In San Francisco we stayed at the Hotel Monaco, a nifty hotel near Union Square. We were bewildered by this goldfish on someone's room service tray, really bewildered. (above- I take terrible cell phone pictures)
When I asked a bell man about it he said this pet friendly hotel offers bowls of goldfish for people to borrow during their stay in case they miss the pets at home. We did miss Molly, but didn't think the goldfish could take her place. We snagged one of the free dog biscuits at the front door for Molly but gave it to a homeless man's dog instead.
San Francisco was looking SNAZZY! I wanted to live there again. I had a wonderful time at breakfast on Sunday with Linda Davick who's so pretty and talented and so darn NICE! She doesn't say bad things about people, a practice I should adopt but probably never will.
Midday Jon and I went to an interesting exhibit in the old mint building on the history of long gone Chinese nightclubs in San Francisco, the most famous of which was "Forbidden City."
I also met up with my old pal from high school and Snazelle Films, Jane Cheshire, and it was wonderful to spend time together again even if only an hour.
On Monday we took the cable car over to the Musee Mechanique down at Fisherman's Wharf . All the wonderful penny arcade equipment which was once at Playland and then at the Cliff House is now in this wonderful museum which seems to be supervised by no one.
This was a really creepy mechanical opium den.
This is Laughing Sal, a very large automoton whose laughter syncs up very well with her movements.
We also paid to go inside a world war 2 SUBMARINE that's anchored next door. I'd never been in a real submarine. It was fascinating and emotionally powerful, imagining what those sailors endured, and they were all volunteers.
These are envelopes a woman painted and mailed to her submarine sailor fiancee. The one top right was returned for 3 cents postage. Some postal peeps are NO FUN!
Our visit with Dinah was also terrific- a splendid weekend. I'm working on a video of Dinah's horse coming home from the hospital and that will be a separate post.
6 comments:
It was wonderful meeting you. At breakfast I was trying really hard not to be myself so you'd like me.
I'm so glad you got to have a little time in the city Monday when the sun came out! We'll start looking for a house for you here right away.
I have mixed feelings about the goldfish thing- it's awful cute, but I worry about the welfare of the goldfish. Is there a "still alive and healthy in the morning" goldfish deposit, I wonder?
Those old penny arcade figures are neat.
I've never seen a real-life "Laughing Sal," but I know what they are! I think they date back to the twenties or thirties- if not earlier. Pretty clever contraptions.
I'm still jealous that you got to meat Linda!
I like to think that Linda's disposition creates balance. (But I also like to think she really WAS behaving herself which is a whole OTHER talent. :))
San Francisco always makes me feel like I'm in a curiosity shoppe - even reading about you poking around and visiting makes me feel et cetera, et cetera.
One of my favorite of ALL time Huell Howser episodes was him visiting one of the warehouses on that street just where the 101 intersects with the 134 (sorry, can't remember it now) - it takes you into Burbank. A fellow has a wonderfilled shop behind the otherwise nondescript doors; he's collected automotons for years and is always repairing and tinkering. He has one purported to be the original mindreader that toured the Austro-Hungarian empire.
It's no San Francisco, but it's still intricate and fabulous and magical.
Glad you had a great visit. Can't believe I missed you by a week!
Just saw this posting, Sally. It was wonderful to see you again. I'm with Linda--lots of houses around here for you and Jon and the animals. Come back soon.
The problem with moving to San Fran is the market is so low down here and going nowhere so we don't want to sell our house right now.
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