When the weather is hot and muggy like it’s been for much of the summer in New York, it’s immediately invigorating to enter the optimum and consistently cool and dry air here in San Francisco.
The weather is like a broken record. Mid 60’s by day with powerful sunshine. At night, breezy, refreshing mid 50’s
Day 1 of my stay in the city by the bay took me to Giants/Mets at a sold out AT & T. I took the number 30 bus from near my hotel. The fare was $2 and the ride due south lasted fifteen minutes.
I entered the ballpark when the gates opened and watched BP from behind the Met dugout. Unlike at CitiField, the ushers let you get close to the bags for the 90 minute warmup session.
Giants GM Brian Sabean could be seen embracing Met third baseman David Wright before the game. The two engaged in lengthy conversation. The fraternization caught my eye because I wonder whether Sabean may someday try to snag Wright away given the Met money woes.
Wright was rested and left out of the starting lineup Tuesday night. He ended up striking out as a pinch-hitter with the bases loaded in the seventh inning. D-Wright’s knees buckled on a 2-2 curve from the Freak and home plate ump Bill Miller called strike three. Inning over. Rally over. Giants won 4-1.
Tim Lincecum (pictured above) has had an awful season but looked good last night despite being unable to muster anything faster than 94 mph on his heater. Other cities would have turned on Lincecum but Giants fans pushed a lot of positive energy Timmy’s way from the outset of this contest. The strikeout of Wright ended with a small fist-pump by Lincecum.
Met rookie Matt Harvey made his second MLB start and pitched well too. Harvey works very fast. His delivery is very compact. It appeared to me that some kind of elongation of his motion may serve him well.
Pacifico from the stand in center field was my beer of choice. I sat in the left field bleachers for the first couple innings. When I was displaced, I found a good standing room spot along the third base line. My assigned seat was somewhere in the upper deck. I never made it up there. The ticket cost just $10 plus fees from Stub Hub. I’ll do the same routine the next two games.
I took a bus back to the hotel after it was over. The line for the #30 was too long so I jumped on a bus that simply said “Market Street” on the marquis and it seemed to cover the same route.
My reasonably-priced lodging spot at the corner of Bush and Powell is next door to a theatre featuring performances by male go-go dancers. The Cornell Hotel de France is situated on a street loaded with independently-owned businesses.
When I checked in, the clerk asked me to sign a registration card. She then escorted me to my room and informed me breakfast would be served the next morning starting at 7:30 AM. She handed me a ring containing the room key plus a key to the hotel’s front door which is locked in the evening.
My room is set far enough from the street so that city noises are barely audible. You can hear screeching cable cars with ringing bells in the distance.
This hotel is similar in character to the King George just a few blocks from here. Jeff D and I stayed at the George a couple years ago – and I nearly ended up there this time. A slew of positive comments on Trip Advisor steered me to the Cornell however and I’m glad I’m here. The breakfast was excellent. A fancy basement dining room was the setting for a complimentary choice between eggs served any way or french toast.
The hotel’s location is excellent. It’s a few blocks up a large hill due north from Union Square.
The walk from the Montgomery Bart station with a heavy suitcase after a train ride from the airport was a bit taxing because of the steep gradient up Bush from Montgomery. But now that I’m walking without a load, the hills aren’t as imposing.
I had Wednesday lunch with Paul from the Ft. McHenry Roosters of the World (fantasy) Baseball Association at Taqueria Cancun on Mission between 18th and 19th. The pollo asada burrito was excellent. After more than a decade of participation in fantasy sports leagues with Paul, it was great to finally meet him.
Tonight, it’s Niese vs. Cain and then if I can stay awake, I’m gonna try and hit the Pierced Arrows show here in town.
It sure beats going to work.