I started off from Antioch at 7:30, knowing that traffic along highways 4, 242, 680, 24, 580 and Interstate 80 would be messy. Yes, it took that many highways! Sure enough, a 50-mile trip took me almost two full hours.
Here's the kicker, though--I've never driven in San Francisco. All those times I've been there? Always a passenger. I have never been behind the wheel of a car in San Francisco, on the Bay Bridge, or anywhere else in that immediate vicinity. Shocking, no? And a little scary, as I set off to find The Embarcadero and the waterfront on my own. Especially as I hate driving in cities and tend to get lost even in parts of the world I should know like the back of my hand (*cough* Sacramento *cough*).
I'm happy to report that I found the Embarcadero easily, and managed to find the parking garage across from Pier 39 with no problems. I parked my car and hustled downstairs to meet Shae.
I got there a few minutes before she did, so I took a few pictures. If you don't know about my hobby of taking pictures of signs, well...it's something I do. Here's a couple I took while waiting:
San Francisco is famous for its summer fog. While the nearby Sacramento Valley and Delta region are hot, dry and sunny through June, July and August, the bay gets cooler air and fog. Shae got to see some of that famous fog in all it's glory this morning, as you can see in the following pics, taken from Pier 39.
No visit to Pier 39 is complete without a visit to the famous sea lions who have taken over part of the marina there. They are noisy and they smell bad, but they are fun to watch, and a huge draw to tourists.
After this, we wandered down the street to Fisherman's Wharf, taking pictures along the way.
From here, we caught up with a bus tour of the city--one of those open-top double decker bus deals. The tour makes a loop through downtown San Francisco, starting with a great view of Coit Tower:
We also got some good views of the Bay Bridge and the Trans-America Building:
While we rode around on the bus, the fog started to lift, and we had blue sky in abundance. We rode for quite a while, just taking pictures as we saw fit.
Union Square:
City Hall:
Random Building:
We got off the bus at the entrance to Chinatown and spent some time strolling through this very colorful part of the city, taking pictures.
We were crossing a street (with the right-of-way) when I gave Shae a scare by stopping in the middle for a Kodak moment:
Nothing significant about Clay Street, I just wanted a picture of the sign in Chinese script:
In the middle of Chinatown, there's a cute little Catholic church:
As we left Chinatown to catch the bus again, I couldn't resist taking a picture of this:
We caught the next sightseeing bus through the area and rode it all the way back to Fisherman's Wharf. Along the way we got some good photo ops.
If I recall correctly, this is the church of St. Frances of Assisi--San Francisco, obviously.
Off in the distance, the infamous crooked portion of Lombard Street--"the crookedest street in the world." There's more to this story later in this blog...
Once back to Fisherman's Wharf, we had lunch at Boudin Sourdough at Pier 39, then wandered around to get a few pictures.
The Bay Bridge from Pier 39
In front of Bubba Gump Shrimp Co:
If you go to certain restaurants in Pier 39, make sure your attire is decent:
After this, it was time to rendevous with Rosie the Protege. We made our way to the Golden Gate Bridge, relying mostly on my intuition and helpful street signs, instead of the map. We drove across and stopped at the scenic viewpoint on the other side to take some pictures. It was still a little bit foggy over the bay, as you will see.
Alcatraz and the barely-there Bay Bridge:
San Francisco Skyline:
Meg by the Bay:
Shae by the Bay:
Meg and Shae by the Bay on a Windy Day:
Self portrait of a girl with windblown hair:
It was windy and cold, so we didn't linger too long. We got back in the car and I figured it would be easier to get on the freeway going northbound, rather than south towards San Francisco. We made a big loop through the darling town of Sausolito and then caught 101 South back to the Golden Gate Bridge.
Once across we veered off towards Golden Gate Park. In all the years I've lived in California, and in all the times I've been to San Francisco, I had never been to Golden Gate Park before today.
We parked Rosie and got out to look at the Japanese Tea Garden. Turns out there's an admission price, so we stood just inside for a minute and got a couple of pictures. Then we turned around and left.
From here we walked towards a massively ugly building which I finally realized was the deYoung museum. We popped in to use the bathroom and see what the upcoming exhibits are, then walked back towards Rosie and the botanical gardens.
We spent some time wandering the botanical garden and taking lots of great pics (I only uploaded the best of the best). There was a man feeding the squirrels peanuts--they would come right up to him. It was rather sweet to watch:
There is a squirrel in this pic, eating a peanut:
Random pics of the garden:
A fabulous tree:
It was a little after 4:00 by now, so we decided to head across the city. The plan was to drive back to Antioch, where Shae's friend Sharon would pick her up later.
We were making our way down Marina...and suddenly, I looked up and said, "Waitaminute...how the hell did we end up on Lombard?"
See, I have this alarming tendency to find myself in places I don't expect to be. I'm the person who will, one day, call my parents from the Oregon border, wondering how in the world I got there when all I meant to do was run to the local Safeway. It's one of my many charms.
Anyway, so here we were on Lombard Street, facing a gigantic hill ahead. At the top of that hill is the start to the Worlds Crookedest Street.
We decided this was a sign. So off we chugged up the massive hill, and we had the singularly exciting experience of driving down the crooked block of Lombard Street. I had no one immediately behind me, so I was able to stop after each turn to allow Shae to stick her camera out the window and snap more pictures. She has promised to email me those...I had to keep both hands on the wheel!
We finally found our way back to the Bay Bridge (after, *ahem* a brief detour through Fisherman's Wharf). While we waited in traffic at a red light, I noticed a fantastic photo opportunity right under my nose:
Yep, the Bay Bridge in my side mirror.
Traffic wasn't too bad coming back to Antioch, so we made it in about an hour and 15 minutes. I took the long way in so Shae could see my place of business. We stopped at Panda Express and took our food back to my apartment. Shae got to meet the infamous Millennium Joy, who is usually shy of strangers to the point of hiding under the bed. She was sociable tonight, however.
Shae's friend arrived at about 8:00, and I made a quick run to Target for the latest Stephanie Plum adventure by Janet Evanovich. I wanted to get my pictures and stories up while they were fresh, so here I am, at almost 11:00. I get to sleep in tomorrow, so it's all good!
I had a great day. It was awesome to meet Shae (first person I've met from our close-knit little NASCAR board!) and I had fun playing tour guide, especially in a city I love so well. I can't wait to see Shae's pictures--especially the ones she took as we negotiated the twists and turns of Lombard Street!
With that, it's time for me to go to Bedfordshire. I'm exhausted, in the very best sense.
Cheers!
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