http://www.castrotheatre.com/

Get a beer at the Beach Chalet. It’s pricey but has a nice view of the Pacific.

http://www.beachchalet.com/

Avoid Fisherman’s wharf. It’s mostly souvenir stands and not worth the time. Alcatraz has the prison, but Angel Island is a nice place to take a hike and see the bay.

What say you?

JH

(And if you bump into Steve Jobs in SF then ask him why my feckin 3G iPhone doesn’t work!!!)

have fun. i’m mildly envious.

If you were a fan of Forbidden Planet, there’s THE Robbie the Robot in The Metreon, (I think 3rd and mission).

Hope you’ll find the time to take the Sausalito ferry over to Marin County, one of the original 1970s homes of “natural woo”. I always reckon taking a cheap ferry ride somewhere is the best way to see a harbour city.

http://www.intelligentelixirs.com/

http://www.subtleenergysolutions.com/newsletter-yurykronn.html

I for one would feel it a wasted journey if you missed out on the opportunity to meet this former Professor of Moscow University. Perhaps you could pick up a few of the creams and Gem Elixirs he has developed.

“Still on his mission to export his knowledge for the good of humanity, Dr. Kronn’s immediate application of his research was in medicine. With the U.S. alternative health business booming, Dr. Kronn found many eager ears for his theories and his work, and soon was able to construct the Subtle Energy Field Infusion Generator (SEFIG).

The SEFIG had the unique ability to separate the “dark matter” or subtle energy from the electromagnetic energy residing in any substance. It was able to extract and “save” this subtle energy “signature” and then generate this signal and infuse it into any object. Associations with alternative medicine practitioners, medical doctors and scientists, provided ample opportunity to test the effects of this subtle energy infusion on people. “You know that traditional Chinese medicine and philosophy use the term ‘Chi’ for the energy which, according to them, sustains life in all living organisms,” says Dr. Kronn. “Indians use the term ‘Prana’ for this same universal force. Actually each culture has its own term for this force. My technology is based on equipment that allows access to the world of that mysterious force we call subtle energy.”

In San Francisco if you don’t know the area at all then you’ll probably want to try the traditional touristy things like a visit to Alcatraz, a cable car ride etc… They are all rather cliched but part of the SF experience.

The exploratorium is the only particularly nerdy place I can think of off hand that’s up in the city but that’s not too different from what you can find elsewhere. http://www.exploratorium.edu/

You could also join Twitter and send mini-updates or nuggets of wisdom from there

For instance:

The Exploratorium (http://www.exploratorium.edu/)has an audience that is mostly children but does some fun sciency stuff.

The California Academy of Sciences would be great, but it won’t reopen for 53 days (http://www.calacademy.org/index.php) although early tours can apparently be arranged.

University of California, Berkeley is right across the Bay (accessible by BART pretty much) and might be an interesting visit.

The Haight-Ashbury Free Clinic which started during the Summer of Love is still going strong. I have no idea if they entertain visiting firemen, but visiting doctors might be welcome, who knows? http://www.hafci.org/

Google Scholar found a paper on tonic wines by Mary D. Sturge MD, writing in the _British Journal of Inebriety_ in 1911 (I think it was reprinted in _Addiction_). She quotes some ad copy for another wine (“Note how it invigorates you – how it strengthens you – how it sends the blood dancing through your veins”) and adds, “Of course, to a trained mind, this description is that of the action of alcohol.”

She also has a table of strengths of different tonic wines, some of which contained meat extract (anyone for Bovril Wine?) Hall’s Wine was 17.8% a.b.v. – and 0.003% cocaine. Which doesn’t sound like a lot, but I understand that cocaine is fairly powerful stuff (Vin Mariani (the one Edward VII drank) was 16% alcohol and 0.01% cocaine).

Back to the advert:
“A wineglassful two or three times a day will have a wonderful effect.” I bet it would.

PS From the Not The Same Thing At All department:

Bach Flower Remedies – #39 Rescue Remedy
ACTIVE INGREDIENTS: 5x dilution of Helianthemum nummularium HPUS, Clematis vitalba HPUS, Impatiens gladulifera HPUS, Ornithogalum umbellatum HPUS.
INACTIVE INGREDIENTS: Alcohol

Simon.