In the City of Chocolate and Fog

Welcome to the land of Ghirardelli chocolate.

Over the weekend of July 10, we spent five days in Ghirardelli Square — one of San Francisco's main touristy hot spots and the capital of Ghirardelli chocolate! My family owns a fractional there, which is supposed to be something like a timeshare, where we have to fulfill a quota of staying there for 21 days each year. At first, I thought it was a bit strange and impractical — why not purchase a vacation home some place farther away? A tropical island, perhaps? At least somewhere that would take us over a one-hour car ride to get to.

The original Ghirardelli Chocolate Shop.

A delectable mint chocolate shake.

But after having spent so many weeks there over the years, now I love it. It really does still feel like a vacation, a get-away, even though it's only an hour away from home. Even though it basically is home. I have lived in the East Bay for nine years and I often still feel like a tourist in the city of San Francisco. The quaint streets bristling with the gusto of tourists and locals alike, the bejeweled boutiques glowing on every street corner. Silks and scarves spilling out of every market stall. Not to mention the weather. I always say that in San Fran, there are four seasons in one day. In the morning (though I'm hardly ever awake that early), the air is harsh, wintry and bitter — probably because of the fog. The afternoon brings with it a fresh meld of spring and summer warmth. And in the evening hangs a gentle breeze — a kind of light autumnal cool.

The city has its other quirks as well. Strange men seeking out spare change in exchange for a few measly minutes of poorly carried out card tricks. And the charmers — like the man who sits in front of Ghirardelli Square all day, cleverly concocting rhymes out of the names of passersby, managing to at least acquire a few laughs and casual conversation if nothing more.

"Please don't go! Gimme some dough!" he chimes. Yet for a homeless man, he seems to harbor the brightest, sunniest disposition I've ever seen. Californians for you, I suppose.

As for the trip itself, we stayed at Fairmont Heritage Place, in a lovely two-story loft that had a skylight and — my favorite part — an upstairs "window" overlooking the downstairs living room. Naturally, we had to stop by the Ghirardelli Ice Cream & Chocolate Shop at least once during our stay there. I think I had some white chocolate and caramel swirl confection. Apart from that, we had dinner at my favorite restaurant in SF — Ana Mandara — and went on an early-morning hot air balloon ride. But since I've given you enough to read for now, I think I'll save those two for later. Stay tuned!

P.S. If you first read the title of this post as "In the City of Chocolate and Frog," you're not the only one. It's an unintended HP reference :)