Locals Talk
Rick Kos
Age: 39
San Francisco
- When I took the Hotel Matchmaker test these are the words I selected:
- Gentle/Quiet, Urbane, Creative/eclectic, Comfortable/Homey, Natural/Unpretentious
- My favorite activities include:
- Hiking, Urban exploration, photography, reading about history, film.
- I was born and raised in:
- New Jersey
- I currently live:
- South Beach (SOMA)
- What do I do to make a buck?:
- City Planner and Cartographer
- 5 things I love about the San Francisco Bay Area:
- It's never boring, the weather is easy on the body and soul, restaurants representing every cuisine on the planet, open-minded and tolerant people, and the ability to do most things without a car.
- My favorite local hidden treasure you shouldn't miss:
- Museum of the African Diaspora and the Cartoon Museum on Mission Street near Third, the Audium (for sound sculptures in a pitch-black studio), Potrero Hill neighborhood (most tourists never visit here), Crissy Field ("to die for" views of the Bay and Golden Gate Bridge), Fort Funston (great place to watch people hang-gliding), right onto Ocean Beach, the Palace of Fine Arts (great art and sweeping views of the Bay and Pacific Ocean).
- My perfect day spent in the San Francisco Bay Area:
- As much as I love the hustle and bustle of San Francisco, I always enjoy going to the city's quieter niches, which are surprisingly numerous. Particular favorites include Twin Peaks (birds eye view of the city from windy, quiet peaks), the less-traveled parts of Golden Gate Park, the Veteran's and Pet cemeteries in the Presidio, China Beach, and South Park in the SOMA neighborhood. From each of these places it's easy to remove yourself from the city's noise and crowds and view them from a place of quiet repose. Yet each of these places is close enough to the action that you can leap right back in quickly when you're rested and ready. Following a day of urban hiking, I love a good meal at Walzwerk (East German food in the Mission), Koh Samui (amazing Thai food in SOMA) or Canvas (south side of Golden Gate Park).
