San Francisco Day One

We woke up at 3:30 am to drive to Dubuque and catch a flight.  Got there just in time.  Link woke up at the airport with lots of enthusiasm, which was great given we all had slept so little.  In Chicago I was so tired I slept right on the floor without care.  Link was given colors and a coloring book and got to press buttons in the cock pit.  The flight to California also went well, link slept a good three hours of it.

We took a taxi to le meridian hotel, which is very nice.  I love and hate that the corner of the room is two sliding glass windows with a cement like fence, essentially making your room a balcony.  Love the view of the bay bridge, hate the fact it doesn't lock and link brought his superman cape, which makes my mind start worrying.

We ate lunch across the street at the elephant in the castle, which appears to be British Canadian.  I had patine for the first time, which is French fries with cheese and gravy.

After napping, while link watched a marathon of sponge bob, we took the Bart to Oakland where Bryce's friend from grad school, Erch, picked us up at around 5:30.  From then until 8:30 we hung out with him and his wife MB and their two daughters, Sadie who is 5 and Kit who is 1.  Link took off with Sadie and had a blast.  At 8:30 Lou, the babysitter (or whisperer is more like it), came to watch the kiddos while we went to chez panisse.  The best reservation I could get was 9:30, which Bryce reminded me was a little like eating at 11:30 our time.  Having been up so early it was a long day.

The food at chez panisse was amazing.  I first heard about this restaurant in the film food fight and was instantly drawn to it.  I love the hippie generation and local food and this is the essential local food cafe started in the 1960s.  MB and Erch are vegan so it was a little more limited for them, but the chef made their own entrees and they seemed to love it as well.

After our meal Erch drove us home over the new bay bridge, which just opened this week so he was excited to drive over.  It was hard o say goodbye to them.  We would probably be such good friends if we lived closer.  In reality MB and I haven't spent more than 12 hour together in our life, but we click.  

Here are some of the similarities between us:

1. All of graduated in art (I'm the only one who never went to cranbrook though)

2. Erch and Bryce are both from Columbus

3. MB is from Kentucky, but lived in Manchester, ia during elementary years

4. Our kids are spaced the same, just thier's are 1 year older

5. Our children are home births, toddler nursed, cloth diapered

6. Husbands work from home, wives work outside

7. Oldest children just started school, both of us drive an hour for the type of education

8. We appear to be the same politically, spiritually, pretty much everything