Day 267: SAN FRANCISCO! The city by the bay! Frisco, as the locals do not call it! (Completely irrelevant aside: I have been carrying the notion that San Franciscans hate the term "Frisco" since waaaaaaaaaay before Eddie Izzard observed the same; I actually gleaned it from one of the old assistant editor editions of Marvel Comics' "The New Defenders". See, Angel lives in a brownstone in San Francisco, and this wanna-be bad-guy dresses up as a frog, and... well, it's not particularly relevant, now, is it?)
Anyway, I have driven down to the foggy shores for the weekend. I hooked up with my old friend, IK, and together we discussed what we should do around town.
Me: I *really* want to walk around Chinatown.
IK: Um... Would you like to walk up to Coit Tower, atop Telegraph Hill?
Me: No, I *really* want to walk around Chinatown.
IK: How about we go down to Embarcadero and walk out to the pier?
Me: No, I *really* want to walk around Chinatown.
IK: How about we use some of this hotel furniture to start a little fire? Eh? ADVENTURE!!
Me: No, I *really* want to walk around Chinatown.
IK: *sigh* Okay.
About an hour later:
Me: Chinatown sucks.
IK: IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII KNOOOOOOOOOOOOOW!!!
The red lanterns are cool. The gate is cool. Oh, actually, here's a couple of pictures of me by the Chinatown gate:
Anyway, I have driven down to the foggy shores for the weekend. I hooked up with my old friend, IK, and together we discussed what we should do around town.
Me: I *really* want to walk around Chinatown.
IK: Um... Would you like to walk up to Coit Tower, atop Telegraph Hill?
Me: No, I *really* want to walk around Chinatown.
IK: How about we go down to Embarcadero and walk out to the pier?
Me: No, I *really* want to walk around Chinatown.
IK: How about we use some of this hotel furniture to start a little fire? Eh? ADVENTURE!!
Me: No, I *really* want to walk around Chinatown.
IK: *sigh* Okay.
About an hour later:
Me: Chinatown sucks.
IK: IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII KNOOOOOOOOOOOOOW!!!
The red lanterns are cool. The gate is cool. Oh, actually, here's a couple of pictures of me by the Chinatown gate:
Deep in my heart, I was hoping for the culturally authentic Chinese experience. At the very least, you know, Triads (Chinese gangsters). Well dressed young Chinese men with uzis. I HAVE SEEN THIS IN MOVIES!!
(Note: we did actually see the Dragon Dancer guys, but they were not dancing; they were just walking around with their giant dragon heads, which soun
However, and I cannot overstate this enough, it is not that. It is a strip of tourist stores. Now, granted, I was in point of fact a tourist, but I wasn't looking for a miniature license plate with my name on it (just in case you ARE looking for that, there's a display selling them roughly every three feet). I wasn't looking for a genuine authentic fake poorly made Samurai sword, though those were also available in abundance (China is basically Japan, right?).
Unless China is entirely populated with stores selling cheap souvenirs, this is not at all a little slice of China right here in America, as I had been led to believe. It's a little slice of South of the Border. The crappy slice.
*sigh*
We did have really wonderful Chinese food at the world-famous House of Nanking, which really is deservedly famous. That's something you should check out the next time you're in Frisco.
I am not a native, and I'll call it whatever I want. So, there.
Tomorrow, ADVENTURE!! :)
(Note: we did actually see the Dragon Dancer guys, but they were not dancing; they were just walking around with their giant dragon heads, which soun
However, and I cannot overstate this enough, it is not that. It is a strip of tourist stores. Now, granted, I was in point of fact a tourist, but I wasn't looking for a miniature license plate with my name on it (just in case you ARE looking for that, there's a display selling them roughly every three feet). I wasn't looking for a genuine authentic fake poorly made Samurai sword, though those were also available in abundance (China is basically Japan, right?).
Unless China is entirely populated with stores selling cheap souvenirs, this is not at all a little slice of China right here in America, as I had been led to believe. It's a little slice of South of the Border. The crappy slice.
*sigh*
We did have really wonderful Chinese food at the world-famous House of Nanking, which really is deservedly famous. That's something you should check out the next time you're in Frisco.
I am not a native, and I'll call it whatever I want. So, there.
Tomorrow, ADVENTURE!! :)
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