++ [ originally posted by swag
] ++
Hey Nick --
You're welcome any time here! I'd be happy to show you around. We should at least meet up for lunch or something (I work pretty much downtown).
This time of year, the weather can be literally quite cold in the city (60F, foggy, and windy), so be prepared. Drive any ways out of the city, and you will fry like an egg.
As for a hotel, other than my place (I never stay at hotels around here!)... hmmm... to pick something offhand, the Hotel Triton isn't half bad if you like funky design and a good location. It's near more of the "French quarter" of town (if you can call it that), it's also at the mouth of Chinatown and nearby a number of places within walking distance. A little small, but decent. The Andrews Hotel is supposedly a good place if you're going on the cheap. The Orchard Hotel is pretty good if you have a little more cash to spend and you want to go a little classier.
Cafe Trieste is still there. Swing by on a weekend afternoon and there will be much Italian singing in the place.
Spanish Steps? I'm guessing you're thinking the Steps of Rome cafe in SF. It's one of the few places I could catch RAI Int'l to watch games in a public, more social environment. But even they have let their standards down. I wouldn't rave about it, but it's worth a visit.
I've taken my espresso tasting to the level of a sick obsession, so if you want to know more about the where and all, I welcome you to check out my unpublicized pet project in PHP:
http://www.coffeeratings.com/