WE HAVE REACHED THE END

I now understand the quote..."The coldest winter I ever spent was one summer in San Francisco" attributed to Mark Twain.  I know it is not summer, but if this is any idea of the bay winds that frequent the area all year, they certainly encourage all to carry a warm jacket for the afternoon and evening!

Today we made our way onto Treasure Island for a lovely breakfast at Aracely Cafe.  Pam had a delicious empanada and breakfast bowl and I had a strawberry scone.  It was a great start.  We made our way over to the east side of the small island for a walkabout.  This event takes place on the last full weekend of each month during the Spring and Summer.  We walked the whole way taking in all the busyness and festive atmosphere.  Lots of people, lots of dogs and lots of everything.  We walked the full length of it and back again.  All in all we spent about 4 1/2 hours there.   

                                     

I had fun rooting through all these metal letters to find the perfect ones for a sign I have been wanting in my craft room.  With Pam's help and help of others rooting around...I finally had the mismatched letters to spell out Fabric Vault.  I can't wait to get home and put it all together!  

Pamela found a neat boutiquey art place that had ripped pages out of old dictionaries and printed pictures on the pages.  I immediately thought of Clay and how he would probably have had a shiver had he seen these, but I bought one for Sandra anyway!  Maybe Sandra and I should go down to his library and find an interesting old book and try making some of these for ourselves!  At $18 a page - we could make some serious change!

Once we had our treasures - it was time to make our way home and think about what to have for our final dinner in SF.  Decision came quickly - back to Chez Mama for what we knew would be a delicious end to such a wonderful holiday.  We certainly weren't disappointed.  While waiting outside the restaurant, we were served our drinks - and sipped until it was time to go in and take our seats.  I had chicken and Pam had the veal and we both shared the beef tartare.  We caught the bus down the street to pack up, tidy up and spend the last evening relaxing in Rob and Kathryn's loft.

So long for now San Francisco...I hope to taste your city again one day!

NOT A CRABBY DAY

We didn't rush out the door today - our destination was to take public transit to a hole in the wall restaurant called the Swan Oyster Depot on Polk Street.  There was a lineup on the street (as we read there would be) and we took our place in it.  We were told by others in line that the lineup wasn't very long.  The restaurant only seats 18 and so we waited and waited and waited.  

I went and had a manicure while Pam waited and waited and waited.  Then we waited together some more.  The promise of crab and fresh oysters kept us in line.  

This is the Crab Chrysanthemum with butter sauce

Finally after 2 1/2 hours we made it to our stools to be seated at the counter.  I had a Corona Beer and Pam had a White Wine.  Once it was our turn to order (yes there was more waiting) - I was salivating for the crab plate I wanted to order - we were told that there was no crab! WTF - there was no crab!  This wasn't because they had run out for the day - it was because the crab season in San Francisco had abruptly ended 2 days earlier and a full two weeks early for the year.  

So shrimp salad and chowder it was.  Pam did order 6 fresh/raw oysters (I had one) and we ate our meal quietly - me dreaming of what the Chrysanthemum Crab dish would have been like and Pam tucking into her oysters and our shared salad.  Nothing here was going to taste worth our waiting time other than crab.  However, after our repast, we were off to see the murals of the Mission District.  

What a vibrant Hispanic area - with colour, street music and many people out and about.  (We should have come here and had Mexican Food - forget the non existent crab) We walked down to Balmy Alley and had lots to see and smell.  So many fragrant vines, shrubs and flowers are in bloom right now in SF.  There were Angel Trumpets, wisteria, jasmine, roses and then lots of murals in and around this alley.  All and all The Mission District boasts more than 1000 murals and we certainly saw enough to satisfy this venture into the area.   

                 

COIT TOWER AND FOOD TRUCKS

Another sunny day and a day to explore with regular transit.  After a relaxing start to the day, we walked over to a nearby coffee shop and had lunch with a delicious coffee.  We were quite close to the street car that we needed to make our way to fisherman's wharf where we could transfer to a bus to go up to the Coit Tower.  

We were fortunate not to have to wait for very long to ascend to the top of the tower for our views of the city.  Although sunny here - there was a mist that is hovering in the bay.  This mist has been present for the last 3 days or so.  Not to be mistaken by the fog that can envelop the city and bridges.  The days we had planned for our Golden Gate exploration...those were the best of our days here for the beautiful views!  

Once atop of this pinnacle of the city, we were treated to a 360 degree look at San Francisco and the bay area.  We did not see the Golden Gate, but the Bay bridge was right there.  We could see Lombard Street and all of the downtown area.  It was so high and quite small and I had a bit of trouble looking out the windows as it was a straight drop down.  I did manage to take the pictures that I wanted to take.

In the area at the bottom of the elevator - there are beautiful murals that adorn the walls.  I loved the way that the murals surrounded the narrow windows and enjoyed just walking around reading the panels and taking pictures.  

After taking the bus up, we were going to walk down the Filbert Stairs - Pam said there was a surprise there.  It wasn't very long before the surprise made its presence known.  

Parrots - hundreds of parrots eating, flying, screeching, perching and just living there on the hill.  They were so very pretty - a vibrant green with a red head.  These cherry headed conyers/red masked parakeets have been residents of telegraph hill for many years.  Originally they were captive pets that hated being caged, were very noisy and frequently bit.  They were released by the owners or escaped and have been successfully breeding and thriving to a flock of more than 200 but have been described as 2000.  We did not see 2,000 but I know we heard and saw lots of these noisy residents.  It was quite a treat!  Thanks again, Pam for such a wonderful experience!

Once down the 300 steps (often steep but good railings) we walked to a local starbucks to have a drink, a sit down and a chance to get online and recharge our devices.  We called for Lyft ride (Vancouver better get their act together and accept this service!) to take us to our next attraction - Off The Grid!

 

Off The Grid is a Friday night gathering of Food trucks, good music and lots and lots of people down by the water at Fort Mason.  Amazing smells greeted us as we made our way through to the parking lot.  Also the cold and bitter wind was a constant there too.  We knew we weren't going to last long. We started off with a drink - I had a Pimms Cup and Pam had a Whisky Peach Tea.  I had chicken wings, Pam had a taco with Nopales (yummy cactus) and we shared truffle parmesan fries. We shared our table with a local man and his wife and in turn he shared some delicious buttery Peruvian cookies with us.

Then it was time to get back to the loft.  We chose a shared Lyft ride (cheaper cause you pick up 1 or 2 more passengers) and were greeted by a Lexus vehicle.  So nice to be warm an in a cushy vehicle. Home once again to watch a movie and gather our thoughts for the day ahead!

FAR EAST ADVENTURES

Another perfect day weather wise and a great day for checking more off the list!  We started out by taking local transit to get us to Chinatown.  This is the  oldest Chinatown one of the largest and in North America.  It covers 24 square blocks.  When we got off the bus - we headed for the City Lights Booksellers at the top of this area and had a look around.  

City Lights is an independents bookstore-publisher combination in San Francisco, CA that specializes i world literature, the arts ad progressive politics. (thank you Wikipedia) We had a quick look around and were soon on our way to wander the streets of Chinatown.

So many residents were out shopping today, we wandered in and out of some of the food stores and saw many interesting choices.  Pam recognized some of the things - but mostly we were just taking in the ambiance, smells and general busyness of the area.  We ended up having lunch at a place called China Live.  Although beautiful and delicious, it was very pricey - we would have done better to eat anywhere else I think.  

We walked to the Fortune Cookie Factory for our free tour. I was really looking forward to this.  We walked down a really scenic alleyway and then suddenly there it was.  Ok - so tour?  not so much.  Ten steps in and ten steps out and $1 for taking two pictures. 

We witnessed the two employees making the wafers, inserting the fortune and then bending them into the shape.  Still worth the visit.  We did get to sample a fortune cookie wafer and we had the opportunity to buy some fortune cookies if we wanted to.

Our tummies full we left there to walk to the Cable Car Museum.  It was all up hill.  Wow I made it - but slowly at times.  So into the museum we went. There is an interesting pictorial history with written description on the walls around the museum This is also the central powerhouse with the big winding wheels It was interesting to see the big wheels perpetually turning that winds the cables that move the cable cars on the 3 remaining routes up and down the hills.  

Then is was our turn to ride the cable car down to the Lombard Stop.  We got off at the top of Lombard Street and then Pam walked down and back up.  Pam chronicled this landmark.  

I stayed up at the top and waited and watched as the different and varied modes of transportation wended their way down this famous twisty turny landmark.  I know I could have made my way down, however, making my way back up would have been slow and arduous and we still had to get back on the cable car to see a few more things.

Next stop - Ghirardelli Square.  We watched them turn the cable car around for the trip back up the hill and had a walk around the stores in the square.  The wind was brutal and very chilling by the water today.  We bought some chocolate (of course) then we decided to grab a Lyft car back to... 

...The Fairmont Hotel - a landmark hotel and a visit to the Tonga Room Hurricane Tiki Bar.  We each had a $10 cocktail (happy hour prices) and watch 2 hurricanes pass through i.e., flashing light, thunder noises and rain falling in the lagoon - an experience for sure.  Pam is a great tour planner!  

Now back at Tennessee Avenue, our home base, for some clam chowder, bread and cheeses that we still had from our shopping trip on Sausalito.  It was another good night just to take it easy and settle in early. Tomorrow is The Coit Tower and some food truck fun down at Fort Mason.

HUMP DAY

Today is Wednesday the middle of our adventure and we started the day so low key and very welcome break from our other busy days  An Irish fellow we met on the Big Bus yesterday, Tadhg, (pronounced Tyg) accompanied us to a neighbourhood restaurant called Plow where we had sumptuous brunch. 

Pam had a scrambled egg dish, Tadhg had a The Plow and I enjoyed French Toast with strawberries and cream.  Their special coffee blend was a perfect  accompaniment.  We spent a very pleasant meal with wonderful conversation and then he made his way to the airport and we were off for our second of our two days on the Hop on Hop off - today we are using it mostly as transportation.

So the place we wanted to go to was the Ferry Building so we could take the ferry to Sausalito a place like Steveston or Fort Langley.  A little pleasant place for walking or biking.  They had great boutique shops and ice cream and restaurants and lots of people just taking in some pretty weather.

   

We wandered around for a bit and found a lovely little deli to buy our bits and bites for dinner tonight.  I even found a small i.e., 1 serving size Sutter House wine that was called Moscatto Sangria - ahhhh two of my favourite things - sure to be a winner.  So with cheeses, crackers, olives, apricot jam and a bit of deli meat - we had the perfect accompaniments to our loaf of sourdough waiting for us back at the loft. Netflix is available to us.  So movie, dinner and a face mask and we were good to spend time just chilling out!  Sorry no face mask pics.

HOP ON HOP OFF ON THE BIG BUS

Today was the start of our two day hop on hop off adventure.  The sun was shining and it was a great day to get going to see a couple of the spots on our list and get some lovely views.  I like these city tours - they always give me lots chances to get off and explore areas without having to search for transit that might otherwise not take me to the place I want to go to.  Also gives me a chance to see where I want to spend more time.  

Wave Organ

We got off at the Marina Stop which was also where the Palace of Fine Arts is located - what a beautiful impressive structure.  Modeled after Greco Roman design, it is huge, sprawling, columned and statued.  We were heading around to the Wave Organ, and so needed to wander through this area to get out past the yacht club onto a spit of land and then see the wave organ.  Well not sure why organ is in the name, lots of plinks and plunks and hollow sounds of splashing water (I understand the one in Croatia has lovely harmonic sounds).  This wasn't a bust - we had some great views of Alcatraz, the bridges and we got to cross this item off our list!

We ordered a Lyft car to take us to a coffee spot and to take us by this interesting house.  The yard was full of interesting sculptures.  I had spotted it on another ride and wanted to get a picture or two.I was not disappointed to have a better look at what the owner has created. 

I really loved the colour and novelty of his/her creation.  Now I am glad to have some pictures to share it with my scrapbooking when I get home.

So we wandered around looking for a coffee shop on Chestnut street after the driver dropped us off and settled on a bar with yummy looking thin crust pizza.  I had beer and Pam had wine and we both enjoyed a delicious margherita pizza with burrata cheese on top.   Although Pam was familiar with this cheese and loves it, it was a new taste for me. It was so creamy and good.  Feeling lucky to have found this spot, we were sated and ready to get on our way.   Beer always tastes so very good when I am travelling.  I don't think I drink a whole beer any other time of the year when at home - but I have already downed my second one while here.  As for Pam and wine?  That is another story!

Next we walked soooo many blocks to meet up with the Big Bus again, and after a brief sit down we were back down to the wharf to wander Pier 39 which is full of everything touristy.  Other than some ice cream and some time spent down in the area where the seals congregate, we were soon ready to make our way back to the the hotel to retrieve our luggage.  We did stop at Boudin and picked up a loaf of their delicious sour dough and a can of chowder so we can enjoy here at our new location which is staying at Kathryn and Robs loft while they are in Hawaii.  How lucky we are to have this space available for free accommodation to further explore San Francisco.

Glad to be able to rest my feet and legs for the evening, I watched some Neflix episodes of a show I like and just sat like a lump - something I hadn't done here yet.  It felt wonderful! and Tomorrow is another day!

BEACH COMBING AND JAPANESE GARDEN

This morning the sun was shining again.  I think we picked the perfect week for our adventure.  After a Denny's breakfast right at the hotel, we were Lyfting (like Uber) our way to Baker Beach to look for the illusive sea glass.  What a beautiful morning for a walk on the beach and a great first view of the Golden Gate Bridge.  Pam was lucky to find some pretty rocks for her collection, but I came up empty. My dreams were dashed again.  The beaches down here all seem to have a clothing optional area - not marked but you can easily see. 🙈 We walked straight on by to the end of the beach and then walked all the way back - but not many stones and no sea glass.  Did see a couple of condom wrappers, a jelly fish, some ladybugs and lots of sand crabs.

Coming back to the parking lot area, we ran into a couple of dog walkers and their charges for the day.  They had at least 8 dogs who were having so much fun cavorting on the beach.  They were running and jumping into the waves, fetching sticks and balls and just chasing each other around.  It was such fun to see.  When it was time for them to go, the handlers had all of them leashed up but one silly girl who just kept running back into the water and staying just out of reach.  It probably took them about 15 minutes to finally get her leashed up and back to the vehicle.  They sure had a great time.

Once we finished enjoying the beach - it was time to order another Lyft ride to take us to Golden Gate Park and the Japanese Tea Garden.  For an unknown reason, I couldn't get into the lift site to order a ride.  I approached a girl who I figured was local as she was letting her dog run at the beach too and asked if she could please help me order a ride from my phone.  She looked at the phone and couldn't figure it either, but offered to give us a ride to Golden Gate Park.  How kind of Lindsay and her dog Teddie.  (Turned out I had a setting wrong...)  We had a lovely walk in and around the gardens near the Conservatory of Flowers in the park and then to the Japanese Tea Garden. 

Before we entered, we had a hot dog lunch from a food truck nearby.  It tasted so good - sometimes plain is the best.  The Japanese garden was quite busy today.  Even though this isn't the busiest of times for tourists, it seems there are lots around the town and everyone is enjoying taking advantage of the lovely spring weather.

The Garden was lovely albeit a bit too busy to be completely serene, it was nice walking around and taking in the lovely plantings and water features.  Pam was brave enough to clime this bridge that looked a bit like a water wheel...and I was happy to take her picture doing it.  I was not up for the challenge of climbing up and then trying to get back down.  Soon it was time to get back to the hotel to get ready to go to Kathryn and Rob's to get acquainted with their place so we can move there tomorrow to look after their cats while they are in Hawaii - and the bonus is...we have 6 nights of free accommodation! What a treat.

For dinner we went to a small French Bistro called chez Maman and had the best dinner.  We shared beef tartare and toast points, mushroom crepe,  salad of arugula, warm herbed goat cheese and cipollini onion, parmesan cheese fries with dip, and delicious mussels.  I had a great glass of sangria and OMG - we wo enjoyed this spectacular feast.  We met people outside waiting for a table who were pouring and enjoying bottles of wine.  It is not uncommon to see people standing outside of a restaurant enjoying wine or beer while waiting for their table to be ready.  I took one last picture on top of this hill looking down on the city at night, said our goodbyes to Rob and Kathryn and then we were on our way back to the hotel for our last night down in the heart of the pier area.  Tomorrow we are starting our two day hop on hop off bus ride to see some of the areas that are best seen this way.  A little sampling of areas that we only need to see for a few minutes here and there.  So I better sign off for now and get ready for another fantastic adventure tomorrow.