Locals Talk
Mike Barsul
Age: 57
Marin
- When I took the Hotel Matchmaker test these are the words I selected:
- Handsome/Masculine, Established/Affluent, Sophisticated, Adventurous/Active, Young-at-heart
- My favorite activities include:
- Love being a member of the local Toastmasters group; bicycling in the city, working out with my trainer.
- I was born and raised in:
- Milwaukee, Wisconsin
- I currently live:
- Sausalito/Marin City
- What do I do to make a buck?:
- I’m a gardener to the rich people in Pacific Heights.
- 5 things I love about the San Francisco Bay Area:
- The food, Diversity, Liberalism, The beauty, Hills
- My favorite local hidden treasure you shouldn't miss:
- The Filbert Steps would have to be my number one hidden treasure. An enchanting neighborhood garden surrounded by beautiful Victorian cottages, just a few steps away from Coit Tower.
- My perfect day spent in the San Francisco Bay Area:
- After breakfast in Union Square I would begin the day by walking up Grant Avenue to spend the day in North Beach. Beginning at the intersection where Columbus Ave and Grant Ave. intersect, I would have a bloody Mary at Vesuvio where I can sit on comfortable cushions under low ceilings and watch the street life on Columbus. This bar has been opened since 1948 and advertises "booths for lady psychiatrists".
- After my “afternoon" drink I would go downstairs and check out the Jack Kerouac Alley which just had a million dollar face-lift (2007) and spend some time looking at the colorful Zapatista Mural, one of the best hidden secrets of the city! On the opposite side of the alley is the world famous City Lights Bookstore where I would spend a leisurely afternoon browsing through the books and soaking up the history in what has been called, the “mother ship of the writers and poets of the beat generation" (if these walls could talk!).
- By now I would be hungry for the best meatball sandwich in the city which can be found down the street at the Bohemian Cigar Store. To work off the sandwich I would walk through Washington Square Park and then walk up Telegraph Hill to Coit Tower. After feasting my eyes on the wonderful views I would go down the Filbert Steps to reach the Embarcadero where I can take the F-Line back towards Union Square. A perfect day.
