Some of you – especially those following me on only Twitter and not Facebook – might have wondered why I was so quiet for the last couple of days: The reason for that is pretty simple – I haven’t been around. And, as there is an agreement between Inka and me to not publish when I’m not around and reveal that she’s home alone, I kept my mouth shut. But, since I’m back in Germany since hopefully about half an hour (this post is scheduled), I can finally talk about what I found to be one of my Top 5 destinations in the world.

I took an occasion I couldn’t let pass by to finally get my ass up and into a plane to visit a good old friend of mine and the beautiful city of San Francisco.

Probably the things that I experienced are way too much to put into a single blog post, however I’d like to at least notice the most impressive things I whitnessed. Just take it as a conversation starter next time we’ll meet.

– Many dogs
– Great weather
– 45° steep roads
– One of the best public transportation systems I know
– a very logical numbering concept for houses
– Great weather
– great people, old and maybe new friends to come
– Affordable hotels
– Not-so-affordable mobile phone fees
– Chaotic driving
– Very nice neighborhoods without too many skyscrapers
– A great amount of fresh, organic, beautiful produce just waiting for you to cook with it.
– And oh: what a view!

Do’s:
– Use Public Transport
– Just walk around
– Make sure to maybe not book a hotel, but a flat instead. At least make sure that you can cook your own meal after shopping at the Ferry Building.
– Take a guided tour
– Plan your trips using BART and CalTrain
– Visit Flight 001
– Stay at the Hotel Vertigo (not just because of the song that will be stuck in your head for the whole time you’re in SF)

Don’t:
– Rental car. It’s more of a burden than a release when being in Downtown SF
– Expect to see everything – the city is just too big for that
– Have bad sushi. Life’s too short for bad sushi.
– Visit the Apple Flagship Store. Better visit the nice and cozy Company Store (http://www.apple.com/companystore/) in on 1 Infinite Loop, Cupertino, CA.

And one thing is sure: I’ll be back. With a little more time, hopefully my significant other and an empty agenda to be filled.