The girls see Jersey Boys

Last night C and I took our friend, L, to see Jersey Boys in the City in honor of her recent graduation from Santa Clara University.

We met at C's house shortly after 4:00. C drove, since her new Honda has navigation. After inputting the our destination into the computer, we were on our way. As we approached the City, the navigation system instructed us to exit on 19th Avenue. We decided to avoid 19th Avenue, since it's a major approach to the Golden Gate Bridge and it was rush hour. Continuing on the freeway, the navigation system re-calculated the route. After exiting the freeway, we followed the navigation's instructions as we drove through multiple neighborhoods and along side streets for 45 minutes until we arrived at our dinner destination- The Fairmont Hotel at 950 Mason Street. There was one problem, however...

We were not at the Fairmont Hotel.

We were on Mason Street in the middle of the Presidio. While it was an absolutely gorgeous location- with an amazing view of the Golden Gate Bridge and Alcatraz, it was not where we were supposed to be.

Note to future self- there are two Mason Streets in San Francisco... When inputting a destination make sure you use the correct one!

Having learned our lesson, we used the phone number function to input our correct destination. This time the navigation system took us to the top of Nob Hill where the hotel sits. Having driven for an hour and a half (it should have only taken 45 minutes), we quickly found a parking space on the street (free parking after 6 pm!) and went into the hotel for dinner at the Tonga Room.

If you've never heard of the Tonga Room, all you need to know is that it is the place to be for Happy Hour in San Francisco. They have a great buffet for $8- with a one drink minimum (you can also get non-alcohalic drinks and you still get the little umbrellas). So after ordering our kitschy umbrella drinks, we hit the buffet for spring rolls, fruit, cheese, stir fry, crab Rangoon, short ribs and more. Every 1/2 hour there is a thunder and lightning storm complete with rain into the lagoon in the center of the room. It actually reminded me of the Tiki Room at Disneyland, only with food and drinks...

We left the Fairmont and drove a mile where we parked in a garage close to the theater. During the short, one-block walk to the theater- we were hit up for money by no less than 5 panhandlers. One smiling, female panhandler caught my attention. From her wheelchair, she complimented us on our outfits and supplied us with directions to the theater (not that we asked for directions, but it was appreciated nontheless). On our way back to the garage after the show, she opened the door for us. While I don' t normally give money to panhandlers, I dropped a $5 bill into her cup.

Note to panhandlers, and I'm sure there are many who read this blog, at least provide a service when you hit people up for money. As my mother always said, "Honey attracts more flies than vinegar"...

So anyway, we made it to the show which we all enjoyed. The music was lots of fun, but the language was definitely PG-13. Not a show for kids... If you have a chance, go see the show. If you don't, at least get The Very Best of Frankie Valli and the Four Seasons- you won't regret it. Upon exiting the theater, we learned that Barry Bonds hit his 756th home run during the "Sherry" number in the show.

We made it back to the garage to retrieve the car with no further adventures and drove home, arriving shortly after midnight. Poor C had to get up early to go to work this morning. At least I had the option of sleeping in.

It was an option I took.