I’m Here!
View of Union Square from my hotel room:
Ok, so I was originally put in a much smaller one without any view at all, unless you count the tarpaper roof of the next building, but after I was only there for about 5 minutes, a maintenance man came in and told me he was there to fix the ‘bathtub drain problem’– which of course I was completely unaware of, but I called the front desk and they promptly upgraded me to this fabulous one! Love ya, Westin front desk people! AND I didn’t even have to play the “My daughter got bitten by a shark” card.
Things don’t officially kick off until tomorrow morning, but here is what I have learned so far:
1) Going to a ‘newbie mixer cocktail party’ to meet other newbies is … about as awkward as it sounds. I finally faked a cell phone call and slunk away.
2) There are a LOT of blogging women out there. And men. And we’re all trying to use the elevators at the same time.
3) I am totally looking forward to tomorrow!
Good nite, dear readers.
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LOL I am so glad you are having a great time. And that you didn’t have to play your “shark” card.
I’m also glad you gave me that faking the cell phone call idea. I can use that this coming week at my school conference when the issue they are discussing is WAY TOO BORING and everyone’s eyelids are snapping up and down like mini-blinds. 
Enjoy yourself and don’t get lost in the crowd or stuck in the elevators!
Wow, what a view! See…things are already looking good for you, better room, great view! I know today will be a good day! Will wait for the report! Have fun and I’m sure you can teach them a thing or two, cuz you have the best blog
Enjoy! Hopefully you won’t have to fake any more cell phone calls, I have done that a time or two. What would we do without our cell phones?
woooo! can’t wait to here more about it!
Well, I am totally distracted by the ads on the side of this page! I have a new game—-looking for the word that precipitated the ads! I guess the word for today’s string of ads is “bathtub drain problem”! Apparently there’s not a lot of products or services to fix “boring and awkward” cocktail parties! I say you just have to do a little tweaking of the cocktails!
Tori, you must have had jet lag ’cause you ARE the party whenever I’ve seen you. Get some rest.
HOLY COW, YOU’RE IN SAN FRANCISCO!!!! Grab your running shoes, some cab money, and go sight-seeing!!! Of course, you’ve probably been there before with your globetrotting Grammy award-winning hubby. Go out and see something twice then! Have you been to fisherman’s wharf? Ridden a cable car? I wish I was there. I’d take the room with the leaky bathtub drain!
Two words:GHIRARDELLI CHOCOLATE.
Okay, to be helpful, which is what I’m all about, here are three places to eat that Rachel Ray recommends when you’re in S.F.:
Oriental Pearl
760 Clay Street
415 433-1817
Swan Oyster Depot
1517 Polk Street
415 673-1101
Citizen Cake
399 Grove St.
415 861-2228
She says they have great food at affordable prices, and are favorites of the local folks. (Now let’s see if ads for these places appear on this page! This is fun!)
Oh my, Alyson! I think “Ghirardelli” is a four letter word!!! LOVE IT!!! Is there a Ghirardelli factory in S.F.? (A warehouse will do!)
Oh,Yeah. Ghirardelli came to California in the 1800’s. Ghirardelli Square became a San Francisco landmark in 1965(I think). You can smell the chocolate in the air there. Although I think the actual factory is no longer in SF. Tori can find that out for us while she is there. Who said we weren’t informative and educational?
Last time I was there, a “young lady” came into our hotel lobby wearing nothing under a fishnet top. It about knocked my eyes out….security asked her to leave. It was then that I recognized the fact that my husband was getting very old because he missed the whole thing, yet he was standing there with me. We at at a new place called Bruce’s…..but those suggested by Rachel Rey sound a whole lot better. And, if I had found that chocolate factory….life never would have been the same. Have fun, Tori!
Oh–and I almost forgot!
Tori-watch out for the ‘bushman’. He’s usually a couple of blocks from Fisherman’s Wharf.That guy scared me to death.
Don’t know if I’ll make it to the Wharf this trip, but the SF Museum of Modern Art has a Frida Kahlo exhibit that I will absolutely see. There is Ghirardelli chocolate everywhere!!! Even had some on our lunch trays! I will partake mightily on behalf of all of you.
Linda, thank you for the references– I’m really thinking about looking them up tonight. There’s yet another cocktail party with the potential to be awkward– it’s at a hip, downtown club with a velvet rope. And as irresistible as that sounds …(!) Grabbing a cab and taking myself out to a great dinner might be my choice instead. Today was incredible, but I am kind of in sensory overload! Lots of great information, great people, but it’s funny— I seem to be very much in observer mode instead of my usual center of the party mode. Which is not a bad thing at all, I’m actually really enjoying it! Nice change of pace for me!
Was Frida Kahlo the Mexican artist with the big ol’ eyebrows?
That’s her! Great artist, fascinating story, big ol’ uni-brow.
She had such a sad life——so much pain and hurt. But her paintings are full of vibrant color. I think I like her husband’s paintings better than hers……..in spite of his obsession with calla lilies! But he was such a cad, I would never admit it to him. LOL
You’d think when she became world famous (she was the first woman to have a painting in The Louvre), someone would give her a pair of tweezers to pluck those eyebrows!