San Francisco in Five Hundred Words or Less

Extract

The only salutary consequence of the failure of the APSA dues increase to attract fifty percent plus one of the voters is that those who attend the San Francisco Convention will be spared a long essay on the pleasures of the flesh—eating and sightseeing—in the convention city. That essay would have afforded me room to describe my thirty-five year love affair with this city and to detail why I believe it to be the most exciting and satisfying forty-two square urban miles on earth. Since I lack the space, you will have to make do with a more succinct statement.

First things first, let's consider food: You can do advanced research to prepare yourself for the convention week—lest you “waste” one lunch or dinner on “ordinary” fare—or you can follow your fancy, get yourself into the right area of the City (too humble for all caps, but surely not lower case) and look around for the great buys (they exist aplenty).

For the research oriented: The indispensable tool is Jack Shelton's Private Guide. This monthly newsletter, because it is monthly, is the only really reliable guide (Shelton's identity is unknown to the restauranteurs, he bases a judgment on no fewer than three visits, he knows food, his tastes generally agree with mine). I would behoove the Association to have a file of Shelton's newsletters available for those who wish to plan their day.