Photo Month: Day 23: Golden Gate Bridge

San Francisco Summary

We had a really great time on our "vacation." It wasn't like our normal vacations ... just laying around and planning everything around food. We did so many touristy things. On Tuesday we went to the Aquarium. We like to go to aquariums. It was okay. We got to pet sting rays, sharks, star fish, and sea urchins. The petting pools are always my favorite part of the aquarium. Overall it was over priced, but the ticket was included in our city pass, so it was no big deal. They had skate egg casings with windows cut into them and you could see the different levels of maturation. OMG! They were like strange alien creatures wiggling around. In the video the white lumps at the bottom are the yolks.

After the aquarium we went on a bay cruise. It was a bit cold and windy, but I survived the trip out to the Golden Gate Bridge and around Alcatraz. Our next tourist stop was the Exploratorium. That place is heaven for kids and engineers. We spent all afternoon there. We even spent the extra money and did the tactile dome. Ross could have stayed even longer (I was getting worn out), but the place was closing, so we had to leave. At the end of the day we were again totally exhausted, even though we didn't walk that much.

Wednesday we biked across the bridge. We had some good Thai food and ice cream in Sausalito before taking the ferry back. Another exhausting day. And my sit bones still hurt! On Thursday we rented car and went to Muir woods. It was very peaceful. I wish we had something like that close to us here. I really like the mountains. After that we headed up to Sonoma Valley and did a few wine tastings. We never really had lunch, and it was getting late, so we only managed wine tasting at three places. The first place was this huge (16,000 sq ft) house (mansion I guess, but I hesitate to call it a castle). We tasted a few things and Ross and I agreed that the red Zinfandel was awesome! We got two bottles at 40 bucks apiece. No hesitation. It was amazing that we found something that we both like. Ross is really excited about the wine, and it survived the return flight--yeah!

After wine tasting we had to wait a while for restaurants to open. Grrrr! I hadn't had lunch and I was hungry! We ate at a nice place that filled up right after it opened. My only complaint was that the mashed potatoes were bland and watery. I can say the same for the chili Ross had on Tuesday. He was a little disappointed. I've spoiled him. I'm such a food snob I wouldn't eat the cookies that the hotel laid out at tea time. Ross tried one and said it wasn't as good as mine. Haha. When we got back to San Francisco we drove down the crookedy Lombard Street. It was a much more relaxed day.

On Friday we did some last minute shopping. After our breakfast of tea and croissants at the hotel (I wish they also had cheese. Cheese makes the world go 'round! Also, I'm sure Ross would have enjoyed some hot chocolate rather than tea.) we walked through Chinatown one last time. It was so nice to see everybody line up in such an orderly fashion to get the morning paper. I'm used to people pushing and shoving. Cherries were 79 cents a pound! I love to see the Chinese markets. We walked all the way to the Ferry Building and I bought a bunch of teas. I had a big cheese craving, so we bought a hunk of cheese at a cheese shop and some rolls at the bakery. I later bought a couple of apples and that became our in-flight meal. After that shopping I spent a bunch of money at Lush. I always do. It's so funny that they have a store in Dallas, but I'm always buying stuff in New York. I go half way across the country when I could go across town...hahah. Then we went into the mall. Corny, I know, but it was because of my jeans obsession. I went into Lucky Brand Jeans (yes, there's one in Dallas) and asked them some questions and tried on a few pairs of jeans. I had told Ross that since I got bicycle grease on my almost brand new pants (his fault...duh) I was going to make him buy me some jeans, but I was only kidding. Ross tried on some shoes at Clark's. He really likes the Clark's he bought in January. I wore my Clark's on most of the trip (I wore a pair of my NY shoes to the wine tasting and dinner on Thursday). He found a pair he really likes. They are pricey, so he says they will be his back to school shoes....ha! After the shopping we picked up our luggage and headed down to the train to ride the BART back to the airport. We got home late, but with no problems. I did manage to cast on all the stitches for the other side of the shorts that I'm knitting. I meant to do that before we left. Yesterday was a lazy day recovering. I made some guac and we took that to a party.

Oh, I forgot...Pip. The hotel has a live in cat--which helped slightly with my Bailey-separation anxiety. On Thursday and Friday he came to visit us. He must have known I'm a total sucker. He stood at the door and meowed. I let him in and then he stood at the bathroom door. The bathroom was really nice with marble counter top and a footed tub. Anyways, I let him into the bathroom. I knew he was looking for water. He drank out of the faucet for a while and then curled up on a chair in the room and went to sleep. Before we left for the day I picked him up (heavy!) and put him in the hall. He came into the room on Friday and ran under the bed. We just left the door open since we were checking out. Bailey has been very vocal about her disapproval of our vacation. She's been very clingy and whiny. I missed her too. Well, now it's time for brunch I guess...

Quickie

Just a quick post as we are packing up. Yesterday we went to Muir Woods and Sonoma Valley. Ross wanted to have a quickie in one of the giant redwoods, but I said no. I know, I'm such a party pooper. Much more later....

Working (Out) Vacation

We are having a great time here in Sanf Francisco. We are so worn out though! It's been more draining than relaxing with all the walking and stuff. I will eventually get around to the things we did yesterday. Today we biked across the Golden Gate bridge--on a tandem bike! Scary, and quite difficult. It was exhausting! It was fun, and I'm really glad we did it, but we are never, ever going to ride a tandem bike again. Our sit bones are SOOOOO sore! We rode the bike down to Sausalito and had a late, great Thai food lunch. We walked around a bit, had some ice cream (green tea and vanilla bean), and shopped a bit. I was originally thinking that we could ride the bike back, but we took the ferry and I'm glad we did. The last 5 minute ride from the ferry to the bike return was quite painful. There's so much more we want to do, but there just doesn't seem like there's time for it all. We had a really good dinner. Walked a bit afterward, then jumped on the cable car. Now it's time for bed. Tomorrow we'll rent a car and go do a little wine tasting. Maybe that will be a bit more relaxing....
An Indian couple took this photo for us after we let them pose with our bike and take photos.
Golden Gate Bridge (and a lamp post).
We saw this as we were walking from dinner. Durian snow anyone? No? Then try the avocado snow!

Starting San Francisco

So, this theater is just a couple doors down from our hotel. We get a kick out of it every time we see the sign. There are photos of the male dancers on the billboard out front, and I keep thinking...couldn't they take a more flattering photo? One of the guys looks totally creepy.
So, I'm really tired. I'm just going to say that we wandered around Chinatown a bit today. We have to go back and go to the Chinese book store and tea shops. I guess I can put at least 30 minutes of walking down as my exercise for today. We really hiked some hills.
We rode the cable car back down the hill and had dinner at a little Italian joint. Shared a pizza. Laughed at the Nob Hill Theater sign. Now it's time for bed. Tomorrow--hopefully the aquarium and a couple of other attractions. Now it's time for bed.