Franklin Avenue

Five Reasons to Get Your Ass Over to San Francisco
The other part of July 4th weekend was spent up in San Francisco. Here’s five reasons why it was worth the trip:

1. Tonga Room
A tiki bar at the basement of the legendary Fairmont hotel where cheeziness is at its best. "There's karaoke," we both exclaimed as we waited for the host to seat us. Mike had an extra gleam in his eye while some people where doing a rendition of "Suddenly." Turns out, no karaoke but an actual band is set up on a floating barge in the middle of what used to be the hotel's indoor pool. The band was phenomenal performing the classic "She Works Hard For The Money" with an unusual "Billie Jean" rift. Surprisingly, this attracted a lot of people to the dance floor. Quite entertaining. Think Marty & Elaine from the Dresden but with older people dancing. Don't leave until you experience the thunder, lightning and rain as the barge docks signalling a short break for the band.

2. Lucky Creation
A vegetarian restaurant in the heart of Chinatown. A San Francisco trip is never complete without a visit to this tiny restaurant. Everything is good but our favorite dish is the braised eggplant.

3. Columbus Avenue
After eating at Lucky Creation, we usually take a stroll down Columbus checking out the eclectic shops of Chinatown and North Beach and end up at Fisherman's Wharf. You can either bump elbows with the tourists at the Wharf or treat yourself to a sundae at Ghirardelli's. Take the "F" light rail or the cable car back to Union Square.

4. Hotel Triton
A boutique hotel in Union Square where they have fresh-baked cookies in the morning and evening. The draw here is the free wine & beer everyday at 5 p.m. along with tarot card readings. Even if you're not a hotel guest, it's easy to work your way to the bar line as long as you're discreet. A relaxing way to unwind before the SF nightlife beckons you.

5. Asia SF
Our friends Karen and Joe took us here for dinner and it was a pretty cool experience. This place attracts a lot of bachelorette parties because the wait staff are gender illusionists who performs every hour or so on the long catwalk that is the focal point of this restaurant. The prix fixe menu was full of surprisingly good food – not at all what you'd expect from a place like this.