Back for a couple of days now from the Online News Association convention in San Francisco, which again proved to be the most valuable professional association conference around. My colleagues were particularly great with their panels/presentations, which I know from experience isn’t always an easy thing to do. In addition:

…I went to AT&T Park, one of America’s most beautiful baseball stadiums, and had a blast with the fans as the Giants stomped the Padres. The difference between the Giants fans, who have formed a bond with their team over generations, and the Nats fans, who are almost all still casual and don’t have that deep connection that great teams have with their fans, is striking. And man, the Giants really push those churros in the upper deck. And the Hot Chocolate Guy came around at least a half-dozen times on a chilly, windy night, but I did not see a beer man anywhere in the park.

…My room, at the Serrano Hotel a bit west of Union Square and just north of the Tenderloin, was nothing if not interesting. There was this robe in the closet (which I did not realize was a Kimpton Hotel trademark):

…and there was, well, a lot of street action. Lou Reed could have sat in the hotel bar and looked out the window and written “Walk On The Wild Side.” Junkies, hard-core alcoholics and entire squadrons of hookers wandered around — yet I felt safe as long as my City Radar was at a moderate level. There’s a sort of social compact in San Francisco that basically is: You don’t mess with me and I won’t mess with you.

There also was a walk along the Embarcadero and under the Bay Bridge, which I didn’t remember being this beautiful when I saw it in the past. And finally, Virgin America Airlines, you were fabulous, even during the almost-reached-for-the-barf-bag turbulence I experienced on the way back. I wish I could fly you more often.

All in all, it was a great trip, both from a professional and personal standpoint.

Previously: The endgame for the Nats | Hokum home