San Francisco A2K Gathering - April 9-12, 2004

BBB, in describing some of the participants at the Albuquerque gathering, Blatham described me as looking like a cherub, but with the joie de vivre of a nun gone bad (paraphrasing). I loved it and found an avatar of a nun to go with my new persona.

Osso, I don't remember if Pierre Au Tunnel had seatings. With seatings, are the diners pressed to get out before the next group is seated? In other words, would we feel hurried?

Seatings? I don't remember, Roberta made the reservation, knowing that we would be clocking in just about the time the rest of the room left... and she was right. I figure the same for Indigo or any other of the theater area SF restaurants, whatever they are. I am losing coherence, I KNOW I saw a list of theater restaurants. Think that was on Pdid's post, he gave it to us already.

The last review I read implied people with theater tickets reserved around six...

which we won't.

On clothes, I just don't trust the 70's type weather, being from 50's - 60's ville. I KNOW I have been cold in SF in the summer. I may pack my Eureka fur, a very bulky sweater that makes me look like a muskox.

Our office is on Second Street, as in right by the water, and I could crumple with cold and wind on my way to get a latte a half a block down. I mean - this week, as in yesterday. I remember SF being that way too, as I walked, at nineteen, in my fetching high heels with friends up to the Fairmont and Mark Hopkins. We were trying so hard to be sophisticated. No, sorry, when I was nineteen I was amazingly free of hooker imagery, I had barely heard of them, and only, then, in books. Quaint but true. We were trying our best to be sophisticated women.

Sigh.

But I think Mark Twain agreed with me, re no winter as cold as SF in August. The wind off the water does carry a chill.

So, what to do about hats, etc. Berets work, but are fairly homely...

Your usual cutie hat will be across the street four seconds after you put it on, on a given day.

Group picture, twelve people in fright wigs... except for those in helmets.

I'm still here!

I'm going down to Melbourne (Victoria, not Florida!) next weekend, while you're all meeting 'n' greeting. I may catch up with msolga, if she's still in town. We have a 4-day weekend. Sadly Deb can't make it!



Wonderful image, Osso!

I am sorry I didn't add msolga to the toast list, I think she did post her interest but I only went back a page or two and there have been many more than two pages -- a page can be passed in a day.

I think it is keen-o (old childish adjective) that you and msolga and deb have met...
and wish you'd get yourselves over to meet us on the west coast... also, that we would land on your doorsteps..., calling first, of course.

So, do you have lottery tickets in australia??

None of us have met yet - and Deb isn't getting to Melbourne, and MsOlga may have to leave as her mother is ill! I may be there by myself.

I have met Wilso already - he lives in my state!

Oh, I have fancied that you've met.
Well, I still will.
I treasure all of you, including Wilso, who I occasionaly bat heads with.
but you'd all best come here and we can chat...





except, Margo, you and me, we need to meet in ... Ital-eeee.

Or, what the hell, have an a2k meet in, oh, Lucca, Roma, Firenze, yadayada.

Osso, I remember the first time I went shopping in San Francisco after moving there in 1964. I went to one of the old, very stylish stores downtown. As I was approaching the entrance, a limo pulled up and the driver help open the door as a drop-dead gorgeous woman got out. I actually followed her to see which part of the store she frequented. Of course, it was designer suits. I quickly left, feeling extremely out of place--as if the fashion police would soon come and arrest me for setting foot in such a rarified setting.

As for hats, I plan on wearing a western hat with a leather strap so that it will stay on. Yes, I'll have hat hair, but it won't look like a fright wig.

Comfy shoes and clothes. I would love to look like I grew up in the City, but no way Jose! This 61 year old body no longer does sleeveless or clingy or strappy. I will try to look fairly respectable.

Indigo sounds like the best bet. If it works the way the restaurant in New York worked, we will almost have it to ourselves.

the lady above has not yet stated if she will be doning underwear during our California visit.

<agreeing with everyone from the Albuturkey gathering>

Well, it could be cold outside without clothes..

I have a few hats with the under chin strap thingies... they neatly segment my double chin into a quadruple chin, too funny.

Hi, Roger!

We're wearing underwear, and sneakers, maybe a baseball cap, bringing something business casual for the dining, jeans and sweaters for everything else.

Rog!

You been on hiatus or have I just been missing you?

Roger! If only you could come. We will miss your dry, gentle wit. Instead, you are favoring the Florida group with your presence. I'm jealous, but do say 'Hi' for me and give kisses and hugs all around.

If we could get enough people together, I wonder how much it would cost to charter a plane to Australia?

Now that would be a gathering!!

Dys, Dys, Dys, you of all people should know the answer to your question. :wink:

Or Germany (and London)?

I live just 15 mins away from the airport (flights from-to London are from $50 onwards), hotels are much cheaper here than SF, you could get a free personal tour guide/interpreter, could stay in a healthy spa ... :wink:

hi roger...we miss you

Walter, Dys and I are definitely coming to Europe, hopefully next fall. You are one of the people we would most love to see. I also have a friend in Vienna and, of course, the London crew.

We wouldn't dream of missing out on a chance to meet our European friends.

Man, a London Gathering next year sounds like the bomb.

edit: or one in Berlin...

Underwear? Who wears underwear anymore? How old fashioned!

Yes, I will be sure to bring something warm enough to make sure I don't freeze to death. I can remember so well, at Spring break, with little spagetti strap tops and short shirts that were so comfortable at the beach, but as soon as the sun went down and the wind began to blow......cold.

I'll arrive with as many different looks as I can squeeze into my suitcase. I have long ago given up apologizing for my clothes horse ways.

But this is fair warning. No jokes about me carrying the kitchen sink in my bag. One may comment about the quantity of my clothing, but one must at least be original about it! And funny would also be appreciated.

Time is drawing near, folks. This will be fun!


OOoooohhhh, and hi Roger. Sorry you can't join us this time.

Germany next year.......sounds interesting. But I may have to work. We'll see. How about a big gathering in New York next year? It's centrally located for the world, I'd say. How about that idea?

There is an inverse ratio to what I carry on a trip relative to distance traveled and amount of time. Ok, that's two inverse ratios. Italy for a month, I take a duffle and very little in it, stay for the most part in one star places. Ms. Spare. Napa for a weekend, I take my medium suitcase full of books (you know, I might not feel like reading one, and want the other, or even the other, for the perhaps 30 minutes overall that I have time to read in my pals' victorian foofoo guest room) and a vast selection of clothing items. I am not a clothes horse exactly, heh, you will chuckle at that as an appellation for me, but am clothes moody. Maybe an earring horse. I have a whole new batch of obnoxiously gaudy earrings, from a local tapestry artist, purchased in the flow of recent vicissitudes. I have no doubt that gaudy earrings are out of style. But, in the swing of things, it is about time for them to come in style..

Eva, sure, we'd like to hear about good quiet places! She might even enjoy this thread (or cringe...)

I and some others played around about places what seems like a year ago.. I love, as must be obvious, the Pt. Reyes/Olema/Inverness/Tomales area and stayed at a sort of ramshackle but plenty ok hotel there about a year ago, in lieu of signing up for a pricey one where the wedding I was going to was being held. So, of course that came to mind.
I think we got lots of links, but they are probably on the earlier thread started by piffka on San Francisco - it's under North America forum, I think.

Once some of us were going to rent a house for several days, where was it, Diane? near Tomales, anyway. That would have the benefit of letting us hang out and some of us maniacs cook. Geez, we could drag Cav... and BBB, who must be a wild cook. And Cjhsa, where is he, anyway? I bet he is a good cook too.