Saturday, April 9, 2011

Edinburgh: the city that proved I'm woefully out of shape

It seems that breakfast is not a major meal here. We arrived at our hotel at 8am and upon asking we were directed to Starbucks. When I turned my nose up at that we were told to look for a cafe up the road. That place doesn't open til 10, but it does look cute. We settled for a place that offers British and Scottish breakfast. I'm not sure I'm ready to try haggis yet, but Jeff is, apparently. 

5 minutes later... Haggis is actually quite good!

It will never cease to amaze me that non-Americans will gladly stand at a bar when there are seats available. I guess I'm just lazy by nature but also I don't like drinking while standing. 

The water straight out of the taps tastes good. 

Our hotel is an apartment hotel. Our room, which is reasonably priced, I might add, includes two bedrooms, two bathrooms, a sitting area and a full kitchen. Having the extra room is unnecessary except for the fact that there are no drawers for our clothes so I have my clothes laid out on the bed in there. And having two bathrooms is certainly a luxury. 

Edinburgh is SO hilly. My calves are killing me. Even walking downhill at this point is painful. And it's not just gently sloping hills. No, it's 100 steps cut into a hillside. Makes for a very striking looking city, but those of us who don't do the elliptical every day are not amused. 

Edinburgh is apparently THE place to go for your hen or stag (bachelorette/bachelor) party. One set of chicks was wearing tiny pink tutus over tight black clothes and wings on their backs. Another set went the devil route, horns and all. A third set just had on matching sweatshirts. Amateurs! The men are not wearing matching outfits but I have to imagine that some of those groups of loud men were up to something similar, especially the group of dudes including one dressed in drag, including fake pubes hanging out. 

Thursday, April 7, 2011

One day in San Francisco

I forgot to post this when I was there the week before last.

I'm getting next to no cell signal in the Haight. Is that because the hippies won't allow a cell tower nearby?

So many great shops in the Haight! Why do I not remember this from previous trips? Are the boutiques a relatively new thing?

I had such a good time hanging out at the bar of Churchkey last night! Sometimes being left alone while Jeff attends an evening event isn't so bad after all. 

Lots of rain does not lend itself to tourist photography. I have taken two pictures since my arrival on Tuesday. Both with my cell phone. 

One boutique in the Haight (called Ambiance) where I spent a couple of hours had the nicest sales staff. My favorite part was when one would call to another to bring a different size to a customer. She'd call out: "can I have a lady, please!" They also mix in some pieces they think you might like. I didn't like any of their choices except one (a $75 black top which I'm having them hold for me for a little while) because I have other shops to check out first. I do appreciate the touch of personal shopping. Why don't we have places like that in NYC? Or if we do, where are they??

When her friend got up to use the restroom, the woman sitting next to me at lunch today turned and said, "Hi! How are you?" She was curious to know what I had ordered. 

It must be a thing in California to have Dutch doors. I saw multiple businesses in the Haight that had just the bottom half closed. 

I decided against buying the top because I found more great things to buy. I also happened upon a store called Loved to Death, which sells a variety of wonderfully displayed Victorian memento mori and the like. In the back room was a show of dioramas with taxidermied animals wearing clothes and posed in little Victorian scenes. Unfortunately, I think this might be a temporary exhibit.