinbeck).

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