We Left Our Hearts In San Francisco

A Rainy Day, But Good Day in San Fran

Oct. 2 & 3, 2011

What a beautiful skyline!

So much for the scenic winding roads.  Now there were freeways, 5 lane highways and traffic.  That’s city life.  Thank goodness for the GPS.  We were totally confused as to where to go and where to stay while in and around San Francisco so we called my cousin Eileen, who lives in Martinez, only to find out she was on the East Coast and on a cruise.  Her daughter wasn’t around and our friend “Aunt Maria” in Morgan Hill wasn’t home either so we were on our own to figure it out.  With the help of the GPS it suggested a campground a half mile from where we currently were in Larkspur, Marin County .  So we pulled in the RV site and it was within walking distance to the ferry to San Francisco and they had all sorts of info.  We were right on the harbor and could even see San Quentin.  Just like home- Ha Ha.  

In the morning we walked over to the ferry and for $4.25 each, we had a 1/2hr ride to San Francisco.  It’s amazing how many people they loaded onto the ferry in about 5 minutes.  The Vineyard needs to take some lessons.  We sat with some fellows going to work so they gave us some good tips and pointed out Angel Island and Alcatraz. 

Alcatraz

We arrived at Pier 4, The Embarcadero, had a coffee and Belgian waffle which energized us for the walk to Pier 39.  We chose to do this rather than the trolley.  Aren’t we good!  At the pier we took a 2 hr,. narrated,  open top bus, tour of the  city.   Great tour where we snapped pictures and got a history  and a real good feel of all the sites of the city.  Fisherman’s Wharf, Chinatown, Italian, Japanese, Haight Ashbury, Painted Ladies, the Presidio, and The Golden Gate Botanical Park and Tea Gardens.  We were advised of several areas to avoid and as we drove through them it was quite evident why!

Of course, the premier site was The Golden Gate Bridge where we got to get off and took pictures.  We were just finishing up the tour and the rain let loose, but it was time for lunch so we got a great seafood lunch at  Sabella & La Torre on the Pier. Luckily we had great rain gear so it didn’t slow us down except having to cancel a dinner in Chinatown (we’ve both had a craving for good Chinese food so that’ll have to wait)  Had to have a Boudin Sour Dough Chowder Bowl. 

We happened upon a really unique museum that housed hundreds of antique arcade machine and games.

By this time it was now pouring rain so we ducked in and out of shops on Pier 39.  Too bad but we had a great day in San Francisco.  We wondered Pier4, Embarcadero market shops before boarding the ferry and watched the beautiful city on the hills fade away and before we knew it were back in our “cozy little cabin on wheels” and enjoyed some Asian food we brought back from the Farmer’s Market.  A good day even if it did rain.  

Look closely for the humming bird.