Some day I hope to be one of the few super successful authors like George RR Martin and Stephen King, who can write for a living and pay all the bills. And…maybe a few little luxuries on top. Nothing too greedy, just a self-cleaning home and two-seater sports car (Sorry kids. Not sorry.) In the meantime I have a day job that pays the bills, and though it takes away my time to write I’m lucky to work for a great company doing something enjoyable.
Occasionally, travel is required and I had the opportunity to visit San Francisco. I was in San Francisco once before many years prior, arriving at night and rushing to the suburbs for an office visit with a former employer, and didn’t have much opportunity to see the city. This time, though, I was there for almost a week and was able to see a thing or two.
Let me start by saying the homeless crisis is deeply concerning. People are living on the streets and I saw one man sprawled in the middle of a busy sidewalk parting flows of rushing pedestrians like Moses at the Red Sea. It is heart breaking, and this coming from a person who worked in Manhattan for many years, which has had its own share of problems. I truly hope something will be done to help these people.
The city is beautiful, with great architecture and not only a Chinatown, but a Japantown as well. Of course there are streetcars, Fisherman’s wharf, great food, Peet’s Coffee as well as Starbucks, many cultural venues, shopping, nightlife, and a surprising number of business headquarters like Uber, Yahoo, Pinterest, and Twitter.
The iconic streetcar. 
Kinokuniya Bookstore. My daughter would have salivated over their manga collection. This is just a small part. 
Hershey’s is my favorite, but Ghirardelli is a close second. 
There are many pictures I could share, but felt this more appropriate for an author’s website. Fascinating!
All in all it was a very rewarding visit. Business goal was achieved, obtained a new technical certification, spent quality time with co-workers, tried some new restaurants (ate the best ramen of my life), saw new sights, and was able to visit my cousin and meet his wonderful family for the first time.
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