Ron's View - San Francisco, California

Scott and I flew into the "City by the Bay" in 1993 to kick off our 5th annual Baseball Trip. We had both never been to this architecturally and aesthetically pleasing city before. What a GORGEOUS place to visit! But, before we could begin our enjoyment of the area, we had to get there first. Our plane tickets called for a Chicago to 'Frisco flight, with a layover in Las Vegas. (If you have to be laid over somewhere, you can't beat Vegas!) With only a few hours before the connecting flight, we hightailed it to the closest casino. I quickly won 500 quarters in a slot machine, and we left there with about a 500 quarter profit. We landed in 'Frisco late--about 2 a.m. The Budget car rental counter was already closed, but we had a reservation! Calling from their courtesy phone, an elderly gentleman answered the phone and said he'd pick us up in the shuttle bus shortly.

He arrived in what seemed like 2 hours later, and I'm telling you that this guy looked, and acted, just like the Tim Conway character "Mr. Tudball" from the Carol Burnett Show. Just the personality trait we didn't need after working all day, flying to Vegas to party for a few hours, flying to 'Frisco, and just wanting to get to our motel before checkout time! Not to mention the fact that the Giants had a day game later that morning! "I'm.........sorry. I......had.......the.......com.......puter......on......back-up", he said. "Can.......I........get........you........some........coffee.....while ...........you..............wait?"

I'm telling you I had the extreme urge to take my right hand, reach down his throat, and pull the words out that he had so much trouble saying. BUT, we got our wheels, drove down to the motel, and passed out in bed as the sun was coming up.

Perhaps it was the lack of sleep, or the 2 hour time difference, or just my own fault, but I THOUGHT that I wouldn't need sunscreen on me at Candlestick Park. Of course, our third base line seats were in the beating sun for the entire game. My legs felt like a lobster boiling in water, and were the same color too. Not wanting to slow down, I put sweats on over my shorts and attempted to pretend that I was fine. No such luck. My legs were putting out enough heat to heat a 2 story house, and every step was painful. When we arrived at the bar district near Fisherman's Wharf, I decided to stop at a Walgreen's for some relief. I purchased a jar of Noxzema, and sat in the car, pulled down my sweats, and was applying this white substance to my legs while passersby looked on in shock/amusement. Feeling somewhat better, I managed to enjoy a good bar evening with Scott.

We attended another Giants game the next day, and I was relieved to find that our seats were in the shade. The 'Stick was a good place to view a game, at least in late August when the temps don't fall to the 30's with the slightest of wind shifts off the Bay. The park is situated on Candlestick Point, a recreation area. It was a good place to quaff a few beers, and pitch some pennies in the parking lot.

The Giants will move to PAC Bell Park this year, but I am just a bit sorry to see Candlestick go. It was a fun place to watch a game.

And yes....we did walk the town. From the Haight-Ashbury district to the Golden Gate Bridge, San Francisco is a most pleasant town to visit. I'll leave the travel books talk about that topic in depth. It was time to take a ride up Highway 1 to Seattle!