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I don’t think you can truly appreciate work-life balance–or lack thereof–until you have seen the other side. Washington, DC will kill you. I wish I was back in San Francisco at home in my garden sipping wine with Jeff.

Another magical fog weekend. Last night, Jeff and I attended an end-of-summer BBQ in Bernal Heights. In addition to our warm hosts and interesting guests, the fog made an appearance as well–rolling over the western hills just in time for dusk. From Bernal Heights, you could watch the fog pile up against the hills and then–like a plugged sink–roll right on over into Noe Valley below. Made for a spectacular sunset. And a chilly evening afterwards.

Today, we walked through the Marina District, under the classic Palace of Fine Arts, through the Presidio, and out to Crissy Field. All along, the sun shined brightly, but the Golden Gate fog horn told us that the fog had returned. Sure enough, even though we walked in warm rays, boats and birds were engulfed in a thick fog on the Bay.

Honestly, the world moves too fast for its own good.

According to Time magazine, the Amish are in the midst of a debate on whether or not to permit the usage of cell phones by their community–“someone found a loophole in the phone rule, discovering it was very specific about not allowing wires from the outside world into their houses.”

Well, I would like to help their discussion along. I want to give them my cell phone for a month. Then they will drop the whole crazy idea. ENJOY THE QUIET WHILE YOU CAN.

I think that I’m ultra-sensitive to this topic this week, because we happen to be scant days away from voting on–get this–17 ballot measures. Not only that, but have all the fun hot-button topics up for grabs this time: abortion, handgun bans, and military recruiting in schools are all covered. (The assembly must not have gotten their “Protect Marriage from the Huns…I mean Heathens…I mean Gays” amendment ready in time. I think while they are working on defining marriage, the ultra-right is thinking of banning marriage between ugly people too.)

Anyhow…I digress. What I meant to speak to is the problem that Election Day has brought into the spotlight. And that is that I cannot pick up a phone any more. Our home phone is the domain of the telemarketers (STILL), the politicians, and the pollsters. My office phone is the domain of all the vendors that want to work with my company. And my cell phone…well…that is still for friends and family…except that the voice quality is so bad that my friends stop calling me. My final defense against life’s marauders is the front door…and the election has kindly sent throngs to my door to speak to me personally.

Sigh. So, now people Instant Message me to get my attention. And it works. “Hey. That’s my calling you on your office phone. Its safe to pick it up!”

So, the Amish can have my phones and my doorbell and don’t GET ME STARTED ABOUT MY EMAIL. So many ways to reach me, but everyone thinks that I’m ignoring them. I’m really not. I just can’t sift through it all.

This morning is one of our famous cozy, foggy days. I’m sure the tourists at Fisherman’s Wharf are hating it, but for me…this is San Francisco. In fact, I caught a glimpse of the fog rolling in yesterday afternoon from my office. It never ceases to amaze me how it pours in through the Golden Gate and then envelops the City.

So, this morning, like many, we have the fireplace going. Just to take the chill out of the air and give us some ambiance. The cats spread out in front of the fire. We eat breakfast. This is the good life.

Even though I am now and forever a Virginian in my soul, I have always known that San Francisco has forever captured my heart. And this week, I read an article in the SF Examiner that gave me hard data. (I’m such an engineer 🙂

The Examiner reported that for the 13th year in a row, the readers of Conde Nast Traveler magazine (fyi, my very favorite magazine to buy at the airport) had voted San Francisco the nations “favorite city”. And among the world’s cities, they voted us second after Sydney. Not bad at all.

Oh, and near and dear to my heart, our world-class food placed us first in the nation for foodies–right above New York and New Orleans.

This survey coincides with a resurgence of friends of ours who are visiting this fall, and an upcoming gathering of some close coworkers of mine here in my local office. These visits have led to the inevitable question: “What should be on our must-do list?”

(I will save for another day my INTENSE curiosity in how residents of “#10 largest city in the country” San Jose answer that question! The Tech Museum is one…so what do you do after those two hours? JUST KIDDING!!)

Anyhow, I can rattle off an easy dozen items to do withough breaking a sweat. But let me describe what I think is the absolute BEST itinerary for a Saturday: walk from the Ferry Building to the Golden Gate Bridge and back. Done. You can leave the city and say you’ve seen a little bit of everything. (And don’t argue with me…you can’t hit every quirky spot in one trip.)

So, you begin your day at the current pinnacle of the San Francisco food scene–the Ferry Building Farmer’s Market. The entire Ferry Building Plaza is hopping. Locals and tourists alike swarm around this place just to LOOK at the variety, and sample whatever is in season. Tons of articles have been written about the cheeses, and the breads, and the organic/sustainable/happy-go-lucky produce. Oh, kickstart your morning with a latte from the Blue Bottle Coffee Company espresso cart–yummy.

From the Ferry Building, you can walk along the Embarcadero to Fisherman’s Wharf. The Embarcadero is always alive with walkers and joggers. And while Fisherman’s Wharf may not typify TRUE San Francisco life (ok…it isn’t even close), it is an only-in-San Francisco spectacle to behold as you walk through. The normal cast of characters are always on hand to coax money from the tourists: the silver and gold robot men, the scary guy that leaps from behind a fake bush, the men playing Mayan flute music, and of course the “angry” punks who flip you off if you take their picture. They are all there, along with those people who give you “citations” for smiling too much…so please give generously…or stop smiling.

Past Fisherman’s Wharf, you walk through the Maritime Park, up and then down through Ft. Mason with its terrific views, and then along the Marina Green.

Then its on to Golden Gate National Recreation Area’s Crissy Field with its beaches, wetlands, dog walkers and windsurfers. You can take a quick stop at the Warming Hut for a perk-up latte, juice or snack, and then on to the Golden Gate Bridge and Ft. Point. Be sure to touch the hand or paw prints at the very end of the walk before you turn around!

The great thing about being under the Bridge, is that no matter what the weather…it is awe inspiring. Sure, anyone can wish for a sunny day, but give me some fog rolling in any day. Then you get to hear the famous fog horn [listen], which will surround you as you stand gazing up at the Bridge.

There and back again, you will have passed a dozen micro-sites, each with a mix of locals and visitors. This is the lifeblood of activity in San Francisco. And while it is just scratching the surface of all there is to see, this full-day walk will invigorate you, amuse you, and leave you wanting to return soon.