In that my first week here was all pre-op appointments, I snuck down to San Francisco for the weekend before my surgery . As fate would have it, Dr. Mom was in town for a conference, so we were able to spend the weekend together. While I lived in San Francisco from 1982-1989, I had not been back in the twenty years subsequent. As an aside, it is extremely odd/unsettling for me to have something I can refer to that happened two full decades ago. I also just realized I have my ten year high school reunion at some point in the next year. I understand this getting old thing is inevitable but it is quite disconcerting.
San Fran was fantastic. A lot of the sights came right back to me, though many more I was seeing again for the first time. This was to the consternation of my mother who could not help but note that she, "had already pushed [my] ass in a stroller to all of these places." We did the all touristy things which was an absolute blast. My Aunt Mary, who lives in the Bay Area, selflessly donated her entire Saturday to carting my Mom and me around.
China Town, obviously."I'm not going to lie to you. This is going to get weird: Two dragons."
One thing China Town had a ton of, perhaps surprisingly, was swords. I guess they feel Americans expect Asians to have (and sell) ninja related weaponry. If I have one regret, it is not buying one. I was a mere $50 away from being GOB Bluth with the Sword of Destiny.
"I'll buy you a hundred George Michaels you can teach to drive."
The Oakland Bay Bridge.
"La Gorda de Napa." A 1,470 pound Pumpkin. The little orange sign behind it reassures the viewer that "yes, it's organic." God damn Hippies. 
The Pacific. I felt quite Balboa-esque. 
Holy. Shit.
If I had the foresight to have been looking off into the distance, this could have made a great album cover.
You have to admit that the fog rolling in over the Golden Gate Bridge like that is pretty amazing.
Aunt Mary and Mom
Awww. Travis also has an amazing Air Force museum.
The F-101 Voodoo. The F-101 was a nuclear capable fighter bomber, serving as a strike fighter and interceptor throughout Vietnam with a reconnaissance variant serving an instrumental role in the Cuban Missie Crisis.
I thought this was pretty damn clever.
The F-100 Super Sabre, also known as the "Hun" (as in hundred...F-100). This fighter is always recognizable by the oval air intake on the nose. The F-100 was a follow on to the F-86 Sabre (see my posts from Maxwell) as an air-superiority fighter. The Hun flew extensively in a Close Air Support (CAS) role throughout South Vietnam until it was replaced by the A-7 Corsair II.
The F-105 Thunderchief, known as the "Thud." The largest single engine fighter ever employed by the USAF and that was obvious seeing it in person. This thing is an absolute beast. The F-105 was the primary bomber over North Vietnam in the early stages of the war. The 105 carried a 2omm Vulcan cannon and was critical in demonstrating the necessity of having a gun, in addition to missiles, on a fighter platform. The F-105 was also critical in taking out North Vietnam surface-to-air radar/missile defenses (known as SEAD in Air Force parlance, "Suppression of Enemy Air Defenses") as the EF-105 (e = electronic, f = fighter) known as the Wild Weasel III.
The famous B-29 Superfortress. This was incredible to see in person and is an absolutely gorgeous aircraft. In a break from all the Vietnam-era fighters featured above, the B-29 is a WWII-era bomber. It was an incredibly advanced bomber for its time, featuring a pressurized cabin, an electronic fire control system, and remote controlled machine-gun turrets. The B-29 played the primary role in the firebombing campaign against the Empire of Japan in WWII and carried the atomic bombs that destroyed Hiroshima ("Enola Gay") and Nagasaki ("Bockscar").
The F-101 Voodoo. The F-101 was a nuclear capable fighter bomber, serving as a strike fighter and interceptor throughout Vietnam with a reconnaissance variant serving an instrumental role in the Cuban Missie Crisis.
I thought this was pretty damn clever.
The F-100 Super Sabre, also known as the "Hun" (as in hundred...F-100). This fighter is always recognizable by the oval air intake on the nose. The F-100 was a follow on to the F-86 Sabre (see my posts from Maxwell) as an air-superiority fighter. The Hun flew extensively in a Close Air Support (CAS) role throughout South Vietnam until it was replaced by the A-7 Corsair II. 
The F-105 Thunderchief, known as the "Thud." The largest single engine fighter ever employed by the USAF and that was obvious seeing it in person. This thing is an absolute beast. The F-105 was the primary bomber over North Vietnam in the early stages of the war. The 105 carried a 2omm Vulcan cannon and was critical in demonstrating the necessity of having a gun, in addition to missiles, on a fighter platform. The F-105 was also critical in taking out North Vietnam surface-to-air radar/missile defenses (known as SEAD in Air Force parlance, "Suppression of Enemy Air Defenses") as the EF-105 (e = electronic, f = fighter) known as the Wild Weasel III.
The famous B-29 Superfortress. This was incredible to see in person and is an absolutely gorgeous aircraft. In a break from all the Vietnam-era fighters featured above, the B-29 is a WWII-era bomber. It was an incredibly advanced bomber for its time, featuring a pressurized cabin, an electronic fire control system, and remote controlled machine-gun turrets. The B-29 played the primary role in the firebombing campaign against the Empire of Japan in WWII and carried the atomic bombs that destroyed Hiroshima ("Enola Gay") and Nagasaki ("Bockscar").
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