San Francisco: City? Borough? Hippy? Fifties?

San Francisco cable car

Many people told me that I'd fall in love with San Francisco as I had with Barcelona, Spain, my former home. I was shocked to find that the two are quite different and was surprised when I didn't fall as hard for SF. While the two don't look all that alike, both cities are at the core wholly European. In San Francisco the pace of life is slower, palm trees abound and the skyscrapers only block the sun from shining down on a small portion of the city, something this NYC gal can appreciate. Electric public transportation rules and buses even have racks in the front to carry your bicycle to your final destination. It's a curious city that feels more like an expansive borough, even though it's only 7 x 7 square miles. The style is a bit hippy, with plenty of Jesus lookalikes walking around, yet at the same time it has a 50s rockabilly air. Here is a sampling of the best SF has to offer:

*A small airport warning for traveling ladies: Do NOT wear maxi dresses or any other long/flowy garment to the airport, that is unless you fancy a security pat-down.*

Heinchon's Old Farmhouse: An Upstate NY Ice-Cream Institution

Heinchon's Old Farm House

For nearly eight years, I scooped ice-cream at Heinchon's Old Farm House on Rt. 22 in Pawling, on a stretch of highway connecting Manhattanites to their weekend homes in Connecticut and Massachusetts. It was hard work. Don't laugh. Over the years I nearly sprained my wrist several times digging into the hard, homemade ice-cream. I even had to wear a wrist bandage on more than one occasion for extra support. I also endured teasing from my brothers: "Carey: cone or cup?" "It's so much more than that," I would screech back. 

What's harder than scooping the ice-cream is making it. It is both costly and time-consuming to recreate traditional family recipes, but Heinchon's keeps doing it.