I'll be heading out to San Francisco on Friday the 26th and staying till October 4th. My hotel is the Sheraton Fisherman's Wharf which is only two blocks from the bay. Never having been to SF, I'm REALLY looking forward to this trip to visit my oldest daughter, son-in-law, and my new grand-daughter.

How 'bout some advice on where to eat, I know the wharf will have plenty of seafood places and I hear Chinatown is a short walk also. Two things I have to have while I'm there is Chioppino (seafood stew) and Dim-Sum (Chinese).
Also, are there any cigar shops nearby and what are the smoking rules? I reserved a smoking room in my hotel, but not sure if I want to smoke a cigar in my room. I'm sure I can find a bench on the bay to light up if it's allowed. Lastly, what about the night life, a man has to have a drink now and then?

From a foodie perspective, Wharf does cater to tourists--though you are in SF so it is bond to be much better than many other places you have been to...if you are open to traveling outside the area, (1) for dim sum, I would highly recommend Yank Sing; (2) for Pan Asian, there is an excellent restaurant with line fans in a nice, trendy neighborhood on Union Street called Betelnut--I prefer this to Chinatown; (3) for Italian, you can take a 5 minute cab ride and head to North Beach. One of my perennial favorites is Caffe Sport--Southern Italian seafood cuisine. I would opt for the penne con pesto and the lobster pizziaola. Cash only.(4) if you don't mind venturing further for Italian, my favorite and a very reasonably priced Italian restaurant that is regarded as one of the best restaurants in the city is Delfina. It is located in the Mission District--not trendy, more ethnic (heavy Latino influence) but some of the city's best restaurans are here and are cheaper and better than many tourist area restaurants. Foreign Cinema is another excellent choice in this area--great oyster bar.

As far as smoking, you can grab a cup of espresson and people watch at an outdoor table in North Beach. Another option would be for you to have dinner at Shanghai 1830 (general vicinity of the Bay Bridge) and see if they will let you into their members only cigar lounge which is truly one of the most classiest places in the world I have ever enjoyed a cigar. Explain you are visiting from out of town, just had dinner therre, and there is a shot they will et you in (gifting a cigar won't hurt either).

Thanks for the heads up on San Francisco Roy, I will definitely take your advice. I'm so looking forward to checking in and getting out into the city. Anyone else have some ideas for me?

Don"t forget to ride the trolley car Enjoy!

The Occidental Cigar Club on Pine Street in the financial district is owner-operated and therefore exempt from the state's smoking ban. Friendly bartenders/owners.

It's been 5 years since I was there, but I remember it fondly and they're still in business:

www.occidentalcigarclub.com

San Francisco has so many great restaurants, which makes choosing difficult. We had good seafood at Scoma's, located at the Wharf. For a nice steak, consider Bobo's. The Fog City Diner is a cool joint in the Battery. You could sample some nice caviar at Tsar Nicoulai located in the Ferry Building. If you like sushi take a boat ride to Sausalito to check out Sushi Ran. And if you're not from California, try a burger at IN and Out.

My wife and I loved San Francisco. It's a great walking city, and fun to explore. The Alcatraz tour is a must see. If you can, I'd suggest a day in wine country. Trolley ride was cool too.

Just some suggestions. Have fun!

What "roycigar" suggested at North Beach is a good way to chill out and smoke a cigar. There's an Italian cafe along the road called Cafe Grecco. They serve fantastic coffee (Illy compared to horrible fare like Starbucks) and pastries if you're into it. You can sit along the sidewalk right outside their shop, enjoy the smoke and people watch. That's why I did last year in November. Weather was perfect. They open till midnight if I'm not wrong.

Well guys the "Big Southern Bird" just touched down a couple hours ago bringing me back from heaven.......how else can you describe The City By the Bay? !!!! Having never been to SF, my last week was spent trying not to look like a tourist while enjoying great food, great smokes, great drinks and great people. There was so much to see and do, you almost go on sensory overload. My hotel was the Sheraton Fisherman's Wharf, so the first day was spent checking out the Wharf, did the trolley ride up Embarcadero to the Ferry Building and back, ate at Cafe Greco along Columbus Avenue in North Beach and spent the rest of the day with my daughter, her husband and Adelaide my new grandaughter. Every morning I would go down, grab a cup of coffee and sit in the lounge area outside where the hotel has this neat sitting area with fire pits, smoke a good cigar, read the paper and get ready for the day.

Tuesday it was back up Columbus to North Beach and up to Coit Hill where you get this unbeleivable view of the entire bay all the way around from the bay bridge to the Golden Gate and everything in between. You just can't believe the view unless you experience it. Had lunch at BurgerMesiter, great burger, number #1 in San Francisco by everyone who rates food. In the afternoon, I took the ferry over to Sausalito and another great view looking back at the city, Alcatraz, and the Golden Gate. Dinner was with my family, they live in an area called Richmond which is between the Presidio and Golden Gate Park, a really nice residential area, about a 15 minute cab ride from my hotel.

Wednesday, I needed to recoup a little so I hung around the hotel in the morning smoking a couple cigars. For lunch my son and I had Dim Sum on Geary Avenue at a place called Tong Kiang, the concierge said it was the best in the city and she was right, just great food. After we went down to the financial district, had to check out the TransAmerica building and went shopping for my grandaughter. Went back to my daughter's home for dinner and some local joint for great pizza there in the neighborhood.

I tell ya, no wonder the real estate prices in the city are over the top, the people who live near the bay wake up every morning with a view like no other in the world. The architecture of this old city is a sight to behold as well, I took so many pictures, too bad I can't post them to show you, I gotta work on that LOL .

I decided to rent a car at the hotel for Thursday and Friday, and Thursday we all drove over the Golden Gate to Sausalito and Tiburon, got to see how the REALLY wealthy live. We had lunch at Sushi Ran on Calendonia street which is one block off the Bridgeway....the road that takes you along the bay. No wonder they call it the "Bay Area Riviera". Got out of the car and walked for a hour or so along the bay. The homes over there are indescribeable all built on the hills overlooking the bay. There are other very good Asian restaurants along Caledonia....Arawan Thai Cuisine and Sartaj India Cafe. The menus looked great. We started driving back around 4 pm, and the traffic on the bridge was not too bad. The night was spent resting, I know....but I needed to chill.

Finally Friday we drove around the city checking out the Marina, Ghiradelli Square, (great chocolate), Chinatown, Pacific Heights,
Fillmore Street, the "Haight Ashbury" the Mission District, all local neighborhoods each with it's unique architecture. San Francisco is a city you don't just visit, you fall in love with it !!! With all of my driving the last two days, I only got to see about half of what the city has to offer, so I'll be back next year on Adelaide's first birthday to fall in love again.

Leaving San Francisco is like saying goodbye to an old sweetheart. You want to linger as long as possible, so the last night I spent it alone, having dinner at a nice place close to the hotel where I had Cioppino, the seafood stew with a red sauce full of scallops, mussles, fish, and garlic with a healthy dose of sourdough. Back to the hotel, cleaned up a little grabbed a Bolivar Royal Corona and a LGC Artesansos de Miami Torpedo, then called a taxi and told him I wanted to party a little. The night was spent going in and out of several clubs in Nob Hill, dancing with a couple ladies, drinking a little, great conversation and smoking great cigars, a perfect way to end my trip. Got in around 2 am and had to be up at 5 am to catch my shuttle to the airport for 6:15 for a 9 am flight. All I can say, is if you haven't been to San Francisco, make it your next vacation, you won't want to leave. I need some sleep, catch ya'll later. Did I mention the WEATHER !!!!!!!!!!

One final thing, thought I'd mention the great cigars I smoked while in San Francisco. My first cigar smoked as soon as I touched down Monday afternoon was a Fuente Don Carlos Anniversario Double Robusto, and it was my first. What a GREAT cigar, much much better and different than the God of Fire Don Carlos, it had a roasted, toasty flavor, deep woodiness almost like eating a piece of toasted bread, a great cigar experience. The next day in the morning with my coffee I had a Coronado by La Flor Toro. Now I'm not a big fan of Litto's cigars but this one is a home run, very spicy and full-bodied with an underlying earthiness. The sweet spice however dominated the smoke and really went well with my morning coffee. That night I had an LGC Artesanos de Miami Robusto, definitely a better blend than his originals or his Reserva Figurados. Until smoking this blend the Reservas were my favorite LGC, now these are and in particular the Torpedo. The
Robusto was a little tight and hard on the draw, but it was still a very enjoyable smoking experience. Next morning a Fuente Anejo 77 maduro, the Shark. Until having this cigar, I was down on the Anejos, but this one changed my mind completely, what a great cigar, and that squared off toe, how do they roll that?? When buying Anejos in the future, these will be all I buy. That afternoon after a great lunch of Dim Sum, it was a Padron Churchill maduro out by the pool in the pristine weather. Never had the churchill and am not a big fan of the regular line, but this was a nice, spicy cigar and the setting could not be beat. The next day, almost running out (should have brought more cigars), I went down to the wharf to a cigar shop I had seen. Being skeptical of buying in California and at the Wharf also, I went in. Not noticing any cigars I recognized, it was a shop of nothing but their boutique brands with nothing but "stoGies" on the band which had a nautical look to it. I bought 1 6x52 Torpedo maduro and 1 7x60 Torpedo for $27.75. Still being a little skeptical I fired up the smaller one, and was pleasantly surprised. Hit by some spice and wood, and a faint smokey character the cigar was damn good and I enjoyed it thoroughly. Smoked the bigger one that night and enjoyed it as well, money well spent. If you want to check them out the site is "www.astogie4u.com", not sure if they ship or what the cost is, but they were pretty good. Finally, Friday night I went out partying and took the Bolivar RC and LGC Artesanos de Miami "Campanas Chica", which is the name for the 5x54 Torpedo. Now we're talking great cigar, just ordered a box of these today, the LGC Torpedo was the best cigar I've smoked from Ernesto Carillo. With a dark oily wrap with no veins to the great smoking and drawing ability of this cigar to the most delicious sweet spice Ernesto has ever placed in a cigar, the Artesanos and in particular this Torpedo is a world class winner. At $280 a box they are the most pricey of all of Ernesto's stable, but they are definitely worth it IMHO. Filling in in-between were some Partagas, Upmann, and RyJ Petites that Sheri gave me which BTW were extraordinary as well. Overall, it was a great week of smoking highlighted by some world class cigars and the cigars did nothing but enhance my sensory overload, what a week !!!

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