San Francisco A2K Gathering - April 9-12, 2004

Good for them, BBB. One reason I've always loved SF is the acceptance--the often enthusiastic acceptance--of differences.

Osso, that picture is one of my all-time favorites of you and Pacco. You should have it as your avatar, if it will show up enough when it is downsized.

Glad you liked it, Diane!

(Unfortunately the odds are I won't be there. But you never know! Still have school age kids and it's hard to plan! )

My fingers and toes are crossed.

Oh, Fealola, look forward to meeting you if you end up being able to do it...

I'd love to meet you all! If not this time, one of these days!

Got a package from CI yesterday.... thank you for your thoughtfulness, CI and, lessee, you should be nice and tired from your flight to Japan by now...

I have intentions to post another battery of info.

Noticed CI mentioned on the florida a2k thread all the places he might take us in SF, like the GG Bridge and Wine country and want to make a couple of comments on possibilities.. and maybe add some -
I love that road, highway 128, that goes through St. Helena and Calistoga, and the little store, Jimtown Store. But Kenwood Winery has quite a good restaurant and that is on Dry Creek Canyon Road, I think. The wine country isn't just an hour or two though, so we need to talk about that... depending on traffic, hours can pass getting there and back. Still, I'd like to post on it, in case anyone wants to go there for more than a day, with or without the group. Maybe I'll bring one of my wine country guidebooks and leave it with whoever wants to really tour it, and they can mail it back one sunny day.

Plus, Pt. Reyes/Olema still attracts me as a group possibility- say on sunday morning - or a suggestion for individual forays, perhaps for people with porsches..
less of an excursion than the wine country (let me tell you about getting to Napa from selected places along 101, have done that many times lately) and viscerally gorgeous.

and either Sausalito (there was a quiet restaurant or two on that list...) or Tiberon (the Caprice) might be places to go after crossing the bridge.
Or Fort Mason on the SF side.. though that is not enough, I think people who haven't do need to cross it, unless they happen to hate bridges. I love all the bridges... preferably as a car passenger, though I am often if not always keen when driving too. Rush hour getting on bay bridge sucks quite seriously, hours for a few blocks.

As I've said before I am happy to just loll about myself.
In any case I really don't want to run around the whole time, I would become cranky. I am going there to talk to you all!

And I have been meaning to post, in part for myself, not expecting to drag the group along unless the group happens to feel like it at the time... been meaning to check and see what will be at some nearby galleries I liked before, should I be able to dredge them from my mind's stack system.

I realize as I blather on that many of us besides me have been to SF before and I am just the loud one. Plus I've realized I want to stay one more day, and wish I'd said that in my "deal" with Orbitz. Hmmmm.


Back next post re galleries..

If our first encounter will be dinner Friday evening, that only leaves two full days for our meet-up.

I'd prefer to not go too far afield if that would use up too much time.

Some of us will be there monday too. Still, not much time. I don't want to spend it enroute myself.

PDiddies will be there after Monday, though, and might enjoy the wine country or Point Reyes.

You haven't said what you'd get a kick out of...

Found some gallery links. -
http://www.artist-at-large.com/sfgalleries3.htm
http://www.cclarkgallery.com/artists.html Masami Teroaka enjoyable..
http://www.kochgallery.com/exhibitions/upcoming.html
http://www.jenkinsjohnsongallery.com/exhibitions.html
http://www.realart.com/hfg/home.html
http://www.wirtzgallery.com/exhibitions_frame.html
http://www.fraenkelgallery.com/exhibitions/e_penn.html ****

I gave that stars since I want to see the Irving Penn work. Otherwise, opening doors along a short part of Sutter St./Geary is fine with me.
One of those galleries shows one of our artists, don't know if anything will be up in April.

I should explain that I post all this since CI thought it would be cool if I did a gallery tour, and walking a lot of galleries is something I would do on my own if I was staying more days. Frankel Gallery and one other that I'd most like to see are only open on Tues - Sat.

mm, City Lights bookstore?

If there's a consensus on what hotel everyone would stay in, let me know. I will very likely be there.

Oh, boy, oh, boy, great news, GLight.

Everybody but me - so far - is staying at the King George, and I am two blocks away, at the recently remodeled Adagio (got a flight/hotel deal.)

And jjorge is staying at his brother's..
And GeorgeOb has (I think) a place across the bay.

Will you also be able to join us for dinner Friday evening, Light?

GLight -


Hotel Adagio

King George Hotel

Hi Lightwizard!

Glad to hear you're coming.

Yay, the Light Wizard!!

I'm staying at the King George...oh goody, so glad to hear your coming LW.

I'm checking on both the Adagio and King George for the 9th thru the 12th with a flight out of OC Airport and a trip to and from the hotel (I'm not likely to rent a car but it's possible).

We have a reservation at Piperade for a dozen, at 8:30 p.m., Friday the 9th, under my name.

They have reserved the 'family table' for our party. (Go to the link osso posted for Piperade a couple of pages back for more information.) It is supposed to be intimate, but not separate, from the main dining room, so those of us who have trouble with background noise in noisy environments may still stuggle with conversation.

If anyone wants to change anything -- such as the time or place -- speak now or forever hold your dominion.

Sounds delightful to me, PDiddie.

Diane and I have found out that Semiotterly (woman of wry wit, much more known on abuzz) will be in San Francisco that weekend and we are trying to get her to join us all, but she is presently computerless so contact difficult. I don't think the number passes twelve even if she can make it... and we can always commandeer a chair, eh?

I hate to tie us all in for places and times, but maybe we ought to think about Saturday night. First of all, maybe people want to go out for meals in less that groups of 12, is it a Free Night? Some people may be keen for fresh whole crab (remind me, I have some recommendations from friend of friends on that, besides what I posted a few pages back.) and some for Vietnamese... or steak and potatoes..

Light Wizard may have opinions on good places too.

And then there is the matter of what to do in town together...
if we do the Flower Conservatory, should we eat at Greens? Or?

If we do the golden gate bridge together, somehow, and how would we do that?, should we eat in Sausalito or at the place in Tiburon, or neither?

I am toying with buying Clarke's book at Rizzoli's and having a2k pals sign it, or everybody willing to go that far...

Then there is the City Light Book Store and perhaps a snack or wine or actual meal at Niebaum Coppola, or???

what am I forgetting? Uh, art. Well, GLight knows a lot about art... I want to see the Irving Penn photos myself, but
not sure if I can fit that in... maybe Friday late afternoon.

JJorge wants to see Alcatraz, but not necessarily on the weekend. PDiddies want to do a ballgame, but same, not necessarily on the weekend.

Oooh, it's almost close enough to check the weather forecasts..