I've been so busy getting ready for the RWA Conference in San Francisco next week, I haven't even checked out the blog! And look what I missed - LOL Cats, Goin' Down with Tambra, a hunka-hunka burnin' cowboy, and an explanation of urban fantasy (kind of reminds me of a cartoon my boys used to watch with gargoyles - can't remember the name of it - but there was a romance between a human and one of the gargoyles).Anyway, I'm looking forward to San Francisco next week (and will not be blogging next Thursday). As coincidence would have it, my August Intrigue, A Doctor-Nurse Encounter, is set in San Francisco. It's a great setting for a book - the fog, the bay, the hilly streets, the Queen Anne houses, the different neighborhoods.
One of my favorite tourist stops in S.F. is Alcatraz. The boat ride on the bay is chilly but beautiful, and the island itself has a definite aura. We took the tour with the headphones where different voices tell you about the history of Alcatraz and some of its infamous residents, complete with voices and clanging jail cells in the background.
The rest of Fisherman's Wharf is touristy but fun - Pier 39 with all its shops, all the seafood restaurants and the shellfish and sourdough bread on the street, and Ghirardelli Square a little further down. The cable cars offer some great views of the city, and a walk up (or preferably down) Lombard Street is interesting - can you imagine living on that street with hordes of tourists walking and driving up and down?! Chinatown has a lot of little nooks and crannies to discover. If you buy a bag or two of fortune cookies, the ladies who make them will let you take their pictures.
This time we also plan to take a walking tour of one part of the city. The tour is called "The Gold Rush City" and explores the history of S.F. and its beginnings as a Gold Rush town. Since both my boys studied the Gold Rush in California history in 4th grade, I think they'll get a kick out of this tour.
After I spend a few days sightseeing with my family, they're returning to L.A. and I'll get down to the serious business of the Conference--that's what I tell my husband anyway, although I think he's catching on as I pack the cocktail dresses and five-inch stiletto heels. LOL
How are you all spending your time in S.F.? Any sightseeing plans or will it be all "business"?
5 comments:
Have a fantastic time, Carol! I look forward to hearing about it when you return. And congratulations on your Aug. release!!!
Congrats on the Aug. release. Since I live so close and can see S.F. anytime I will probably try to squeeze in as many workshops and parties as possible.
Nicole, wish you were going!
Jill, I have to admit last year I never made it out of the Conference hotel to do any sightseeing, and I had never been to Dallas before. This year since the family is coming along for a few days and S.F. is close, we're making a short vacation out of it before the Conference starts. It's been 2 years since we've been in S.F.
Hi, Carol!
You've given me a great Travelogue in your post! Thanks :) Wish I could be heading to San Fran. It's one of those cities I've always longed to visit. One of these days, I will :)
Enjoy yourself to the max at the conference. I'll be there in spirit :) Your August Intrigue is on my must-read list :)
Shawna
Thanks, Shawna. Wish you were going too! S.F. is a beautiful city, but definitely a little chilly for this Southern Calif girl. I grew up about 45 minutes south of S.F., but stayed in L.A. after I graduated from UCLA. L.A. may not be as pretty as S.F. (although the beaches are sooo much better), but I like the weather a lot more.
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