I am way behind on blogging about various things as usual and so not knowing where in the heck to begin, I am just going to start with the first trip of a trilogy of trips this summer. . . my and Ryan's trip to San Francisco.
Our friends Katie and Chad had told us about getting cheap airfare and hotel to San Francisco and asked us if we wanted to join them on a weekend getaway. Weekend getaway? To one of our favorite cities? No kids? Umm. YES PLEASE.
My BIL and SIL were coming up from Arizona that weekend and needed a place to stay so they stayed at our house with all of our kids while we jumped on a plane and made our weekend escape.
However, I must make a slight confession. Had I had the choice presented to me again, I would have picked a different weekend. Life leading up to that weekend and following was extremely busy and chaotic. We had soccer, I had orders to do, household stuff, and we had to get ready for Girls' Camp - which involved a trip to get my Yukon checked out and serviced, trips to Target and Walmart for camp necessities and then packing for camp, sewing together a camp flag, and shopping for all the food for Girls' Camp and getting it all to fit in my refrigerator to keep until Tuesday morning. Nuts.
We left on the morning of July 2nd. My BIL Dave was kind enough to pick us up and take us to the airport. Per my usual before we embark on trips, when he arrived at our house, I was running around like a chicken with my head cut off, furiously trying to get everything done and packed.
We flew on Virgin America Airlines. Let me say, if you have the opportunity to fly with them, DO! It is a much different experience then flying on Southwest or any other airline I have been on. I had lots of legroom, the seats were comfortable, and everything was so clean! The inside of the plan reminded me a lot of a boutique hotel like Red Rock or Aria. Also pretty exciting was this . . .
Ryan and I were so excited that we could watch a World Cup match while on the plane! Pretty cool!
The plane ride was pretty smooth. My view out the window . . .
When we got to San Francisco, the first thing we did was head to the hotel and see if we could do early-check in.
This is the hotel we stayed at . . .
photo source: Luxury Collection Hotels and Resorts
The Palace Hotel. It is a hotel built back in 1875 that has a lot of history. My jaw dropped when I saw the inside . . .
Wow. So beautiful. When it was built back in 1875, the architect designed it to rival the grand hotels in Europe.
We were lucky to score an early check-in. After checking in, we headed down to the transit office to get tickets to ride the trolleys and buses. The line was huge and people were lined up all the way down the block. We got smart and found that you could purchase tickets at the CVS up the street. So when you go, be smart and see if your concierge at your hotel can get you your transit tickets or go to the local drugstore.
We have been to San Francisco a couple of times before but had never been down to The Embarcadero and Ferry Building Marketplace. On Tuesdays and Saturdays, they have a special Farmers' Market down there. So we jumped on the F-train (we kept calling them the F-bombs, these are the historic old transit trains from the 40's) and headed there.
Local farmers have stands set up out front, inside, and around the back facing the pier selling anything and everything that grows or that they produce locally like wines and cheeses, lotions, teas, etc. The fruits and vegetables are so fresh and there is like every variety known to man. There were so many I have never seen before and would not have the first clue on how to prepare.
There was also a ton of food stands where you could sample and purchase all types of food. I found this one shop on the inside interesting . . .
Of course any salted pig part would be tasty, right? Right?
Since we are right next to the water, there is a great view of the Bay Bridge.
After leaving Ferry Building Marketplace, we headed across the street to the flea market area where various artists where selling their art. We then walked up to California St. to take a ride on the trolley.
We did a ride-by Chinatown . . .
We got off the trolley and walked through the edges of Chinatown up to Washington Square. Here are a couple of things I noticed along the way . . .
The Chinatown branch of the San Francisco Library - built back in 1921
All the buildings where people lived had laundry strung out the windows are hanging on fire escapes.
The view of Coit Tower from Washington Square.
From Washington Square, we caught the 39 line up to Coit Tower. Coit Tower is a 210 ft tower atop Telegraph Hill from which you can see the whole entire city.
Ryan and I had been up the tower on a previous trip so we stayed at the bottom and walked around the grounds while our friends went to the top. Even walking around the grounds you can see everything.
Golden Gate Bridge
statue of Christopher Columbus that is in the front
Alcatraz
the city and the Bay Bridge
Angel Island
While I was walking on the garden paths around the tower, I saw this . . .
a couple enjoying a moment (things like this make me smile)
After our friends got back down the tower, we jumped back on the 39 Bus to ride back down the hill. The driver takes a crazy route where we head up a steep hill, make a U-turn at the top of it, and then we head back down the hill at a fast clip. I swear when we hit the bottom we jumped a bit.
Not sure if you can tell how steep the hill is by the cars. On our trip last year to San Francisco, Ryan and I walked up that hill in the rain. We are troopers like that!
We headed back to Washington Square, took a few moments to admire the Grace Cathedral, and then jumped on the 8X back to our hotels to take a very much needed afternoon nap.
After our naps, we got dressed and headed out to dinner at Cafe Tiramisu, a recommendation of our concierge.
The inside had this mosaic and this carved artwork on the wall facing the tables.
I was a bit leery because when you think of the word "cafe", you think sandwiches, salads. Let's just say that our dinner was quite the culinary experience. We were served in courses by the owner/manager himself.
We started off with Stuffed Zucchini and Steamed Calimari in Chipotle Aioli.
We then had this amazing Roasted Pear Salad w/Butter Lettuce, Feta, Bacon, with a Balsamic dressing.
We then had Gnocchi in a Five Meat Bolognese (it was good, but after making it for dinner this past week, I think mine is better)
For the main entree, Ryan and I had Filets with a Peppercorn Sauce.
And finally, we finished dinner off with the Dessert Sampler which had a small portion of every amazing Italian dessert you can think of on it.
We ate like kings.
The view of the alley where the restaurant is located. The tables were full when we arrived so we ate inside. It was late when we finished dinner so we headed back to the hotel and crashed.
The view of the Garden Court at night.
That's it for Day1.
