San Francisco, Wrapping it up

Next to the last day. We woke up and I had an omelet and a mocha at a place called Squat and Gobble.





We were headed to ILM for a tour but we took the long way and walked down to the Exploratorium. A lot of cool stuff that we didn't have time to see.



We continued to the bay to check out the Golden Gate Bridge and Alcatraz. I usually don't smile when I take self portraits, but I decided to buck my own system here.



Now this is a tailgate party! Wine, cheese, tablecloths?!? These Californians are really putting it to it! I have to assume that they are here watching the sailboat race and not gathering in my honor.



Now we are at ILM. I saw some pretty amazing concept art, incredibly detailed props and miniatures and Pee Wee Herman and Buzz Lightyear doing some truly awful things to each other. Unfortunately a lot of this stuff was in no-camera zones, but take my word for it - it was awesome.



After ILM we went across the Golden Gate Bridge through San Rafeal to try to get in to Big Rock Ranch, the Lucas animation company. Unfortunately there was some mix up, and while we could go in and have lunch in the common cafeteria, we couldn't really get a tour.



Some random Rolls Royce.



The terrain was really rugged and mountainous, and we were driving pretty sportily on a winding road great for spirited driving.



Lunch at Big Rock Ranch. We just barely made lunchtime, so I think they heaped our plates with what was left.







After Big Rock Ranch we drove around to Skywalker Sound, which was nestled in a secluded forest bowl surrounded by mountains and land that George Lucas owned. Seriously - he bought everything that you could see.

This should show both, with landmarks like Lake Ewok, etc.

So we get back to the Marina. It's not yet dinnertime, yet we need something to eat. What's a pair of hetero dudes to do that is both snacky AND hip?

Cupcakes!





I had my first car bomb that night, and we had some midnight pizza at our second choice. The first choice, Pizza Orgasmica, was so packed we couldn't get close to the door.

More pictures here.

I had a great time, did a little work and got to see some stuff that I may never have had a chance to see otherwise. Thanks Dave!

San Francisco, Day 3

The third day in San Francisco, and the first day of meeting the press. It happened to be September 11, and hearing fire truck sirens in the morning made me a little nervous...especially the second and third sirens a few minutes apart, but apparently nothing newsworthy happened.

My greatest accomplishment so far...finding a free coffee bar at the hotel. They must want my business!



On our way out to lunch there happened to be another nice car waiting for someone...a Mercedes CL63 AMG. Snazzy, and starting only at $137k!



We mosey back to the Metreon where we're confounded by a Nintendo Wii mega-kiosk just steps outside the Sony Style store. I thought Sony managed the Metreon? What gives? If you read the Wiki article, Sony pulled out of Metreon management in 2006, due to low profitability. Oh, snap!



Fast forward to dinner time, and three of us decided to follow my stomach to a local Indian place. Outside the hotel we get another treat, a brand new Lamborghini Gallardo - it didn't even have its plates yet! I love this car!




On the way we happened across a Lotus Elise, which is still very nice, but I see a lot of these so the awesomeness has worn off a little bit. Don't get me wrong - I still like it, but if I had to pick a Lotus, it would probably be an Esprit.



We almost didn't find the Indian place, but after walking a few blocks in circles we finally stopped and asked a bellhop if there was an Indian place around here. He just looked at us, didn't stop taking a call on his cell phone and pointed across the street. Ah! We were (a lot) closer than we thought!



We had some sort of good appetizer and an Indian beer. Great stuff.



For the meal, we had rogan josh (awesome), chicken tikka masala (awesome), and some other chicken dish (very very good), and garlic, onion and another kind of naan (bread) (awesome). I asked them to make mine very spicy, but it didn't happen. Maybe next time.



How do you top off being stuffed with a great Indian meal and walking around in 60 degree weather? Margaritas, naturally! We found a Mexican joint a block or two from the hotel on our way back and got some "ultimate" margaritas...the ultimate being that they are large and have fresh-squeezed orange juice in them. I approved of the size but the orange juice didn't do much for me. It made it too sweet and I couldn't taste the tequila very much. I could have done just as well with a traditional one.

San Francisco, Day 2g: The end is in sight!

I know, I know - how long was this day?

We met in the hotel lobby for dinner but found some sweet cars waiting outside in the bellhop area. The silver one is a Jaguar XK, possibly an XKR (I can't remember). The black one is a Bentley Continental GT. Both awesome looking cars.





We walked a few blocks from the hotel to what amounted to a line of restaurants with outdoor seating in an alley between the inside seating/kitchen/bar and another building. Based on the concierge's recommendation, we chose Cafe Tiramisu.




Actual Italians manning an Italian restaurant? I call that a good sign. We had to wait about ten minutes for an outdoor table, so out comes the wine list. I asked the waitress to surprise me with a good red wine. She did, and it was good, but I can't remember what it was!

We're seated...appetizer time! I wrote down my food selections for the trip on an old orthodontic appointment reminder I had in my wallet, but now I can't find it, so we'll have to go by memory. I started with garlic (I think) stuffed calamari on Italian bread. Another glass of wine? Sounds good to me!



One of the marketing guys had steamed clams (I think) for an appetizer, and a mountain of them came on the plate.



For dinner I had the tuna, which was excellent, and requested to be surprised again with a wine that would complement my entree. I get a chardonnay, and even though I'm not so much a white wine fan, it made a great pair. Delicate balance, magnificent bouquet, charming interaction between the wine and the tuna...all that jibber jabber.



How could we go to a place called Cafe Tiramisu and not try their tiramisu? I know! It's great, but I don't know why I don't have any coffee with it.



We walked back to the hotel, and it was a brisk walk with a cold breeze, but felt really nice.

Yet another nice car outside the hotel

This time, a Maserati.



We also saw an Aston Martin Vanquish on the road, but I couldn't get my camera ready in time. In an unusual display for Singapore (because traffic is monitored very heavily), it was racing a Porsche 911 Turbo down the street and from a red light.

This is how we...Rolls

One more awesome car outside the hotel - Rolls Royce but I'm not sure which kind. It has a pneumatic hood ornament - a panel moves to the side and the hood ornament extends - very nice in case you park it around rappers.

I called for a taxi, but this will do

I came back a little early from work because all of Engineering was in an All-Hands meeting. What did I happen to see out in front of the hotel? Daddy really likes!

Cars in Singapore

Over here, it is very expensive to own a car. One must purchase a certificate, for roughly SING$9,000 - $13.000. This gives the bearer the right to buy a car. The cars are about 2x the price, for example, you can get a Toyota Corrola for about SING$60,000. Normal people use the rapid transit rail system or buses, and taxis when necessary. That said, there are plenty of people over here with more money with which they know what to do. I have seen every kind of BMW, Mercedes are all over the place (the de facto high-end taxi), and others have seen two Rolls Royces and a Bentley. The most exotic car I had seen was a Porsche 911 Turbo, but we saw this green beauty on the way to dinner tonight.