Over the past year, Kris, Art, and Louisa have all moved to San Francisco. I had promised that I would visit, but became very tangled up in a work project that seemingly went on forever. My project ended on November 2nd, so I chose to go visit everyone while I had the chance.

I flew in late on Thursday the 18th. I landed in San Francisco and had to take BART over to Kris' house. I was quite worried as I have a knack for getting lost. Luckily for me, I found the right train and made the quick trip to 24th and Mission. I found Kris' new place, an older home that reminded me a lot of my grandmother's house in New Jersey. I also met Heather and saw Zoe. It was a little late, but we headed out for some Mexican food at a neighborhood joint right around the corner. The food was great and everyone had to get to bed. Kris and I decided to stay up for a bit longer and enjoy a nice Maker's Mark at the bar down the street. We caught up on work and life in Phoenix. We both had big days ahead of us, so we decided to cruise back to his house and crash out.

I was up and about fairly early on Friday. Everyone had to work, so I planned on walking around and seeing the city and then surprising Louisa for lunch. I got very lost and overshot their house by miles. At this point, I was already at Fisherman's Wharf, so I decided to take a look around. The day was very cloudy and the Golden Gate Bridge was immersed in fog. I was able to clearly see Alcatraz and could see the Bay Bridge in the distance. I looked around the area a little longer and then decided to head back to Louisa's neighborhood.

Along the way, I ran into the Regency Ballroom. Bad Religion was closing the tour out and everyone had just arrived. I still had my pass so I popped in and said hello to everyone very quickly. I then made my way to Art and Louisa's. I got to check out their apartment, which is one of the biggest and nicest apartments I have ever seen. We had 5 hours to kill before Art's birthday dinner and party. We chose to walk around and check everything out. We walked through some amazingly sloped streets, checked out the DIESEL store, got rained on, and finally caught dinner at Tres Agave. Art was caught at work, so the plan was to eat and then meet him at the Mars Bar. We got there, got some drinks, and I got to meet the Yammer crew. Around 10 or so, we decided to head out. Kris and Heather were at his place so I decided to stop in and check out the BR show. The show was great and I had a blast.

I woke up pretty early on Saturday. I got a hold of Art and Louisa and we all decided on getting burritos from La Cumbre and then hanging out in the park. Brian had recommended La Cumbre to me the day before and I am glad he did. It is one of the best burritos that I have ever had. If you are ever in San Francisco, you really do need to stop there. It is located near 16th Street and Valencia.

I digress. We got our burritos and headed to the park. The weather was very overcast and it was quite cold. We decided to head back to Kris' place to figure out what to do. The poor weather rolled in and we stayed in all day, playing Taboo and Mario Kart. Indian pizza was ordered for dinner. It was my first experience with Indian pizza and damn was it delicious. By now, we had killed many hours and the gang was tired. I was still up and active, so Art, Louisa, and I took the bus back to their side of town. I had my pass on me and checked out the second night at the Regency. The show was great and everyone was in a good mood. I sat on the bus until a little after 1, drinking beer, telling stories, and having a great time. I started the 2.4 mile trek back to Kris' house. Luckily for me, it started to rain and every cabbie that I saw passed me by. I had a nice sobering walk in the rain and got in right around 2.

Sunday was a pretty chill day. I slept in and packed all of my stuff. Kris and I walked around his neighborhood for a bit to kill the small amount of time that I had left. I said goodbye and then headed to the BART station. I am very glad that I took the trip. The scenery was very amazing and seeing all of the different house styles was great. I got into SFO, found my way to the gate, and made my way back to Phoenix.

Overall, the trip was a blast. I really enjoyed San Francisco and am looking to visiting again when it is a bit warmer. Thank you to everyone that made it so great.