July 28: San Francisco
Greetings, once again, from the city by the bay. I slept so well and soundly that I didn't even stir before 7:45 a.m., and felt truly refreshed and ready to greet a cloudless sky and 70+ degree temperatures all day long. Strawberry-rhubarb pie, Greek yogurt with honey and great San Francisco coffee constituted breakfast, and then Maureen took care of some business and I made order in my things and completed some correspondence. For lunch we ate at home, once more indulging in the white pulled pork, cole slaw, and beans of yesterday. After that we prepared to go to the De Young Museum to see two exhibits: a J.M.W. Turner show of his later works and a photography show of William Worden, a SF photographer who took black and white pictures of the landscape of SF and its surroundings (Cliff Island, the Palace of Fine Arts, and seascapes as well as seal habitats). They were beautiful, moody impressions, especially enhanced by an almost sepia quality at times. I liked the Turner exhibit very much as well, but found myself less and less interested in those paintings executed very late in his life, when a swirl of indistinct images left me as a viewer confused and slightly apathetic--simply because all points of reference had been blurred to indistinction and almost abstractionism. But that was just my opinion.
From there, Maureen and I crossed to the esplanade between the De Young and the Science Museum and sat on a bench next to a fountain, watching the human and animal traffic before us. Then we left for downtown SF and the Italian restaurant North Beach, which has been around since 1970 and whose owner is Lorenzo Petroni. The featured cuisine is Tuscan. In the restaurant, Mr. Petroni has his own prosciutto cellar and wine cellar, as well as his own winery in Sonoma Valley. Maureen had tagliatelle with porcini mushrooms, as well as a glass of Petroni Chardonnay. I had risotto with porcini mushrooms. For dessert we shared a tiramisu, which was very good, but which, Maureen said, had overly saturated ladyfingers which marred its excellence. Come to think of it, I could agree to that, although initially my palate was not sophisticated enough to detect that. It takes a discerning cook to realize the subtle gradations of excellence!
After dinner we walked to Club Fugazi, the site of a show we went to see, Beach Blanket Babylon, an institution here in SF. It is the world's longest running review. The first show was in 1974. It spoofs both pop and political culture. Performers wear disproportionately large hats and wigs and gaudy costumes while performing satirical renditions of popular songs. Characters include Snow White, Glenda the Good Witch, Mr. Peanut, Louis XIV, Oprah Winfrey, James Brown, Tina Turner, Carmen Miranda, Elvis Presley, Michael Jackson, and a band of French poodles. A thoroughly fascinating romp, which I really enjoyed.
After the performance, Maureen and I returned home, and now we are pursuing answering our emails and listening to music. A great day!
From there, Maureen and I crossed to the esplanade between the De Young and the Science Museum and sat on a bench next to a fountain, watching the human and animal traffic before us. Then we left for downtown SF and the Italian restaurant North Beach, which has been around since 1970 and whose owner is Lorenzo Petroni. The featured cuisine is Tuscan. In the restaurant, Mr. Petroni has his own prosciutto cellar and wine cellar, as well as his own winery in Sonoma Valley. Maureen had tagliatelle with porcini mushrooms, as well as a glass of Petroni Chardonnay. I had risotto with porcini mushrooms. For dessert we shared a tiramisu, which was very good, but which, Maureen said, had overly saturated ladyfingers which marred its excellence. Come to think of it, I could agree to that, although initially my palate was not sophisticated enough to detect that. It takes a discerning cook to realize the subtle gradations of excellence!
After dinner we walked to Club Fugazi, the site of a show we went to see, Beach Blanket Babylon, an institution here in SF. It is the world's longest running review. The first show was in 1974. It spoofs both pop and political culture. Performers wear disproportionately large hats and wigs and gaudy costumes while performing satirical renditions of popular songs. Characters include Snow White, Glenda the Good Witch, Mr. Peanut, Louis XIV, Oprah Winfrey, James Brown, Tina Turner, Carmen Miranda, Elvis Presley, Michael Jackson, and a band of French poodles. A thoroughly fascinating romp, which I really enjoyed.
After the performance, Maureen and I returned home, and now we are pursuing answering our emails and listening to music. A great day!
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