Full Circle

If you’re ever in Sacramento, (and Mrs. R and I just were) I recommend the Blue Gecko restaurant. It’s located just off the Garden Highway on the shore of the American River, on the west side of town. The Blue Gecko is a funky little bar with a few tables, and some delicious “American” food - burgers sandwiches, etc. It was a good way to start our week in California.

I needed to be in Sacramento to attend a seminar, and the lovely Mrs. R was able to get some time off and join me. We decided to make a long weekend of it, and when the seminar ended on Friday afternoon, we headed for The City.

A few years ago, right after we were married, we moved to the bay area. It seems I was somewhat rebellious (before I became a rogue) and thought it would be cool to live in California. We lived in a town between Sacramento and San Francisco whose name begins with a “V” and ends with an “O” (we have vowed to never speak or write the full name of this place for as long as words exist).

We lived there for a year, and it was not cool, not by any definition. It was an unfriendly, unsafe, miserable place to live. Unfortunately we couldn’t afford to live anywhere else.

Now, back to our story.

Friday, on our way to San Francisco, the traffic was stop-and-go along I-80 through the V town. We were doing our part, stopping and going, and doing it in the right order… At one point, we came to a stop, as did the car behind us. The car behind the car behind us was, however, out of sequence, and rear-ended the car behind us, pushing that car into ours…

Un-freaking-believable!

An accident on the freeway during a Friday rush hour in the place we despise more than any other place we’ve ever been.

Fortunately, no one was hurt. Car number 3, the instigator, left the scene. Mrs. R called 911, and was promptly put on hold. A tow truck came and helped us and car number 2 get off the road. Number 2 had some damage, but our car was without a scratch.

We pulled into a parking lot and waited for the CHP. As it turns out, someone had witnessed the accident, followed number 3 and reported that that car was parked in front of a house, about three blocks from our location. The CHP and number 2 were pleased, and since our car was undamaged, CHP told us we could head on into San Francisco. So we did…

We awoke to a warm, hazy Saturday morning in San Francisco and headed to the Farmers Market at the Ferry Terminal Building. There was a lot of fresh, organic (it’s Northern California, dude) produce being sold outside, and some specialty food shops inside of the Terminal Building. We bought a couple of breakfast sandwiches and some juice and sat on the edge of a planter, looking directly at the Bay Bridge.

There were some kids chasing pigeons, a couple of street musicians performing, and everyone was enjoying the day. Everyone would also seem to include a scantily-clad, 50-something woman, who appeared to be a, ahem, “professional” woman. We thought maybe her Friday night/Saturday morning shift had just ended, and she was stopping by for a late breakfast.

I guess, in certain lines of work, you’re never really “off the clock.” When a couple of Coast Guard patrol boats full of handsome young men docked at the seawall, our seasoned entrepreneur began a subdued, but targeted, marketing campaign. Alas it was to no avail…

On Saturday evening, Mrs. R and I dined at Café Maritime on Lombard Street.

http://www.cafemaritimesf.com/

This little seafood place was recommended by our hotel as having the best seafood in the Marina district. We had a crab cakes for an appetizer that were outstanding, possibly the best crab cakes I’ve ever tasted (and I’ve eaten crab cakes at The Captain’s Galley in Ocean City, Maryland http://www.occaptainsgalley2.com/ )

The appetizer was followed by a delicious dinner, a Lobster Roll for Mrs. R, and Cajun-Crab pasta for me. Give Café Maritime a try next time you’re San Francisco.

On Sunday, the Queen Mary 2 (QM2) was scheduled to sail under the Golden Gate Bridge, and into San Francisco bay.

http://www.cunard.com/OurShips/default.asp?Ship=QM2

This would be the largest ship ever to sail into the bay, and would clear the underside of the bridge by just 30 feet.

In the early 1940’s my grandfather, a sergeant in the US Army, shipped out of Fort Mason in San Francisco to serve in WWII. He eventually ended up in the Middle East. As a youngster, I remember him telling me about seeing the Queen Mary on the Mediterranean Sea, where she was serving as troop transport ship.

On Sunday afternoon, Mrs. R and I stood on a pier at Fort Mason and watched the QM2 sail into the bay…

This Music Rocks

The local PBS stations (we’re fortunate enough to have two here) have been showing “Great Performances – A Tribute to James Taylor.” Several well known artists, Jackson Browne, David Crosby, Sheryl Crow, Sting, Bruce Springsteen, Carole King to name a few, perform some of JT’s songs before a crowd of about 2000 people. At the end of the evening JT himself gets up and performs. It is great television, if there is such a thing.

The songs reminded me of summer concerts at Red Rocks, the natural outdoor amphitheater west of Denver.

http://www.redrocksonline.com/index.asp

If you have never been to a concert Red Rocks you should go, if have you have been to a concert Red Rocks it is probably time to go again. I have seen James Taylor there three or four times as well as a host of other artists including, The Eagles, Dan Fogelberg, Greg Allman, Poco, America, Charlie Daniels, Dave Mason, The Beach Boys, The Doobie Brothers… Mrs. R and I saw The Nitty Gritty Dirt Band at Red Rocks on our first date, in August of 1979.

Red Rocks is a magical place, a tremendous outdoor setting, near perfect acoustics, the cool Colorado climate, the moon coming up over the horizon… There is, quite simply, no better way to spend a summer evening…

Mrs. R and I are heading to points west later this week, ending up in the City by the Bay. San Francisco and the Bay Area also have a rich musical legacy - check out this 1999 list from the San Francisco Chronicle:

http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=/chronicle/archive/1999/12/19/PKBB101.DTL&type=music

Santana, The Doobies, Huey Lewis, and Credence are among my favorites...

Any special Red Rocks or other music memories from our vast readership?