I just got back from my favorite “work” trip of the year: my annual pre-IRDC site scouting visit. For a day and a half, I hoofed it through San Francisco, enjoying the sunny, 75-degree weather as I explored the retail, restaurants and other must-see sites—all in the name of research. Our marketing team figures this is the best way to provide IRDC attendees with great recommendations to make the most of their time at the conference. Hey, who am I to argue?

We’ll all be staying at the Parc 55 Wyndham hotel, which is right across the street from the Westfield Centre and just a couple of blocks from Union Square. So shopping? Yeah, we’ve got that covered. Restaurants, too. I’m not going to go into too much detail here (wait ’til you see the brochure!), but here are just a few random observations from my super-fast—and in no way thorough—tour of San Francisco:

1. You know how mall food courts tend to be lame? Well, not the one at Westfield. I’m so glad Michael Bodziner, principal of San Francisco-based firm Gensler, urged me to check it out. The concourse Food Emporium features tasty local eateries, nicely designed and with a great variety of cuisines. There’s a vegan restaurant right in the middle. In a mall, people! Upstairs, star chef Tom Colicchio has an outpost of his sandwich shop, ’wichcraft, along with other tempting restaurants, as well.
2. Speaking of Gensler: Michael gave me a tour of their gorgeous offices overlooking the Bay Bridge. I love visiting design and architecture firms, because you can get a real feel for the firm’s professional aesthetic and because they’re always so inspiring. With a well-designed firm headquarters, you can feel the creative energy sparking from the minute you walk off the elevator. Love that. And the energy I took away from Gensler practically floated me to my next stop…
3. The Ferry Building Marketplace. This was walking distance from Gensler (and a quick ride on the BART from the Parc 55), right along the bay, and I could have stayed there all day. Instead, I grabbed a cheese sandwich from Acme Bread and walked around, ogling the beautiful (and tiny!) shops selling meat, chocolate, olive oil, fish and much more. Outside, I lingered over the sustainable produce at the farmers market for as long as I could. When the seagulls started eyeing my sandwich, I reluctantly left.

Stay tuned for more updates, and drop me a line at kristin.zeit@stmediagroup.com if you have ideas, questions or comments regarding the IRDC program. The countdown begins!