Ivan (Guest) on 12/16/2006 3:49 pm

Make sure you go down to Fisherman's Wharf and eat clam chowder in a sour-dough bread bowl (or you can eat chili if chowder isn't your thing). Also, go to Ghirardeli Square, that place is cool. Also, make sure you go to Downtown San Francisco on a trolley.

I went there last year, nice place. You may freeze your ass off if you're used to the weather in Glendale.

shannon (Guest) on 12/16/2006 4:13 pm

dont forget to hit Monterey Bay!

Debra (Guest) on 12/16/2006 4:57 pm

Vaccinations? hehe That's all that comes to mind over those two little images. An evil nurse?

And if you wanted to tour the cold, and probably soon wet and muddy desert, we could give you guys a tour of a goat farm... a muddy, cold, wet, miserable goat farm.

Teros (Guest) on 12/16/2006 5:23 pm

"And I don’t wanna see any of that “Oh, this gift is your Christmas AND your birthday present RoG!” crap."

Well what if it's a really expencive present like a new car or something?

protoclown (Guest) on 12/16/2006 5:26 pm

this response is your christmas AND your birthday present, rog

Dan the man (Guest) on 12/16/2006 5:51 pm

It might be out of the way but you gotta stop by joshua tree national park. And if you do come this way make sure to stop by the jack in the box in yucca valley ill hook you up good with some jumbo jacks.

-RoG- (Guest) on 12/16/2006 6:47 pm

Ivan, hehe yeah I'm expecting colder weather, but after living back East, I doubt it's gonna be all that bad. Thanks for the suggestions too btw!

Shannon, aye, I'm sure we will.

Debra, hmmm, muddy goat farm. hmmm... yeah I think I'll have to pass on that one as one of my stops during the trip. heheh

Teros, if you throw in a built-in iPod player on the dashboard, you've got a deal!

Protoclown, still a cheap bastard I see. Oh well, I'll take my xmas and birthday presents out of your next paycheck. HAR HAR!

Dan the man, I'll keep it in mind. Not sure if we'll head that direction, but if we do, jumbo jacks sounds damned spiffy!

Keith (Guest) on 12/16/2006 7:59 pm

See the lazy seals in Monterrey Bay. Being from the east, it's weird to see seals out and about. Hearst Castle is on the way- see how America's most famous Nazi-lover blew his wad. North Beach in SF is probably the only real Italian neighborhood west of St. Louis and has the best Italian food on the west coast. And the famous bookstore- City Lights?- is one of the best in the country. Oh, and stock up on the Ghiradelli chocolate, of course.

Bizarcane (Guest) on 12/16/2006 8:39 pm

Are you doing Sequoia or the Redwoods? The Redwoods may be taller but the Sequoias are far more massive. Also, I think the trip down the PCH is better than up - reason being . . . you're actually ON the edge of the road as opposed to hugging the mountain. If it were me, I'd book it up the 5, spend your time in San Francisco, and then take the leisurely, car-sickness-inducing PCH back on down to LA.
When in San Francisco, definitely hit North Beach. The food is dynamite. Fisherman's Wharf is too much of a tourist trap. Avoid it. Chinatown is fun, too. All the little shops and trinkety places are worth snooping in. There's a hotel (The Royal Pacific) that's situated right between the two neighborhoods, and the room price is relatively inexpensive. (relatively). Try to get a streetside room - they have a nice view of Coit Tower.

Keith (Guest) on 12/16/2006 10:35 pm

nice driving instructions! it would be a pain to drive up and down the pch. Though I might suggest the 101 on the way up-not as fast as the 5 but not as ugly either.

Muffy (Guest) on 12/16/2006 11:14 pm

Haight-Ashbury, Mission district, and Japan Town. :)

Also, Oakland and San Jose, and Santa Cruz are the other cities in the Bay Area. If you're up for it, check 'em out since they're not a far drive from the city.

Muffy (Guest) on 12/16/2006 11:20 pm

If you have time, make sure you eat at Toto's Pizza in San Bruno (a suburb outside of San Francisco), the pizza is pretty damn good.

Angryhydralisk (Knows too much and must be destroyed…) (Guest) on 12/16/2006 11:47 pm

Ilook forward to the flash game. Pickleman vs. the Ravers, perhaps?

Jesse B (Guest) on 12/17/2006 1:53 am

You must go to Alameda.

Meet me, and make my christmas the best.

Scott (Guest) on 12/17/2006 1:55 am

Rog is the afterchrist!

John H (Guest) on 12/17/2006 4:10 am

Since apparently you like comics and the such there are two good places to go to.
Cards and Comics Central
5424 Geary Blvd,
this place has many action figures and stuff for a display case ranging from anime crap to modern comics.
Also Isotope comics at 326 fell street. They have a gigantic assortment of comics.
Well I hope you have fun while your down here.

DrBadfish (Guest) on 12/17/2006 4:36 am

Go more north to Canada :

Taikojim (Guest) on 12/17/2006 6:56 am

If you wanna' stay someplace in SF, try the Seal Rock Inn. Very nice, peaceful spot near the ocean that's reasonably priced. Plus Hunter S. Thompson used to crash there!

http://www.sealrockinn.com/

Also, Clement St. is a good place to stop by. It's sorta a more chill 2nd Chinatown. The Green Apple Bookstore is a must visit.

Some interesting places to eat are Tommy's Joint on Geary and Van Ness, or one of the many Mel's Diners. The Stinking Rose and Calzone's in Little Italy are both good.

Have a fun time in SF!

Jonathan (Guest) on 12/17/2006 10:47 am

Try to recreate the chase scene from Bullitt. It was filmed in San Francisco after all.

Richard (Guest) on 12/17/2006 11:32 am

Er, I'm not sure what that game would be about, maybe its about Flu shots? Hell, I STILL need to get mine, I don't like needles though. And RoG, I'd get you soemthing cool, but im a cheap bastard. (Much like protoclown, from what I read) I was actually just checking out your wishlist, And I had no clue you liked Metal Slug. I thought it was only Tom Fulp that liked playing Metal Slug. Anyway, yeah im a fan of the game myself, I spent like 80$ on the first one at the convenience store. I could go on and on about stuff, but I can't think of anything. Oh, RoG do you have an XBox? I remember you giving away a copy of Bard's Tale.

Rabiesbunny (Guest) on 12/17/2006 12:57 pm

:\ 29th is my Birthday man, I share your sorrow.

Shane Skekel (Guest) on 12/17/2006 2:02 pm

My contribution to your BDay? How about Pickleman vs. Ray Nagin?

booya (Guest) on 12/17/2006 2:06 pm

For late night dining in SF there is no better place than Sparky's 24-hour diner. The last time I was there, I witnessed a guy get out of a cab, get into an argument with the driver and smash the beer he had been drinking onto the ground. Oh, and the food's not bad either.

Kirbykid (Guest) on 12/17/2006 2:53 pm

have fun dude. and by the way, your wish list makes me laugh. Black Christmas and super monkey ball on the same list? YES!

jenny (Guest) on 12/18/2006 2:12 am

as a local, i would deffinately reccomend this:
mistersf.com/high/index.html?highmecanique03.htm

Martin (Guest) on 12/18/2006 2:01 pm

Rog,
You better not buy rice-a-roni, its not even made in San Francisco. Much like how Full House is not filmed in SF but filmed in LA. Make sure to check out Haight and Ashbury streets and the Japantown Bowl on Gough street. A lot of anime' stuff there... If youre into that kind of stuff. Oh yes Mitchell's Ice cream on Valencia street. Hope i run into you there!

LemonWitch (Guest) on 12/18/2006 5:40 pm

Pack some dramamine, especially if you go through Jebidiah Smith park. The roads are similar to a rollet coaster track, and anyone who gets car sick is going to want those tablets. We camped in the redwoods at Swimmer's Delight this last summer, and I'd have redecorated the upholstry had it not been for that precious, precious drug.

Sejanoz (Guest) on 12/18/2006 11:37 pm

RoG, here's a Xmas gift for you: wrestlecrap

It's a website that makes fun of bad wrestling stories/characters, but they also make fun of bad Christmas stuff too. This year, they look at the HE-MAN CHRISTMAS SPECIAL, as well as several old favourites, inlcuding The Star Wars Christmas Special and The Ultimate Warrior Christmas comic. Yes, that is the one where he rapes Santa.

Hope you enjoy it.

-RoG- (Guest) on 12/19/2006 1:30 am

Bizarcane, we might stop by both actually, just depends if we have the time or not. And thanks for the info on the PCH, I'll definitely take it into consideration.

Angryhydralisk, heheh, no it's not a new PickleMan game, I can assure you of that.

Richard, yeah, there's all sorts of nifty lil' oddities on my amazon wish list. I try updating it whenever I have some time to kill, which unfortunately isn't as often as I'd like heheh. And no, I don't have an Xbox - the Bard's Tale thing was just a promotional giveaway I was doing because a company sent me a copy to pass on to you guys.

Martin, I don't care where it's made, I'm still buying Rice-A-Roni while I'm there because it *IS* the San Francisco treat. Slogans don't lie. Do they?

Sejanoz, thanks but Protoclown actually gave me the He-Man Christmas Special on DVD not too long ago. I definitely plan on reviewing it at some point, though probably not this holiday season. As for the other two things, I already did big features on both of them. Check 'em out:
-The Star Wars Holiday Special
-The Ultimate Warrior Raped My Christmas

Thanks for the continued suggestions for our trip everybody... glad to hear there's some real good food in store for us too!

Jesse B (Guest) on 12/20/2006 5:22 am

WHY DON'T YOU AWNSER ME ANYMORE!!!

**Cries**

-RoG- (Guest) on 12/20/2006 6:35 am

Jesse B, I would, but you didn't get me anything from my wish list yet. Har har! But seriously, no, I doubt we'll be stopping by Alameda really. I-Mockery will have a booth at comic-con next summer (well we *should* have one) so you can come meet us there if ya like.

Codiekitty (Guest) on 12/20/2006 4:54 pm

I just beat Yoshi's Island DS last night and thought it sucked. The space between the screens makes for a nice blind spot for enemies, platforms and other objects to hide.

Su (Guest) on 12/21/2006 2:07 pm

Rog,
I envy your holiday roadtrip with Re this year and I hope you two take in all the great sites in the Bay Area. There is a lot of quirky things up here but whatever you do, DO NOT cross over to the Oregon border. I'm counting on you to stick around for a while and amuse us.
Anyhow, I've lived here my whole life and i've done pretty much the whole touristy stuff when I was younger with my family. And i've searched my mind and a few others for things that are fun to do and aren't necessarily in the guide books and a few that are.

Winchester Mystery House ( Touristy but spooky ): SAN JOSE, CA Well preserved historical monument of world's biggest guilt trip. Built by Sara Winchester to appease and confuse murderous spirits who were victims of the Winchester rifle (i.e. native americans) http://www.winchestermysteryhouse.com/

Light House Hostels ( Not so Touristy, but oh so Euro): HWY 1, You'll see these as you drive up the coast through HWY1. For as low as $17 a night you can sleep peacefully knowing that you are helping to prevent ships from crashing into California...kinda. Also beautiful beaches to frolic and freeze your extremities on. http://www.norcalhostels.org/lighthouses.html

Holly Hock Farms (not touristy at all): NEAR SLO, Release your inner Marie Antoinette and pretend to be a farmer for a weekend. Guaranteed peace and quiet cause there is only one room, includes breakfast. Everything else is on the honor system. http://www.hollyhock-farm.com/cottage.html

Wilbur Hot Springs (Shh! secret): NEAR CLEARLAKE, This place is gorgous, beautiful grounds and mineral hot springs. You got to bring your own food and prepare it in their kitchen but the springs themselves are CLOTHING OPTIONAL. http://www.wilburhotsprings.com/

Lucky Juju Pinball (local favorite) ALAMEDA, CA, "Lucky Ju Ju is a place where Magic, Karma, Zeitgeist and Skill are infused into a collection of Vintage Pinball Machines for all to enjoy. Better than the regular Hoodoo Voodoo crap you're used to!" This place is great and so are the people. http://www.ujuju.com/

The Metreon (touristy): SAN FRANCISCO, CA, Total consumer-whorism but fun, entertaining and a mecca for gamers and moviegoers. The Playstation store will let you try out any game and the Sony store will let you sit in a living room you'd never be able to afford. http://westfield.com/metreon/

Audium (Shh! secret): SAN FRANCISCO, I lived close to this theater a while ago and was delightfully surprised when I found it. Its a theater that is constructed specifically for sound movement, you'll sit in a circular room with a floating floor, suspended ceiling, sculpted walls and literally be "bathed" in sound in pitch darkness. Completely surreal experience, you'd never think you could get so intimate with sound. http://www.audium.org/

Defenestration (landmark): SAN FRANCISCO, At the corner of Howard and 6th Street you'll see a building that appears to be throwing ALL of its contents out the window (sofa, chairs, fridge, etc) Its a living definition! Last time I saw it, it was for sale. 214 6th Street

The Wave Organ (landmark): SAN FRANCISCO, Go to the Marina Green and walk to the Marina Yacht Harbor and you'll see some concrete benches. If you sit and listen you'll hear sounds eminating from a wave activated sound sculpture made from stone and PVC pipes. High tide would be the best time to go.

I don't think I need to say anything about the amazing museums we have here but I recommend the:
Cartoon Art Museum, 655 Mission Street (worth it)
Tattoo Art Museum, 841 Columbus Avenue (Cool)
Musee Mecanique, Pier 45 on Fisherman's Wharf (It will freak you out and steal your laundry quarters http://www.museemechanique.org/index.html)

Of course there is a bridge to look at, a derelict penitentiary on an island, a breadmaker to try out, a zoo and great big park somewhere.

-RoG- (Guest) on 12/21/2006 2:20 pm

Codiekitty, actually, that sounds like it'd make it more challenging... which I like. So yeah, it remains on my list with no regrets.

Su, egads! Talk about going above and beyond the call of duty for San Francisco suggestions! Thanks for all that info! I'll print out your suggestions (along with the others) so we have 'em with us should we be near any of those places and want to go see what they're like. Gracias!