San Francisco A2K Gathering - April 9-12, 2004

I have put a lot of info into this thread, but I am not any kind of queen. People need to help us decide.

Ok, that was sort of passive aggressive, glad to be talking here, Diane. Let's check out the various Sausalito ones.

They will all be lesser. We need to look for nonexecrable food, quiet, and view, don't we?

I am not opposed to the Altimira, especially if it is an old decrepit standby... I have this nostalgic bent. Plus it has a good view.

I like the way this schedule is coming together...

Friday 6-8 pm: Gathering at King George lobby (or other suitable)
Friday 8:30: Dinner at Piperade

Saturday am: Farmers' Market
Saturday pm: GGB, Sausalito/Tiburon
Dinner: TBD, but someplace known for crab

Sunday am: Conservatory and Tea Garden
Sunday pm: ??? (activity still TBD)
Sunday dinner: TBD

So we need a little more input from those who haven't chimed in yet. (c'mon, y'all; osso is doing all the heavy lifting here.)

note to osso: you don't know no passive aggressive.

http://www.opentable.com/restaurant_profile.asp?ID=2656

Poggio. In Sausalito. At this point I don't remember if it has a view or not.

Thks, Pdid. I always have to watch out for p/a tendencies, so I am often too damn agressive.

The whole delicacy here is that I assume every one of us like freedom in a new city, and not to be scheduled. But we need to nab some somewheres, in case one or the other or more want to flit but also after flitting to reconnect.

Me, I want to look at the Irving Penns and go to Rizzoli and I really would like to look into Niebaum Coppola further than just looking at the facade and in the door, if only to buy a bottle of wine and have a wee snack, and I have visions of all of this as places where we can all talk.

Clearly we need more SF meetings to act all this out, plus by then we'd have more folks joining in.

I hate to structure this all in some worked out way that most can barely make and all resent as some schedule. That is sooo not me.

Blatham, Lola, GeorgeOb, talk to us..... .. things are getting nailed down fast.

Don't overthink and don't overdo.

Some people are going to want to lie down in the p.m., and that's OK. Nobody needs to feel obligated to do the activities. I like a little structure (and so do you) which is why we're doing most of the itinerary planning.

BTW, the galleries aren't open on Sunday, right? So we'll have to do those on Saturday pm, with the GGB/Sausalito/Tiburon moving to Sunday pm.

Right? Or not?

Well, we have three things and two afternoons, don't we?
bridge/across the bay; ggpark (conservatory/tgarden); galleries. I don't know if/howwe can do all of them .. maybe drop the galleries.

hmm, unless we do the bridge and the ggpark on Sunday, and do galleries/shop on Saturday

I don't mind if we have a schedule, it's nice to have some idea of what we'd like to see. My main agenda is to meet my online friends and talk, so I don't care where we do it. I've seen as much of SF to last me. It's a very nice city, but a city is a city and I want to get to know my friends.

But I think it's great, Osso to have a schedule for those who want to make sure we have somewhere to go, like PDid says he likes to do. I'll go along for some of it and some, I'll probably go my own way. I may opt to sit in the shade and drink a coffee or a glass of wine while others enjoy a leg of the planned agenda, tempting who I can to sit and talk with me.

We're a varied bunch of people and we'll each do as we please, I'm sure.

But Osso, don't worry about making plans. I don't feel obligated, and I'm pleased to have some structure.

Here's a Poggio link, in Sausalito. Seems to be no view though, but not sure.
Poggio

Caprice


I can't find much on the Altamira, but it seems to still be there in Sausalito.

Maybe we cross the bridge later in the afternoon, however we get there, and have an early dinner at Poggio or the Caprice, or the Altamira. That way we have some time to shop/gallery/bookstore..

Looking at this Map, Tiburon is a further drive... http://www.tiburon.org/
If the map doesn't show on the link, pick map out from list, and click on the
south tab... Caprice is on Paradise Drive in Tiburon... Sausalito is below, left.

Lola,

You spoke my mind.

Dys and I will be going along to many of the art galleries with Osso. Mainly, we also want to visit in quiet places with, hopefully, some privacy.

As I've said before, Dys and I would rather leave restaurant picking up to the foodies. If we go to places that are amenable to visiting while we look or wall, would be the best of both worlds. One thing of importance is 'quiet' dining, since some of us have hearing problems.

Also, as Lola said, most of us prefer going off on our own occassionally and meeting as a group at a set time and place. The Tea Garden would probably be conveinent for relaxing and conversing.

We should agree on restaurants for Saturday and Sunday as that will be Easter weekend--any weekend in SF usually requires reservations.

We have two reservations for dinner for twelve.

Saturday the 10th at 8:30 pm at 500 Jackson (seafood is the specialty) and Sunday the 11th at 8 pm at Equinox (American, steaks), the revolving restaurant atop the Hyatt Regency at the Embarcadero Plaza.

Here's a link to 500 Jackson, and here'sa link for Equinox. Go look at the 360-cam view.

Conversation, especially the infernal background noise, is a challenge for me and Ms. Did...I din't take that into consideration when I booked these, and I don't see anything on the links above about noise levels. Check them out and if you prefer something else let me know and I'll revise. I've guaranteed our reservations but that won't be a problem unless I don't cancel 24 hours ahead.

It's a problem for Diane and I too, and even other group meetings with everybody with healthy hearing often mention noise.

That said, thank you for doing that. I liked 500 Jackson, it looked comfortable, annnnd that was one of the places with whole crab. Y'know, it didn't LOOK like it was loud in the picture. We can deal with one loud place; after all, if the place at Embarcadero center is noisy, we have the rest of the weekend to talk.

uh oh, here's the chronicle link on 500 Jackson...
4 noise bells. The SF chronicle listing on 500 Jackson

but... I think I posted a picture last night... back in a minute.

Ok, that was Tuesday night, on the crab search. It just doesn't look all that noisy to me. Maybe the Bar is... link with pic at 500 jackson

Equinox not so great on this one, but we at least have the reservation on a busy night. Also, it says expensive. It's the same old thing, premium for view, but then, when else will we get to do this.

Maybe a drink there and dinner at the coffee shop downstairs?

Will hunt a little more.

It doesn't look noisy though...Equinox from Yahoo

So here we go with a tentative updated intinerary:

Friday 6-8 pm: Gathering at King George lobby (or other suitable)
Friday 8:30: Dinner at Piperade

Saturday b'fast/brunch: ???
Saturday am: Farmers' Market
Saturday pm: GGB, Sausalito/Tiburon (lunch?)
Saturday 8:30: Dinner at 500 Jackson (seafood)

Sunday B'fast/brunch: ???
Sunday am: Conservatory and Tea Garden (lunch?)
Sunday pm: ??? (activity still TBD)
Sunday 8:00: Dinner at Equinox (American, steaks)

Where do I put the Sheraton Place Palm Court? Is that breakfast/brunch? Oss, you mentioned the St. Francis; would that be for Sunday b'fast?

A Gallery walk Sunday afternoon? (I'm going to have to do alot of walking to burn off all these calories I'm going to be consuming...)

What am I missing?

Let's not rule anything out...we could have two things to do at the same time....some going in one direction, some in another...some just staying somewhere for chat (probably the KG lobby, as so many of us are there)...

Equinox is about 31-50 dollars per person, according to the link I posted above.

500 Jackson is $16 to $30.

Good to compile, PD.

Lessee,

The coffee shop in the St. Francis is what I liked. It is back through the lobby to the newer part of the hotel, has comfy booths, and I really liked my omelette. (This was in 2001, I think). I had breakfast by myself in a big booth (did I mention the booths?) well, at the big booth I could spread out the Sunday newspaper, and so on. I am sure the bill wasn't over $12.00, might have been nine... well, not cheap, but not a killer. (What killed me that week was getting the computer on my volvo fixed three times, which is the natural limit, for $2200..) As for quiet, it was near deserted. Can't remember what time of morning, but surely not 8 a.m.

The waiter helped me find the gallery listings. (closed, mostly closed... museums open.)

I might like to walk into Niebaum Coppola's wine/cafe over in North Beach, perhaps sip and talk a lot, and see City Lights. Who knows when... maybe Saturday - Farmer's market earlyish, gallery building or two on Geary or Sutter, say, around ten or eleven, have to check times, North Beach, for lunch/wine/snack, uh, 1 ish,
bridge/sausalito 4 pm? get back to hotels at ?
and out to dinner... getting there at 8:30. Pant, pant.

Anybody know if one can split cab fare or is it full fare each?

I wonder if you can eat at the Conservatory of Flowers... but I know there is Brunch and Lunch at the Garden Court in the Sheraton Palace...and geez, if we want to do that Sunday we need to reserve immediately if not sooner.
Sheraton Palace Garden Court check about the fifth or sixth thumbnail picture..
description of Sheraton Palace Garden Court

hmmm, high tea...

Hyatt looks like fun for later and we doooo have reservations.

I think I'm going to pass on The Equinox.

I have to admit I'm on a budget and it's a little too pricey for me.

Well, jjorge, it's much better for me to cancel the reservation and schedule another that works better for you than to not have you and your family there with us.

Would you do this?...

Would you go into some of osso's links and find a couple of choices that you like and PM them to me?

I'll do the rescheduling if you will do that...