I Left My Heart in San Francisco

Dear San Francisco,


Thank you very much for your hospitality this past weekend and Monday. The weather was basically perfect, even though you could've dialed down the bluster a notch or two. Despite your steep hills and inexplicable lack of post-9pm dining options, my friends and I had a fantastic, lovely mini-break in your environs.


I write because I seem to have left behind my heart, and I'm wondering whether you could FedEx it to me. I'm not quite sure where I left it, so if you'd be a doll and look around for me, I'd greatly appreciate it.

I'd check around the area of Cafe Gratitude for starters - my heart is very hungry and was delighted by the vegan/raw fare and general good karma put out by that establishment. It is precisely the kind of place my heart has been craving for quite some time.

You might also want to check around the Aids Memorial Grove in Golden Gate Park. It seemed quite serene and beautiful, and my heart wanted to wander around a bit more (unfortunately my feet, calves, thighs, and brain needed some respite from the walking around in flip-flops for 700 hours and were under the impression that the Japanese Tea Garden was really where they wanted to be - a tragic misapprehension).

If you don't find it there, perhaps it is loafing with the sea lions near Pier 39. My heart desperately loves animals, and it's quite possible it lagged behind when we had to leave the sea lions for the Ferry Building on our last afternoon.

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Honestly, though, I think it may have stayed at Ghiradelli Square. Those damn ice cream sundaes and dark chocolate candies cast a spell on my heart, and sometimes it does not know how to resist such delicious temptations. Even though I bought 15 lbs of chocolate crack to bring home with me, there is no talking sense to a cocoa addict in the heat of a fix.

These are just a few of the places I would start to look around for my left-behind heart. But the reality is that it may take awhile for you to find it. You see, my heart has been bored and alienated in this small town for awhile, and the excitement of an actual live music venue with David Dondero, numerous ethnic foods to sample, and a variety of any kind of shopping it desires. . .well, I think it may hide from you.

Please, try to find it if you can and send it back posthaste. This place I've returned to is downright unbearable without it.

Thanks so much for your help, and I hope to see you again very soon.

Cheers,
Nik