Gillian and I had a fabulous time in San Francisco last weekend. And we survived without a car.

On Saturday we discovered two unexpected city treats - a trip to 826 Valencia, the writing center for students age 6 to 18, founded by Dave Eggers, and a wonderful Indian restaurant Dosa, which offers south Indian cuisine.

The writing center has been supported by powerhouse authors such as Michael Chabon, Isabel Allende, and Amy Tan. It was a treat to meet two of our children and their “spouses” (i.e., significant others) at the writing center. My daughter Rebekah and I have a mutual admiration for Dave Eggers and we were both excited to journey to the center where we met my son Nathan.

After a tour of the facility, which doubles as a pirates supply store, we set off on foot along Valencia Street in search of lunch. Two blocks away we found an inviting restaurant – Dosa. The six of us squeezed into the last available table, as the place was busy and we were treated to the best meal of the weekend. The ambience was great, the service outstanding, and the food – well it was fantastic.

What a magical afternoon! And we had not even seen the Cirque du Soleil show “Koosa” yet – our Sunday adventure.

Pierre Cutler
The Sacramento Executive