Brian and I had a real treat in October: We went to San Francisco for five days. Brian was attending a conference, and I tagged along.
We arrived around noon on Sunday morning, made our way to the hotel and checked in, and then set out to explore the city a bit before Brian's meetings started the next day.
First, we went to the place where every San Francisco tourist must venture--Fisherman's Wharf and Pier 39.
We rode the cable car down to the Wharf. It was a supremely hot day, I was sitting on the inside, and the car was quite crowded. Not quite the first cable car experience I had anticipated.
There were a few interesting people at the Wharf, including several men bedecked in gold, like this one:
Alcatraz off in the distance.
The famous sea lions, which apparently are no longer native to the area. They are now brought in for the entertainment of tourists like us.
One of the first of many shots we would take of the Golden Gate Bridge. (I took over 800 pictures--and at least 100 were of this beauty!)
The city skyline was so stunning.
Brian at the bottom of Lombard Street.
We walked up the famous street. (By the time we reached the top, I was wondering why, exactly, we hadn't started at the top and journeyed down. Hmm.) I loved all of the houses, especially this one:
View from the top. Coit Tower is off in the distance--one of the few sights I didn't manage to visit during our stay.
The Bay Bridge, off on the right.
I loved the architecture. Can I repeat that again? I loved the architecture.
From Lombard Street, we trekked back down towards the Bay and made a stop at Ghiradelli Square. (The picture below includes a fountain. Sorry, it's funky.) For all the hype about this place, I was a bit disappointed. (We would go back the next night for hot fudge sundaes, however, and those did not leave me disappointed!)
We headed over to Chinatown--an amazing city within a city, and so fun to wander.
That night, we met up with one of Brian's colleagues from Virginia and enjoyed a dinner at a yummy restaurant in Chinatown. Once dinner was over, we were pretty worn out from a long day of traveling and endless walking up and down SF's legendary hills. We headed back to the hotel and to sleep.
On Monday morning, Brian left early for his conference duties, and I had the day to myself. (Seriously, when does that ever happen?!?) I had signed up for a walking tour of the Golden Gate Bridge, in conjunction with the "social program" of Brian's conference. So at 8 a.m., there I was on the bridge. It was incredibly foggy and also extremely windy. But the walk was invigorating, fascinating, and altogether just perfect. I stopped frequently to take pictures. Most of them consist of fog, with bits of the bridge barely peeking through.
On the bridge, a sobering reminder that this bridge has the highest rate of suicide of any location in the world.
An old Civil War garrison was built on the banks of the Bay, and when the Bridge was built, the architect recognized its historical value. Thus, he built around it. Good man.
How would you like this job?? Contrary to popular belief, these full-time Bridge painters do not start at one end and paint straight through to the other. But they do paint the Bridge constantly, as needed, and the entire Bridge is painted on average of every seven years.
After the jaunt across the Bridge, I took a city bus down to the famous "Painted Ladies" houses. (Think of the movie Mrs. Doubtfire, everyone.) I stared at these houses for the longest time and took lots of photographs (and wondered if the people inside the houses ever get weary of people like me, who stare and study and stare some more). I will say that a few of the "Painted Ladies" needed some painting :), but taken as a whole row, they were gorgeous. I also enjoyed viewing a the homes on neighboring streets. At this point, I was beginning to fall in love with SF.
After walking around this little neighborhood, I continued across town on the bus to Golden Gate Park. I had an adventure finding it, having gotten off the bus at the wrong stop. But find it I did, and it, too, did not disappoint. I took about 50 pictures of foliage and trees throughout the park. It is a stunning place.
The Conservatory of Flowers was closed on Monday, but I enjoyed its lovely grounds.
Who can resist a white fire hydrant?
Sculpture of Cervantes. A number of literary giants were enshrined in sculpture in this area of the Park.
One thing I very much wanted to do was go inside the California Academy of Sciences, but I decided to save that for a later trip (with my kiddos!). The outside of the building was quite remarkable.
Charming.
The outside of the deYoung Fine Art Museum. I would return the next day to go inside.
I strolled through the Japanese Tea Garden. It was breathtaking. I especially loved this unusual bridge:
I left the Tea Garden and began to head out of the Park, but not before stopping in this tiny little gem of a garden:
While waiting for the streetcar, I spotted this place across the street:
I took the streetcar down to the Embrocadero area, near the Bay Bridge and the financial district. I got yelled at by a homeless bum and duly noted the "Occupy SF" protestors camped out near the station. But what I really came to see was this:
The Bay Bridge, connecting downtown SF--
--across the divide...
I also came to see this building--the Ferry Building.
I spent several hours here, wandering the marketplace and thoroughly enjoying browsing through the many shops. I bought some pricey but extra delicious organic truffles as well as a a few other things.
I headed back to the hotel to meet Brian, who was finishing up his day at the conference. We rode the cable car again--the second time was much better than the first--and headed out for a great seafood dinner.
Brian enjoyed some crab, and I had bread bowl with clam chowder.
We topped off our dinner with a sundae at Ghiradelli's. By this point the sun had gone down, it was freezing!, and we called it a day.
