Marker Seven Party, Pakwan, Post Office… errands in NBeach


First in reverse order, if that makes sense…

Marker Seven Party
Thanks to John, Patrick & Rebecca over at Marker Seven for a great party last night. Managed to hit the bridge at 5:30PM, and despite lots of back and forth with my buddy tharpo over there about the “fire” on the bridge and whether it was going to be backed up… no fire, hummed right along. I had checked 511.org and it said 29mph which was better, actually, than I usually expeirence on the Bridge… then on the bridge, it was exactly as 511.org had said. Very creepy, how can they be so accurate? Seattle’s 511 was also creepily accurate.

I headed out and made it into the city by around 6:30. Old car managed to make it up to Nob Hill though the city was as gridlocked as tharpo ahd warned. Parked on Pine St. amid lots of honking, which I can only guess are Richmond people trying to zoom down Pine to the outer district.

Great party in brick-exposed offices, where the Dianetics people are below in the other floors. Kept on wondering if Tom Cruise would rear his ugly teeth baring head on us or aliens would zap us into oblivion. Dianetics has also taken some great real estate down on Columbus Ave near the Transamerica Building. I peer in each time I walk by and I wonder if they are recruiting me through weird telephathic vitamin enriched ways.

Pakwan
After much standing and chatting (mostly about Skype‘s purchase by eBay) wandered with fellow foodie to Pakwan, my favorite cheap Indian food place. My friend, who is Indian descent, was kind of horrified when the guys who work at Pakwan greeted me warmly. Horrified because he had never known I was such a regular, I guess. He was further freaked out by the fact I divulged, that sometimes I walk here, get takeout, and take the Cable Car back. So trite! So Touristy! But it’s true, sometimes the locals do use cable cars. This is a fact folks who live in Potrero Hill can’t abide, I guess. Scarfing Chicken Tikka “crack” Masala and rice – buddy had a kebab – and then drove over Taylor home, which is a street that kind of cracks me up. Goes up at a super steep incline, levels for about 5 yards, then goes down at an equally steep incline. haha!

U.S. Post Office- Stockton
On Washignton Square Park is probably the best Post Office, so have to give it some props. The guys are funny, the line was short, my package to Japan was only 9$! The credit card machine was down and they gave me some jocular shit about being ready to pay in cash. How old school! They have a central view of the park. Nice place. I had a good experience customer-support wise at the Passport office downtown on Sutter too. When did post office workers have the bad reputation as gun weilding wackos? Maybe the backlash of that meant they all get vacations and investments in better senses of humor, or something.

City Lights Bookstore
The famous beat place is truly great, and even if it’s not a discovery, it deserves to be loved in all its greatness. My favorite are is the “Staff Picks” shelf. If you walk in, take an immediate right and it’s near the magazines, on the end of a shelf. I was trying to find a really good book and had to ask, then was directed down to the basement and to a dark corner near Eastern Mythology. The funny thing about City Lights, as different from Borders, or Barnes & Snobby, is that poetry is given a well-lit corner on the street, and eclectic Staff Picks are near the door, but Thrillers (where I was looking) is hidden in the nether recesses. Excellent.