That was a really, really dumb idea.
San Francisco tourists take note: do not, under any circumstances, stuff your face at In-n-Out at Fisherman's Wharf and then attempt to bike over the Golden Gate Bridge. What they fail to tell you at the bike rental places is exactly just how much of your journey is going to be traversing steep hills. In a state of "burger bloat", those hills become a whole lot taller, and a whole lot steeper.
This weekend, following our introductory week at IGN (which was amazing, but there wasn't much technology talk just yet), we decided to embark on another journey: this time to Pier 39 and Fisherman's Wharf, to eat at In-n-Out and see the sights. It would have been a really great day...if I had taken into account just how overrated In-n-Out was going to be, and settled for something a bit more...stomach-friendly...prior to setting out on that several mile long biking excursion over the big bridge.
First of all, Californians, I have to ask: "Really?"
After hearing for YEARS of how incredible In-n-Out burgers are, this is really the best you could do? I mean, yes, the customization options are nice. The ingredients are fresh. I'll give them credit where credit is due. But the overall burger experience? I'm sorry to say, but it's pretty much the same as Five Guys. The ingredients are a little different, but the burger doesn't live up to the massive amount of hype the chain managed to generate for itself over the years. I consider it an extreme disappointment when the best item on my order of a Double-Double Animal Style burger, fries, and chocolate-vanilla shake wasn't the burger, nor the fries, but the shake. THE SHAKE. I'm sorry In-n-Out, but you fail.
About 10 minutes into the bike ride we hit a gigantic hill. I shifted gears and started the climb. I succeeded in scaling the hill without getting off my bike, but I quickly ran out of breath. In hindsight, I should have just walked up it and then I wouldn't have been so far behind the rest of the trip, but you know what they say about hindsight. Then the second hill showed up. Then the third. By the time we hit the bridge, I felt like I was about to keel over. I've never loathed a burger so much in my life as that In-n-Out Double-Double Animal Style I consumed prior to taking this trip. After spending several weeks in Japan eating nutritious food and walking a few miles a day, I thought I would be fit enough to handle the bike ride....
I knew I was in trouble the second I saw the first hill, but then came the second. Then the third. As we biked closer and closer to the Golden Gate Bridge, the wind picked up, making it harder to maintain a steady pace. It got so bad that I had a hard time biking across flat areas as well. Just as we arrived at the Golden Gate and were about to cross, we were greeted with a sign stating that bicyclists had to cross via the OTHER side of the bridge. What did that mean? Scaling yet another hill to reach the bike path.
I'm happy to say that despite how difficult the ride was, and how much more difficult I made it for myself by devouring all that fast food prior to departing, I did manage to get all the way across the Golden Gate and then back to Fisherman's Wharf (mostly) intact. The trip across the bridge held some absolutely incredible views of the city, the bay, and the surrounding areas. To this day I'm surprised just how beautiful the area actually is, despite being a crowded, densely-packed urban area. After turning in our bikes, we finished up with dinner at Boudin's, apparently one of the pioneering bakeries of San Francisco sourdough bread. I also learned for the first time that San Francisco is known for a specific recipe of clam chowder (usually served in sourdough bread bowls). This particular variant of clam chowder is a bit fishier than the New England variety and contains fewer "extra" ingredients (i.e. vegetables). The chowder was decent, but the bread was delicious. Getting back to our lodgings via MUNI was also a piece of cake. I love how convenient the public transportation system can be.
Tomorrow begins our journey in earnest, as the IGN engineers begin teaching us the ins and outs of their codebase and the technologies powering it. We've been preparing, we're pumped up, and now it's time to show what we can do.
Michael Migliacio
@angstygaijin
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