Weekend getaway

My wife and I got away on our own this weekend, "visiting" San Francisco. Although we live in the area, it's easy to take it for granted and see less of it than tourists. Plus it's great to get away as a couple sometimes. So several times a year, our kids stay with the grandparents for a day or two, and we "travel" somewhere in the Bay Area.

We're under a budget, so usually stay someplace nice but within reason. This has meant most of the nice San Francisco hotels located in the heart of the city have been outside our reach. However, this time we tried PriceLine for the first time, and scored the Grand Hyatt hotel on Union Square for $110, a sizable savings over the normal $220 rate.

We had a great time. I'm ashamed to say it had been over 20 years since I had last been to Union Square. Since that time San Francisco completely renovated it; it's now wonderfully open, teeming with people and host to constant special events. The Union Square I remember was a magnet for the homeless and you walked through it quickly to get on your way.

We also stopped by the Cheesecake Factory at Macy's, which was packed. I'm not a cheesecake fan, but this is not normal cheesecake: the taste is out of this world! We brought back some White Chocolate Raspberry Truffle cheesecake for my folks and the boys - it was divine.