Doug and I had a blast in San Francisco, which was to be expected. Our train rolled in on Tuesday morning, and we met one of my friends, Cheri, who I met a few weeks ago when I was in Vancouver for orientation. It was SO GOOD to connect with her again and spend the day bouncing around Berkeley and San Francisco together. We went to the Museum of Modern Art because it is free on the first Tuesday of every month (score) and then enjoyed some pizza at California Pizza Kitchen before Cheri and I went for a walk all over the city. Afterwards, we headed back to Berkeley where we left our packs and Cheri's car and we went to the nearby marina where we watched the sun set over the Golden Gate Bridge. What we didn't know was that this was the one night a year that the sun set exactly in the middle of the bridge (score), so there were some photographers there who were capturing this annual beauty. It was indeed a lovely sunset, and it was a great culmination to the perfect day with Cheri. We took some trains and buses to get into San Francisco again to stay with Kaitlyn, a friend of mine from college, who is a teacher with Teach for America.
The next morning, Doug and I were feeling pretty ambitious and decided to cram in, I don't know, maybe a week's worth of fun... in one day... on foot. We started off by heading to the Japanese Tea Garden in the Golden Gate Bridge, which was beautiful and green and peaceful. I have a growing fascination with Asian gardens; I like the precision and detail with which the gardeners care for all the plants and are intentional in placing all the stones, trees, and pathways. This one did not disappoint. After the garden, we headed to Amoeba Records (Doug's kind of heaven) and I planted myself in a corner coffeeshop for some writing time called Happy Donuts. The donuts were in fact happy, and I was happy to have one. After donuts, Doug and I started to make the trek to Lombard Street -- the most crooked street in the world. We walked on cool streets that had cute coffeeshops and bookstores, and I bought a tomato and some cheese in one of the markets. We walked down Lombard Street (which took like two minutes) and I couldn't help but wonder what the people that lived on that street were like and how they felt about having hundreds of tourists walking by their homes every single day. I didn't meet any of them, so the mystery remains.
The infamous Fisherman's Wharf, with the hilarious sea lions, was next on the agenda, and fortunately only a ten minute walk from Lombard Street. We stopped in a park to eat some lunch, and Doug tried his first In-and-Out Burger, which is a unique-to-CA treat. I think he liked it.
The Fisherman's Wharf led us to Ghiradelli Square, where they had interesting stores and a Chocolate Shop known for its sundaes. Doug enjoyed his mint chocolate sundae, and I indulged in a chocolate shake, and we had them by the water, looking into all kinds of blue skies and water. We walked around some piers and got some good photos before heading back to look in more shops along the Wharf and see the Sea Lions at Pier 39 -- funniest creatures we have seen on this trip, (maybe in my life). There is something about their size and flab and ridiculous calls that make them endearing spectacles. We watched them for a few minutes before catching a trolley (woot) to downtown -- a dream of both Doug's and mine. Trolley rides are very spectacular and dramatic. We were both privileged to score the standing room only spots, hanging off the sides. Straight out of a movie.
Day three in San Francisco meant it was time to see the redwoods. Kaitlyn graciously let us use her car and we chose to see them at the Muir Woods. Natural wonders, these towering redwoods. It blows my mind that something that tall is living, and has been living for hundreds of years. We went back to Kaitlyn's house and she and I made a pumpkin pie together before we headed to her old neighborhood (the Mission District) to have the best burritos I have ever had in my life (no small statement). After burritos, we came back to her house, made some whipping cream to go with the pie, and said goodbye. Doug and I were up and out by 6 AM this morning. After taking two commuter trains and a shuttle, we are sitting on our train, bound for LA. We have been stopped on the tracks for the last two hours because the US military was launching a rocket and wasn't letting any trains pass. We sat, watched the cows feed on the pasture, watched the sun sink behind the mountains and, just minutes ago, watched the rocket launch. Not a bad way to spend a Friday evening.
Cheers!
this sounds WONDERFUL. love SF.
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