MacWorld Day 2
We've been having a pretty good time so far at MacWorld. We wandered around the show floor yesterday, fighting with the crowds. Apple was giving out 20th Anniversary "1984" posters in sealed poster canisters. You can stick them in a bag at an angle, and they jut out slightly. This is handy because you can then use the poster canister to goose people to clear a patch through large crowd areas. Shazam!
The Gaming Area was pretty crowded both yesterday and today. I wish the area in general was larger just so we could have room to breathe. There's quite a large variety of games being shown - not just the hardcore AAA shooters. It seems (to me at least) to demonstrate that the Mac has a well-rounded game selection. As it happens, it turns out that the Scholastic Math Missions game that I worked on last year was also on display, which was a surprise.
It's always fun meeting up with the other folks in the business, and so far we've seen all the usual suspects. The Freeverse guys have some cool stuff on display - their Toy Sight game is very novel, and an excellent use of Apple technology. UT2k4 and C&C Generals also look very nice, especially so considering that neither game is "final" yet. I also met up with Dave "MAMEbase" Weston, someone who I'd known "virtually" for quite a few years - that was nice.
We've hit up some good restaurants too. We had some great sushi Monday night with Tuncer, Jean-Luc and Glenda at this place across from the Renaissance Park. Last night we ate at this great Italian place a block or so away from Moscone with the ATI guys. I don't know the name, and since there are roughly 100 Italian places within a block of the Moscone, I'll be lucky to find it again. Today for lunch, we ate teriyaki at this place on the tourist strip on Powell by the cable car line - Tomi's Teriyaki I think. It tasted different from most teriyaki I've had, and I'm not sure if it's more or less authentic. All I know is it was damn tasty!
Tonight, we're gonna go to Chinatown. I've never been there, so it should be quite an experience. I wonder why there isn't a Japantown or Koreatown.
Comments
At least in '93 there used to be a Japan Town. It was basically a small mall and a square near a major movie theather (and a bowling center) about 10 minutes West of Chinatown.
Make sure you try one of the restaurants in the square because they are more affordable and more authentic than most restaurants in downtown or Marketplace. Teriyaky steak with steamed vegetables and tea would go for less than $10 a decade ago.
If I remember correctly, there are a couple of Aikido jodos in the neighborhood, one of them being inside of a church, and several interesting Japanese stores and bookstores inside the mall.
Posted by: fccovett | January 7, 2004 06:08 PM
Found it. It's a place called Little Osaka, just West of Van Ness Ave. and North of Geary Blvd.
http://www.mapquest.com/maps/map.adp?pan=e&ovi=1&mapdata=p5kqyoo6yZJV0yi9X%2boEfkszSJacV4m2qxxZtQyrECDhvN1Q0JWb39rkNUEjYuqxEaaHdFjJVa1nNeJv187CHWpnuvessAynMR8QkvGCo5YQ%2bLehNl1z%2fhvhuZ3smTomD3HaZ75GO7OlTY4vlP2Y0oVTWU%2fOfQsIKj6BN%2b2IK8AMfksaPafDPXuan1IWqsB48cu5KRvq2segB7oRJGCZq%2bAzJzf1XB4AqzxmtMfK0yn3SIQc8s1Z%2bcEzKvqOFff154bDCiIcjWEdAfRoRiLbYTf8uYHRwEg0ResdmBgGrqhjr6LtQEZZoJCMBGiJzwVAMreRKH5XOwYCRNQwVYCVPTuwJWz4DeXd
Posted by: fccovett | January 7, 2004 06:48 PM
Yes, there is a Japantown in SF. It's at Geary and Fillmore.
http://www.japantown.ws/top.html
No more bowling alley, it was torn down a few years ago. Sad, it was the only place I could play standup arcade games in that neighborhood.
I'm glad you're having a good time in SF, I really enjoy living here.
A couple of great restaurants in the area you're staying:
Cha Am Thai -- http://chaam.citysearch.com/ -- The BBQ chicken there is one of my favorite dishes. Not too expensive.
Umbria -- http://sanfrancisco.citysearch.com/profile/876158?cslink=search_name_cust A little pricey (probably 60$ for the both of you) but worth it.
Shalimar Garden -- http://sanfrancisco.citysearch.com/profile/32601083 -- Hmm, the reivew on that page isn't good but I think it's a really good Indian restaurant.
Posted by: steve jenson | January 7, 2004 06:53 PM