Bistro Boudin at the Wharf

We finished our work at 6pm, got on the cable car to the Wharf, and went for a dinner at Bistro Boudin at the Wharf, which is the home of the Original San Francisco Sourdough French Bread since the Gold Rush in 1849. We reserved a seat with waterfront view of the Bay and Alcatraz. I had a bottle of Anchor Steam and a glass of Cabernet, with famouse Sourdough with crab and corn chowder. Wow! It's so good! I'm sure I will come back here.

Virgin Megastore

We went to have a dinner at Ryoko on Taylor St. between Post St. and Sutter St. They say this is one of the oldest Japanese restaurants in downtown San Francisco. On the way to Ryoko, we walked on Market St. and found The Warfield, where I went to see Jeff Beck live in concert in 2001 or 2002. At Ryoko I had 2 bottles of Anchor Steam. Wow, every restaurant in San Francisco has Anchor Steam.

On the way back to the hotel, we went to Virgin Megastore, where I bought 4 CDs, "Love, Ella-The Original Versions", "Janis Joplin's Greatest Hits", "Experienced Hendrix-The Best of Jimi Hendrix" and "Buffalo Springfield Box Set". They may be cheaper in Amazon but I just followed the words, "Buy it when you want".

Bubba Gump Shrimp at Pier 39

Another long day in Moscone Center finished. My colleague from Atlanta and I went to have a dinner in Bubba Gump Shrimp at Pier 39. I've had a cable car just once in 2001, so we took a cable car. It's $5 now for one way. We went to Hard Rock Cafe first, but it took 45 minutes to get a seat. So we changed our plan. We were very lucky to have a seat at the window, facing to Bay Bridge. I had 2 bottles of Anchor Steam, local beer in San Francisco, which is one of my favorites.

Franciscan Crab Restaurant

I'm here at Moscone Center South, from 9am to 6pm. I'm working for an exhibitor at San Francisco International Gift Fair. It's a kind of hard work, standing all day long.

We went to Franciscan Crab Restauranr at Fisherman's Wharf, with good view at Arcatraz, crab fest for main dish, Carbenet of Valley of the Moon in Sonoma. As I said before, this is not a vacation, but only business. So dinner is the only trivial enjoyment.

Pegi Young - Sometimes

Pegi Young performs "Sometimes" on Conan O'Brien.

From Phoenix to San Francisco

Firehills had 3 seats

Santa Cruz? from air

Arriving San Francisco

I left Holiday Inn at 8am and visited Casino Arizona. This casino should be a good prospect for my business. Then I went to University of Phoenix Stadium (formerly Cardinal Stadium). I visited a customer in Sun City as well. Sun City is famous for retirement community. It is said many Japanese authorities visit and study retirement life in Sun City.

Flight from Phonix to San Francisco was a kind of comfort, because I slept for more than 1 hour for 2 hours flight. I didn't know when the plane took off.

It was foggy and drizzling in San Francisco this evening. It is 57F (14C) now at midnight.

Extra Screening at Phoneix Airport

I'm having a lunch at Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport now. Smoked ham sandwitch and Miller Genuin Draft, nice conbination, isn't it? I had my first experience to have a extra screening at the security gate. I was picked up on some reason. You can see "SSSS ETKT" on my boarding pass. Security man said there were 27 reasons to pick up extra screening. He was mainly looking for explosive. Of course I don't have them but I told him that I had a lighter in my bag. There is no problem to have a lighter in your bag at usual security check, but I had to confess it at this point.　Anyway, he couldn't find any explosive and released me.

firehills in Tucson, Arizona

Picacho Peak

Downtown Tucson

Tucson

Thunderstorm at I-10

Cacti at I-10

Downtown Phoenix

Interstate 10

I visited a customer in Tucson, Arizona. By Interstate 10, 100 miles south of Phoenix. Linda Ronstadt was born in Tucson on July 15, 1946. It is very nice place to play golf too, but not in summer. Yesterday I saw a couple of golf courses from airplane, but found only a few carts in 18 holes. Then I came back to Fountain Hills, east of Phoenix. I visited Fort McDowell Casino, not to play slot machine, for business. We have rain here in Arizona for only about 20 days a year, but I had a thunderstorm on I-10. I couldn't see anything during the storm. How lucky I am!

firehills in Arizona

I flyed to PHX from LAX by ERJ 145 this morning, starting long business trip to Phoenix, San Francisco and Las Vegas. ERJ 145 is the smallest jet which I heve ever experienced, with 3 rows (1 and 2 seats) only. My rent-a-car this time is Hyundai's SantaFe. I don't like the car, but car audio includes pre-installed XM Radio, which I like very much. I visited some customers in Mesa and Paradise Valley in the afternoon and checked in Holiday Inn Express in Peoria, north of Phoenix. It was 100F outside, airconditioner are maximum and full in the car.

Chart House, Redondo Beach

Since Wednesday, I have been working in downtown LA during the day. I have guests now, not guests actually, a manager from parent company in Japan and a colleague in head office in Atlanta, Georgia. After five, not five actually, at 8pm, we went to have a dinner at Chart House in Redondo Beach. This is one of the best restaurants in South Bay, with seafoods, steaks and ribs. It is said Salad Bar is really worth. We shared Dungeness Crab Clusters, Filet (6 oz.) and Shrimp, and Hulibut. You'd better to have a reservation with a window seat to watch Pacific Ocean.

Venice Beach

I had a lunch at Marina Del Ray today and went to Venice Beach. What a wonderful day!

Rolling Stone : SUMMER OF LOVE: 1967

Rolling Stone : SUMMER OF LOVE: 1967
I usually don't buy any magazines about music, but I found this Rolling Stone at Los Angeles International Airport and bought at once. 1967 is one of the important years of rock music. First "Rolling Stone" was published in 1967, Otis Redding died in 1967, Bob Dylan came back after motorcycle accident (this was actually at Carnegie Hall on Jan 20, 1968), Beatles shooting Magical Mystery Tour, Martine Luther King delivered his "Beyond Vietnam" speach in NY, The Grateful Dead released their first album, The Doors debut, Buffallo Springfield's "For What It's Worth" went top 10 (No.7 at peak). Woodie Guthrie died, Montery International Pop Festival... In this issue Rolling Stone shows The 40 Essential Albums of 1967.

Sand Cove Apartment in Foster City Revisited

During my stay in San Francisco last week, I visited Sand Cove Apartment at Shell Blvd in Foster City, where I have lived for about 2 and half years from 1999 to 2002. I used to go to Safeway for shopping, put gas in my car at Shell, which had a free car wash (now it's not free!). I looked at my room, took photos and left.

Firehills went to see an eye doctor

I consulted an ophthalmologist, eye doctor, last last week, because I got a sty in my left eye. I called Japanese doctor, but I was introduced to Dr. Marsico in Gardena, as Dr. Miyamoto, Japanese doctor, wasn't there on that day. Dr. Marsico is 4th generation of Italian, and very nice guy. I went to see him on Thursday this week again to be checked. Still some problem there on my left eye. BUT! I felt very bad on my right eye all on a sudden Friday morning. What's the hell? Yesterday, I got an urgent reservation. This morning I went to see him again and found it was no ploblem on my right eye. There was a scratch on my face just below my right eye, that's all. It seemd I found a raised portion in my right eye, but it was a glandula lacrimalis, a hole which tears come from. Oh my goodness, I've never look at my eyes so close. There is a same raised portion, a samll hole, in my left eye too. Anyway, I was asked to massage my left eye for one more week.

I went to a motor vehicle workshop to get a periodical maintenance for my Honda CR-V. It took an hour, so I went to Starbucks and read papers, Los Angeles Times and The Daily Breeze, listening to XM Radio. Is that all for today? No. I went to my office at around 11am and stayed there until 3pm, making various reports and checking my schedule. Then I went to workout for my health.

I had only cookies and water for my lunch today, and I'm drinking a bottle of Yule Smith Holiday Ale now at around 10pm. It is really nice for my stomach.

Highway One Again

Pier at Capitola

Capitola Avenue, Capitola

River Inn at Big Sur

Sea and Sky at Hwy 1

Entrance of Hearst Castle

Morro Rock

On Wednesday, I drove down Highway One, stopping by at Capitola, near Santa Cruz, Big Sur, Hearst Castle, and Morro Bay. From south of Carmel to Hearst Castle, I had a hard driving for nealy 70 miles at Highway One with hundreds of dangerous curves and hills. I took the photo of "Sea and Sky at Hwy 1" after I stopped my car. But when I saw the scene, driving on downslope, I couldn't recognize where was the borderline of the Pacific Ocean and the sky. It was really amazing. I can't forget this scene in my life.

On Wednesday, I drove 430 miles a day. Total miles I drove for these 4 days was 1,300 miles. Wow!

Mendocino, California

A weinery at CA-128

Old-growth forest of Redwood at CA-128

Main Street, Mendocino

US Post Office at Jener, CA

Highway 1 at North San Francisco

Golden Gate Bridge (Southbound)

On Tuesday, I drove up on US-101 and went west on CA-128. CA-128 is really nice driving route, 60 miles to Highway 1 on the coast, with lots of weneries and wild forest of redwood. I worried if I had an traffic accident here. If I was lost in this forest, no one could find me.

Mendocino is a kind of hiding place. But this is really nice place for my business. Anyway, I visited my customer here and Fort Bragg, 10 miles north of Mendocino. Then I drove back to San Francisco. I found a quite rare US Post Office in Jenner, a small town at Highway 1. I bought a Cabernet of Husch Vineyards at a store at Hwy 1, not at the weinery.

I drove about 400 miles on Tuesday. It's a lo--ng drive, but it's a fun. I want to come back to Mendocino again.

I'm back to LA

I'm now back to Los Angeles safely. I drove more than 800 miles for these two days. I got lots of photos, most of them ware taken at Hwy 1. But, I'm very vert sleepy now, so maybe tomorrow...

Pier 39, Carmel by the Sea and Monterey

Golden Gate Bridge from Pier 39

Pier 39

Alcatraz from Pier 39

Ocean Avenue in Carmel

Pebble Beach Golf Links from Carmel Beach

Old FIsherman's Wharf in Monterey

I drove 260 miles today, from Redwood City to Pier 39 in San Francisco, then to Carmel by the Sea and Old Fisherman's Wharf in Monterey, and came back to Redwood City. What am I doing? I'm not just a tourist but a business man. My business chances are out there on tourist areas. What do I sell? It's a secret. I got a big order from a new account in San Francisco. If I am just a tourist, I will stay at least one full day at each place. Days Inn's Internet connection is too bad, so I will update this post with some photos after I come back to LA.

I breath same air which Neil Young does

I went to Woodside, California this morning to find good new customers. Woodside is one of the richest towns in Northern California, where a lots of celebrities live. There is a famous restaurant, Bucks. It is said many entrepreneurs in Silicon Valley meet venture capitalists here. I also had a breakfast here 7 years ago.

Neil Young has a ranch and he lives in Woodside too. After I finished my business in downtown, I looked around for ranches in hills in Woodside. Of course I couldn't find Neil's, but I took some photos of ranches there. Who knows one of them is Neil's? I couldn't find Redwood Digital too, where Neil was recording.