Honeymoon time in San Francisco
2:35 San Francisco time… We’re sitting in the airport waiting for our flight to Hawaii to start boarding! We spent the last 3 1/2 days loving San Francisco. This was the first time either of us has ever been to California, so it was really nice to experience everything together for the first time. On our arrival, we realized the hotel we picked was really a motel and the front desk clerk was just horrible. He actually screamed at us. Thank goodness we booked through hotels.com. We called them up and they sorted everything out for us and found us the perfect place to stay. We ended up at “The Hotel California;” just a few blocks from Union Square. The hotel is in an older building but it is well maintained, with high ceilings, beautiful molding, bold paint colors, amazing artwork and quotes painted right on the walls. On arrival, the front desk offers guests a shot of tequila! They also provided complimentary wine, fruit, cheese and crackers in the afternoons. Our room was also wonderful! We had rich yellow walls, plantation shutters, real hardwood floors, and the softest, plushest bed. The decor was also a lovely blend of masculine and feminine. The bedspread had an antique look pattern but there was dark wood furniture and a streamlined leather chair and ottoman. Pete and I agreed it was one of the coziest rooms we have ever stayed in.
On our first evening in San Francisco, we walked down the street to a Mexican restaurant called Colibri. We were expecting similar Mexican food to what we are used to in New York, but this was quite different. Instead of chips and salsa to begin, they served warm corn tortillas with three dipping sauces. One was pineapple and mango, another jalepeno based and the last was chili based. The food was very good, but the best was the dessert. They serve “Churro con Dulce de Leche.” We loved the dessert so much we came back for lunch before heading to the airport today. After dinner, we walked around Union Square and Market Street (the shopping district). We also stopped to watch the cable car turn around, and were intrigued when we realized that the cars were turned around by man power! We called it an early night since we were not adjusted to the time difference.
On our second day, we started at 6 am and had a filling breakfast at the hotel. We then headed out for a long day of sight seeing. First we took the bus to Golden Gate Park, where we made several stops. First up was the Conservatory of Flowers, which was having a special exhibit of live butterflies. We also learned about some interesting plants, and there was an entire room of orchids of all sizes. Next we went to the de Young museum & Academy of Sciences, which unfortunately was not having its grand opening until the day after we were leaving. We had lunch at the de Young cafe and then headed out to the Japanese Tea Garden. Inside we found many peaceful and zen-like landscapes which were very relaxing to walk through. Finally, we went to the Rose Garden, which was wonderful. I couldn’t help but take tons of photos of all the beautiful colored roses! Our last stop for the day was the Golden Gate Bridge. We walked around and took in the views of the bridge, city, bay, and we both got our first view of the Pacific Ocean. We loved the sight of the blue water and white crashing waves on the black rocks.
On our last full day, we tried to fit in all the sites we hadn’t yet seen. First we walked over to See’s Candies, where we bought some chocolate to have after lunch. Then we took the cable car from Market Street up to Lombard Street, which is nicknamed the “steepest, crookedest street in San Francisco.” Luckily for us the cable car stopped at the top of the street, so we walked down instead of up. I know Laura will tease us for not attempting to walk up it, but it was fun anyway! Next we walked to the Fisherman’s Wharf, and walked from Pier 49 to Pier 33. Along the way we saw the “bush man;” a guy who hides behind a fake bush and jumps out and scares tourists. We were across the street, laughing and taking pictures. For lunch, we stopped at a chili & chowder food stand, and ate some very delicious clam chowder, while sitting outside in the grass. When we got down to Pier 33 it was time for our ferry to Alcatraz to leave. We spent a couple of hours walking around the island and taking the audio tour of the closed down prison. The part that surprised me the most was that the cells were only 5 ft x 9 ft x 7 ft. I knew they would be small, but I had no idea they would be that small. After Alcatraz, we walked back down the Warf to Pier 39, where there is an outdoor mall with shops of all kinds, from little souvenirs to expensive pearl jewelry. Also at Pier 39 is the spot where all the seals gather. There must have been at least 100 seals when we went. We saw some funny moments of them interacting with each other and there was even one who was interacting with the people. I loved the chowder so much at lunch I decided to have it again for dinner while we were at the pier, and Peter had a shrimp & crab po’ boy. As we continued walking, we saw a street artist who was making posters from spray paint, and was making some amazing optical illusions by smearing, spattering and layering the colors. As we continued walking back the way we came, we were on the opposite side of the street. We were talking and laughing when all of a sudden we both jumped and screamed. The bush man got us! We never expected it, even though we had seen him earlier in the day! Lastly, we stopped at Ghirardeli Square to check out the chocolate lover’s heaven before calling it a night.
On our last day in San Francisco (today), we decided to relax before our flight out, and now we can’t wait to see what Hawaii has to offer!