San Francisco!

Joe and I got back today from a wonderful long weekend spent in San Francisco. We were first time visitors to the city and quickly came to love all that we saw. It probably also helped that we had sunshine everyday with comfortable temperatures. We stayed with Joe's friends in Oakland and covered a lot of ground in just 3 days while getting quite familiar with the city's public transportation system. I think my biggest surprise was how expansive San Francisco is! It definitely takes time to get from one end of the city to the other and there is no way you can do it on foot. On Friday we took the BART (their subway system) to an area near the financial district that sits right on the bay. Our first attraction to visit was the Ferry Building. It is now remodeled to include lots of specialty shops for food and gifts. Lots of people grabbing lunch and eating by the water. This area was once the only port into the city before the bridges were built. From there we hopped on a trolley (very cliche of us I know :-) to the very touristy area of Fisherman's Wharf. Lots of seafood restaurants, shops, and street performers. Right in that area is a section dedicated to the sea lions. There were over 100 just lounging about on the docks sunning themselves and talking talking to each other. It was really cool to see so many in their natural habitat. We made our way to Ghirardelli Square and the delicious chocolate (loved the free sample! :-) and then we walked the hilly streets to Coit Tower. We took an elevator to the top and got some great views of the city in all directions. First day was about 10 hours with most of it spent in the sun and on foot. Sleep found us easily that night before taking on the second day of playing tourist. Saturday morning we were given the pleasure of tasting the city's best scones (according to Matt) and getting a glimpse of the amazing Farmer's Market that Matt and Brianna get to visit every Saturday. The choice of fresh produce paired with the very inexpensive prices made me very envious. We get them to some degree here in Seattle but not quite as impressive. From there it was time spent on the BART and city bus to land at the Legion of Honor art museum which sits on top of hill with again wonderful views. It is also a popular spot for wedding party pictures as we saw 4 different parties getting their picture taken. The museum's building is quite impressive and the art is very old. From 1500-19th century with an introduction to some 20th century artists. I got my Monet fix before leaving and was having flashbacks of art classes with the different artists name I saw in print. From the museum we accidentally stumbled upon a path to a cliff walk along the Pacific Ocean. It was an accidental surprise that was quite stunning. A combination of art and walking found us ravenous and we were fortunate to stumble upon a well known diner that sits on the edge of a hill overlooking the Pacific Ocean. The food was good and the window seat was nothing to complain about. From there we made our way to Golden Gate Park where we found groups of people enjoying BBQ's, archery, and of course more wedding photography. We stumbled upon Ocean Beach which is at the far end of the park and I definitely felt the need to put my feet on the sand. An interesting (and jam packed) bus ride dropped us off in the neighborhood of Haight Ashbury which was the mecca for all things hippie back in the day. The streets are filled with vintage stores, cafes, bars, and of course lots of tie dye. Some great houses fall at the end of the block with the home of Janis Joplin falling in the mix. The house today is a beautiful purple but I was told that when she was living there her quarters weren't quite so impressive. The bus ride home took us past the "Three Sisters"- a famous set of row homes right by a park. For those of you familiar with my favorite show from growing up "Full House"- I think this set of row homes can be found in the closing credits.
Sunday found us in the car heading to Berkeley's campus. A beautiful college campus with a great college feel on the surrounding streets. We had lunch in the park and then wandered the streets checking out the houses and their interesting architecture. From there we ventured on a very windy road to Muir National Park to see the Redwood trees. Lots of people had the same idea as the place was packed and it was a hike from the car to the entrance once we were able to park. After time spent in the city it was nice to spend some time in nature with some beautiful surroundings. We ended the day driving across the Golden Gate Bridge and enduring lots of traffic. I guess no city is immune to it.
Although our search for "Danny Tanner" came up short, our time spent exploring the city was well worth the travels. It would definitely be a city Joe and I would consider living in if it wasn't for the state turmoil, the expensive prices, and the fact that it really doesn't lessen the gap of 3,000 miles from the east and west coast.