Smart Bitches Trashy Books | All of the romance, none of the bullshit.

Reasonably nearby things to see/do in SF if you choose to leave the conference for more than meal:
—Union Square is quite only a few blocks north. The center is a green space which often has local art on display. Around it are shops (Barnes and Noble, lots of large clothing stores such as Levis, H&M;, and a bunch of places I can’t afford to shop). If you go there check out the side street Maiden Lane, it has cool boutiques, jewelry stores, and an art gallery designed by Frank Lloyd Wright (Circle).
—If you walk north on Stockton you will hit China Town—not to be missed if you need cheap gifts or a knock-off designer purse. If you don’t mind more walking, you can keep going north and hit North Beach, an old Italian neighborhood with lots of cafes and gelato shops and the Marina, or you could go up steep hills and see Grace Cathedral, the cable car museum, and old fancy hotels.
—A decent walk or a short bus ride down Market will take you to the Embarcadero. The old Ferry Building was recently remodeled and now has an extensive Farmer’s-Market-but-better type shopping area with local wines, artisan cheeses, handmade chocolate, fresh seafood, a cafe, and more shops. If you have a free day you can get the ferry from here to the north bay, or scenic spots like Sausalito or Angel Island (if you want to see Alcatraz that ferry leaves from a different pier and you want to book in advance). Across the street are Justin Herman plaza (water sculpture, sometimes music or other events) and the extensive Embarcadero Shopping Center.

I won’t be at the conference but I lived in SF for 20 years, so feel free to ask for directions/advice if you want to get to the beach, the zoo, a museum, etc. I recommend snagging a tourist map that has the bus lines marked (and take quarters, because the bus drivers can’t make change). Have fun! Wish I were there!

Already following you on Twitter, although I’ll be at the conference so won’t be seeing your updates!

Made any progress on the possible get-together??

Leslie:  SB Happy Hour will be Friday 1 August at 3:30 pm at the Thirsty Bear bar, 661 Howard Street.

Alas, I won’t be following you Bitches on Twitter - I made the momentus decision to go completely “old school” at National - no laptop, no internet, just a notebook and a pen - if only so I have more room in my carry-on for books!

See you later in the week!

Sarah,

Be sure to add Tommy’s Joynt to the list of restaurant/bars, it is at the corner of Geary and Van Ness.

Oh, and don’t use the term San Fran when you are there.

Same with Frisco.

Neither term is used by the locals. Instead, it is “the City.”

Here’s a book you should definitely check out to understand a little of the seedy underbelly of the City:  SoMa by Kemble Scott.

It is about the South of Market street neighborhood and some of the more unusual cultural practices done there.

You can get a small taste of what is in the book by checking out You Tube and putting in Kemble Scott’s name.

The book is blue.  Very blue, but funny as hell.

Enjoy your time in the City. I only wish I could get down there and meet all you bitches, but my calendar does not allow for that this time.

Starbucks at Powell and O’Farrell streets (201 Powell St.) is open 24 hours.  Ask for Chris (night manager) and tell him “Hi from his Mom, SeaGrace” and he might put extra whipped cream on your Cinnamon Dolce Crème.

Last year you blogged about two big problems at RWA: 1)Booksellers looking to hotfoot it with free stock; and 2)The problem of shitloads of unwanted free books being left behind in hotel rooms and lobbies by conference goers.  It seems that these are two problems just looking to be each other’s solution.  It’s too late for this year, but why not find a solution for next year?  The RWA could have a win-a-bin-of-books raffle or similar. 

There could be a designated point for all unwanted books to be dropped off during (and at the end of) the conference.  Folks who were interested in collecting a shitload of new books to sell (like bookstores, charities or crazed ebayers) could put their entry form into a container and then a winner could be drawn at the end of the conference.  I’m sure someone would have a good idea on how to raise the money for shipping the books to the winner by truck, too.  Raffle entry fee, maybe?

Ooh, following you now! I’m going to be twittering the conference, too, but sadly I have neither cash nor prizes.

Leslie, if you have a twitter account, you can set it up so that you’ll get the updates on your cell phone.

karmelrio - thanks for the head’s up.  I somehow missed their Twitter update on it!

Eliza - I have that feature turned off because unless Twitter uses AT&T;, I’ll be paying a boatload for text messages!  Thanks, though!

;-)

Validation word: “Wall69” - hmmm, can one do a “69” while up against the wall?

Hey don’t forget Dottie’s True Blue Cafe in the nearby Tenderloin.
It’s a 522 Jones Street and sells a powerhouse of a breakfast. There may be quite a long wait for a table, as long as an hour, but worth the wait. Lots of interesting local color