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Paul Daugherty
Enquirer columnist files news and observations

Paul Daugherty
Paul Daugherty has been an Enquirer sports columnist since 1994 and has been chronicling Cincinnati sports since 1988. He has covered almost every major sporting event in America, as well as five Summer Olympics. Along the way, he has been named one of the country's top-5 sports columnists four times, and Ohio columnist of the year on seven different occasions. Last year, he was voted 2nd-best sports columnist in the country, by the Associated Press Sports Editors.

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Monday, December 17, 2007

And then they played the game

During the Lost Decade, the most interesting day of any Bengals season was the day the schedule came out. I'd look to see if the trips were good. San Diego, Seattle, Tampa, Jax, Miami... good. Buffalo, KC, Houston, Minneapolis... bad. The games were the penance you did to get to go on the trip.

San Francisco was in a class by itself.

Since the Bengals seem to be steering the Good Ship 90s again, Schedule Day is back to being big. Here's hoping for many more good trips, to compensate for the bad football. Anyway, for what it's worth, here's your P-Doc 24-hour guide to everything great in Frisco that you might not have known before, in order of my affection:

Marin Headlands... all those car ads in magazines? Where the new vehicle is on the edge of an abyss, with the Golden Gate Bridge and the city in the background? That's the Headlands. Very easy to get to, very hard to forget. Drive across the GGBridge, make the second right onto Alexander Avenue... if you go right, you're headed for Sausalito, so go left and up the hill. The road winds through the hills... for the first mile, every couple hundred feet is an oh-my-god view of the bridge, the bay and the city. Keep going until you get to Rodeo Beach, where the waves smash against the cliffs and the surfers rule. If you go on a rainy day, you'll have the place to yourself. If it's nice, take a hike or rent a bike and ride the trails. Incredible beauty, 10 minutes from a couple million people.

Bonita Point lighhouse, Headlands... bear left instead of right once you're up in the hills.. the road leads you to the light, and past all these former artillery batteries...

Mama's Restaurant, North Beach... I once embarrassed George Wendt here... 1989, I walk into the place early on a Saturday, he's sitting there reading the paper. Before I could stop myself, I blurt out "NORM!!!'' He looks at me, shakes his head, gets up and leaves. Mama's has the best omelets and French toast anywhere, and when you're done, you can walk off your gluttony by hoofing it around Telegraph Hill. End up at Coit Tower for more heart-stopping views. (By the way, the cathedral on Washington Square next to Mama's is where Joe DiMaggio married Marilyn Monroe. DiMaggio grew up in North Beach, but exactly where, I don't recall.)

City Lights Bookstore... also in NB... Kerouac, Ferlinghetti, Beat Poets... go there and hope the magic rubs off.

Angel Island... it's that big, green, uninhabited knob in the middle of the Bay. Take the ferry from Fishermen's Wharf, a loaf of sourdough you bought in an Italian bakery, maybe some Anchor Steam beer, which is almost as good as Keystone Light. Eat. Drink. Hike. Listen to the channel markers clang and the foghorn clear its throat every few minutes. It's the Ellis Island of the West, where they processed Asians hoping to start a new life inn America. Great city views, peaceful walks. Gather some eucalyptus pods. Scratch and sniff.

Haight Ashbury... gentrified long ago. The Victorians once occupied by Jefferson Airplane, the Dead etc. now run $2 million or more... but the hippie vibe still exists, and if you're old like I am, shops there still sell honest-to-god records.

Sausalito... Take your wallet.

Wine country... if you must. A little crowded. Take Route 1 up the coast instead, to Stinson Beach and Bodega Bay, where Hitchcock filmed The Birds.

If you have more than a day, go south to the Monterey Peninsula... once spent the night in a lighthouse about an hour south, between SF and Carmel... it cost $40 for the night, and even though the accommodations were hostel-like spartan, we were right on the water, went to sleep hearing the waves pound.

There you go. Best city in America. Pre-Katrina New Orleans was a distant second.


19 Comments:

at 10:04 AM Anonymous Anonymous said...

"Anchor Steam beer, which is almost as good as Keystone Light"

You travel way too much to be burdened with Keystone Light. Nowadays, you can find a great local brew in nearly any city. When I travel, I make it a point to try some local beers. Some I like, some I don't. But, at least I can say I wasn't stuck drinking Keystone.

Keystone Light is to beer as Totino's Pizza Rolls are to pizza.

The local traditions and culture can be found in both their pizza and beer. And really, what more do you need in a meal than good beer and good pizza.

 
at 10:22 AM Anonymous Anonymous said...

Nice. I've only been to SF a couple of times, but I'd have a hard time arguing your "best city" assertion. I'll have to remember your travel tips for the next time, but I'd have to add one of my favorite SF spots - Palace of Fine Arts. And, when you hit the Peninsula, go find a good little whale watching boat. Unbelievably cool, if you get a little bit lucky. Shame you had to watch a football game...

 
at 10:34 AM Anonymous Anonymous said...

Hey Doc, when are you going to get a spot on the travel guide? I throughly enjoy your destination recomendations, as well as your resturant review's.

 
at 10:39 AM Anonymous Anonymous said...

PD, could not agree more. We were only there once and it was the best trip of our lives. GG Bridge, Muir Woods, Napa, Coit Tower, 17 Mile Drive around Pebble Beach. Even went to a ball game at (then)Pac Bell Park. Best view in baseball. Can't wait to go back. Sorry you had to endure the Bungals.

 
at 10:45 AM Anonymous Anonymous said...

Wow...I liked this post. I never trust travel writers - I'm always suspicious they're biased by advertising dollars, so a candid travel guide from a sportwriter rings surprisingly well. I've been to SF once as a teen, but I think the next time I go it will be much more enjoyable. I look forward to reading more of your travel tips. Thanks!

 
at 11:18 AM Anonymous Anonymous said...

Doc,

Just got back from San Fran Sunday night, was there for 4 days, decided against the Bengals game on Saturday in favor of Napa, I think we made a good choice. Stayed with a friend in Russian Hill and did a bunch of the things you mentioned plus many more. You are right Mama's is a great place to hit for breakfast. In addition to the things you mentioned, Alcatrez, Muir Woods, amongst others are great places to see. I agree with you what a great city.

 
at 12:25 PM Anonymous Anonymous said...

Honest question for you Paul - Why go for the whole ball of wax in the tight corner of an endzone right alongside the out-of-bounds line with 2 minutes on the clock and 4th and 3? Why not look for a first down?

In fact, 2 plays in a row, why not look for a first down?

 
at 1:10 PM Anonymous Anonymous said...

You're right about the City by the Bay, of course. In 1998 as a retirement gift to myself, I did a bike ride from Victoria, British Columbia, south to Tijuana, Mexico. Highlight of the trip was our one-day layover in San Francisco. Still vivid in my memory is having apple pie ala mode in Sausalito while looking at the bay with Alcatraz Island in the foreground, San Fran in the background and off to the right the Golden Gate Bridde, half of it blanketed in mist. I rode over that bridge at 1:33 p.m. on Oct. 7, 1998, a moment I will never forget.

 
at 1:43 PM Blogger Dustin Dow said...

I think I need to get to San Francisco. I just got back from Tempe. I have not much nice to say about it. It was sunny. Traffic was bad. The architecture was pre-fab. The hotel was nice but in the pictures, it looked like it was in a secluded area surrounded by cacti. Instead, Interstate 10 was about a football field's distance from my window.
I met up with some people and went to an enjoyable party at someone's home. But it was on the other side of Phoenix, which is to say it was roughly the same distance from downtown Cincinnati to downtown Dayton (OH).

 
at 2:03 PM Blogger Paul Daugherty said...

DD, you needed to get in the car and drive up into the Superstition Mts, or down to Tucson, or at least to Scottsdale. Phoenix/Tempe is butt-ugly.

 
at 4:07 PM Anonymous Anonymous said...

Doc, ever eaten at Delfina?

Best fresh mozzarella on the planet. Look it up next time you're in SF. Make your reservations well in advance.

I too like SF, but let's be honest ... when the fog rolls in at night in August ... well, there's a reason they sell fleeces on the Warf.

 
at 6:38 PM Blogger oldtimer said...

Gosh Doc if I'da known you wuz headed out to San Francissico, as Burbank sez, I'da thrown a couple tips in too, seein as how I called the Bay Area my home in the late 70s and have visited every year since at least a couple times....no finer place on earth to soak up real time ambiance.

There's a wonderful little nine holer in Golden Gate Park you gotta give a whirl too sometime, hike the hill in the center of the park by the lake to the very top, climb the tree, see the Bridge''s tippy top, hit the off beat sushi holes in the wall around 18th and Valencia, head up to Sebastapol where grapes replaced the apples and on to the Russian Rivers, or over to Beserkly, down on the flats near 4th and Telegraph, a renaissance zone if ever I did see one, hit the Mission for authentic Hispanci fare everywhere, Tilden Park on the back side of the Berkley campus is a great hidden gem with a golf course and Livermore Labs nearby, eating in SF is a treat pretty much, oh sorry ,,,,, I;m rambling, but I could go on for days. Mt Tam, the Headlands, Sausalito and the house boats, Pac Bell park and the McCovey's cove, the castro, so much to do, so little time.

I have never been bored for a moment in that town. And if I get close to it, I stand out in the fog at night and listen to the haunting of the fog horns as the ship pass in the dark seas coming under the bridge. Life is short. Enjoy.

 
at 7:48 PM Anonymous Anonymous said...

Doc,

As always the best blog, period! Never been to SF, but have always wanted to go, printed off your post to keep for when I get there (soon).
Sorry you had to watch the Bengals. I'm over them, who cares!!! That mess is never going to change. Marvin is way over his head and Mike Brown doesn't care enough and obviously is not a very competitive person. If he was he wouldn't be able to stomach this crap.

 
at 9:22 PM Anonymous Anonymous said...

Second the motion on the Marin headlands, especially the northwest option. Park there at dusk and watch San Fran light up around and over the Bridge. Really stunning.

Also recommend walking across the Bridge (especially when the wind is blowing, just about always), it's awesome. Bundle up!

 
at 8:50 AM Blogger Paul Daugherty said...

Hey oldtimer... when the reds played the As in '90, I stayed on a boat in the oakland marina... boat and breakfast, they called it... wake up every morning to a basket of danish and coffee on the deck... only bad thing about Reds sweeping was I missed another night on the boat...

 
at 10:55 AM Anonymous Anonymous said...

Paul: your '90 ws comment leads me to wonder...

when the teams you cover win, like the Reds did in '90, are you excited like a fan would be, or is it a more clinical, "oh, that's nice" because you have to maintain objectivity?

 
at 12:11 PM Blogger oldtimer said...

Ahh, the marina...Kool place, no? So many charming little dives,nooks, and crannies, so little time.

Couple stories. Had a hippie buddy there, originally from Columbus, who along with a friend bought a wooden sailboat built in '29 in Hong Kong. They hoped to sail the world. I met him in a great(and free!)night time woodworking class at a fabulous high school shop in the Marina. Most folks, including my friend, were there restoring their boats. Lots of teak. Others like me just wanted to learn how to build beautiful things and keep our fingers attached.

The boat lived in Oakland marina and we would go out on the bay now and then. The year after I left, they quit their jobs, sailed into the setting sun under the bridge, and hightailed it to the south pacific, living on the boat for a couple years. Lost track of him after that. Ol Jimmy Levine, where are you now?

Ahh such sublime use of life and its freedoms. Like you said, no finer place to experience the energies of a city.

Funny baseball story. I did color design and painted Victorians for a couple years, and my partner sez let's go to a Reds game at the Stick. This was June, mind you. So I take the ever-present sweater along, and notice every body wearing down! vests and jackets. Yep the fog rolled in, the temps were 40s, wind chill 30s, and I caught the flu at a June baseball game freezing my arse off. Couldn't watch the game much, my teeth were chattering too much. No wonder the fans started fires in the parking lot; looked like something out of Mad Max.

I have been nowhere as mysterious and charming and unique as SF. Love the place. Consider this little tid-bit. Everybody uses public transportation. Folks actually enjoy it. It works. Imagine.

Oh and Anchor is one of the original local new age beers. Been around long before the 'beer' renaissance. Used to tip a few myself. Little on the strong side. Rumored to put hair on the ol chest, and that's just the ladies.

Good show last night, was impressed by Lowry. Sharp guy.

 
at 12:12 PM Blogger Paul Daugherty said...

Hey, Bob Estes... I root for me... normally, that means hoping the teams and people I write about do well... they're more open and agreeable when they win, readers are more apt to want to read about winning...so in that sense, I'm a fan. But like I tell athletes and coaches, I dont create the reality, I reflect it. My cred means more to me than your feelings, or opinion of me.

 
at 1:18 AM Blogger JerBear said...

My best friend growing up is from San Francisco. Finally, 3 years ago I got the chance to visit him and his family out in San Fran. We also went to Yosemite but seeing my buddy and visiting San Fran for a couple of days were definitely the highlights.

We did a lot of the normal tourist stuff like going to Fisherman's warf, Muir Woods, going across the Golden Gate Bridge (haha) as well as more.

My favorite day though was probably going to my buddy's house, walking around the corner to jump on the subway, and going to a Reds-Giants game (Reds just happened to be in town). Pac Bell park is awesome. The views of the Bay, the design of the stadium. Just incrdible in my opinion.

Anyway, I agree with you guys on San Francisco. Definitely the most interesting place I've ever been to. There's so much to do, and so much variety in the whole bay area.

I have to say it's probably not a place I'd want to live, but a place I hope get to visit again. Definitely a place everyone should put on the top of their vacation list if they are able to.


Finally! I saw Doc mention Tucson. I was actually in Arizona this past year on vacation with some friends and family.

I'd actually say if you are in Phoenix head North! We hit the Grand Canyon, Sedona, Phoenix, Tucson, and places in between.

Sedona and the Grand Canyon were a lot more interesting and beautiful than Tucson in my opinion. Maybe a little further drive especially to the Grand Canyon though.

I'd just say stay away from the meteor crater in Arizona. That was a bust.

In conclusion...the Bengals stink!

 
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