Science in San Francisco

I just got back from a long weekend in San Francisco, and besides a nightmarish experience in the airport and a lingering cold, I had an amazing time. I left with two colleagues on Thursday morning for the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) annual meeting, a gathering of scientists, journalists and science PIOs. The day started early -- 3:15 a.m. Because of a huge ice storm the day before, we gave ourselves some extra time to get to JFK. Everything seemed to be running smoothly for a bit. We sailed through baggage check and security, grabbed a light breakfast, boarded the plane and taxied out to the runway. Then the plane pulled off to the side while the runway was inspected for ice one more time. And we sat. And sat. We listened to an announcement that the food available on the plane had run out (exempting first class, of course). And we sat some more. Finally, four and a half hours later, we took off. Our stomachs ached when the smell of fresh-baked cookies served in first class drifted back to our cramped quarters. And then we sat some more for the five and a half hour flight. We drifted through the rest of the night, stuffing our faces with Indian food and then going to bed. The rest of the weekend was great.

San Francisco is a beautiful city, almost European with its sidewalk dining, and yet unlike anything I've ever seen. The hills are filled with white and pastel-colored houses and buildings, and the taxis provide mini roller coaster rides to their passengers as they plummet downhill. We visited the typical spots: Fisherman's Wharf, where we watched the sea lions; Lombard Street, where we sped down the famous, although somewhat disappointing curviest road; Golden Gate Park, where we repeatedly received offers for mushrooms and "purple bud;" and Haight Street, where we ate some really good burritos. We also took a nighttime ferry cruise on the bay and visited most of the ethnic neighborhoods: North Beach (Italy), Chinatown and Little Saigon. The meeting itself was a sort of mini-reunion for me, bringing together some of the people I've met around the world in the past year or so. There's Katie, who I met in Illinois, visited me while I was in Switzerland, and now lives there. Neil, who I only knew through video conferences from Palo Alto before meeting in Geneva. Dave, who I heard about through the grapevine and met this weekend. These people, and many others, all mixed in with many new faces I'm bound to see somewhere else around the world.