NorCal Trip: Day 5 (SF still)

It was July 4th and all I knew that whatever we decided on today it would end with watching fireworks. My friends weren’t as big on this tradition (I still haven’t been able to wrap my head around this fact) but they agreed to put it in the plans to humor me.

Another thing that I’ve been wanting to do while in SF was to eat clam chowder bread bowl looking over the water at Fisherman’s Wharf. I know, I know, it’s like the most touristy thing ever (next to riding a trolly maybe) and I’ve done it every time I’ve come here, but it just never gets old. And I yes, I can get it anywhere, but it’s just not the same. So my awesome friends agreed to humor me on this one too.

We decided to just go ahead and make this a really touristy day, so we started it off with walking around Lombard Street. After much driving around, we finally managed to find parking near Swensen’s Ice Cream in Russian/Nob Hill. From there, we made our way down the Most Crooked Street in the World as well as several other hilly streets until we reached Fisherman’s Wharf. Little did we realize then how much more walking we would be doing the rest of the day.

After we had our fill of clam chowder and sour dough bread, we headed back to the car to make sure we hadn’t gotten a parking ticket (thankfully, it seems that the parking maids were taking it easy as well that day), and then made for Ghirardelli Square, from where we planned to see the fireworks. Walking down Hyde Street, I got to enjoy the breathtaking panoramic view of the bay and Alcatraz. However, a couple of my friends were not so fortunate, as they struggled to find footing down that steep decline in their high wedges (making it a life and death situation for them to some degree).

Naturally, the Square was heeella crowded, with long-ass lines leading out from the shops, which wasn’t the most welcome sight for a bunch of aching, tired-out pedestrians. But once we were seated and had our fill of sweets, we began enjoying the festive atmosphere.

After several miles of climbing hills and hours of waiting, it was finally nightfall and time for the fireworks to begin. We walked just a little bit more to get closer to the waterfront, where we watched a spectacular show. Even my friends, who didn’t care for fireworks to begin with, agreed it was totally worth the walk and wait. And so, my day (and night) was made.

Happy Birthday, America!

NorCal Trip: Day 4 (SF)

A beautiful, sunny day! Perfect for overlooking the City from Twin Peaks! We busted out the skirts and dresses. Of course, this also meant, taking into account how windy it gets up there, there were plenty of near-Marilyn Monroe moments:p

Twin Peaks

 

view from Twin Peaks

Then, we headed over to Golden Gate Park to catch the Gaultier exhibit going on at the De Young. I didn’t realize how gorgeous and huge GG Park was! Such a shame we only had time to go to the museum and hang around its vicinity. I definitely have to go back there to explore more of it.

The Gaultier exhibit was pretty cool. Full of sexy, avant-garde structural dresses, amass with super-tall cone bras and ultra-sheer corsets. Yet, also all about androgyny. The man was definitely a visionary.

the world of Jean Paul Gaultier

…and high fashion

After we finished a rushed picnic of Trader Joe’s-bought food in the park, we headed back home to get ready for a night out. Although it was only a Tuesday, it was the eve of July 4th, so there were plenty of clubbing events going on this evening.

We arrived at The Grand, the newest nightclub in SF, where we danced the night away, amidst bubbles, confetti, and red, white, and blue balloons. I was getting tired of the LA club scene, so this was a most-welcome, refreshing change.

welcoming in the Fourth @ The Grand

NorCal Trip: Day 3 (SF)

Muni-ed it to Powell in search of the Fork Ring Guy (the guy who sells rings he makes out of forks). Found him, browsed his wares (I didn’t buy anything, but a friend did), and then walked around extensively perusing the area. Being the library nerd that I am, I made it a point to stop by the San Francisco Public Library. So we entered the grand building that is the main library and a friend and I even signed up for a library card. As our last stop of this walk, we made our way to Yerba Buena Gardens, where we decided to have some tea at Samovar.

found the Fork Ring Guy!

our new library cards from SFPL:) + my friend’s fork ring purchase

afternoon tea

Following our adventure Downtown, we drove over to the Presidio to pick up our friend who works at the House of Air trampoline park. Getting over there, we missed our exit (seeing a pattern here?), and ended up crossing the Golden Gate Bridge. While this wasn’t on any of our ‘to-do’ list, I welcomed this accidental turn of events – it’s theSF landmark, after all. Last time I was here I crossed it by foot, so it was a nice change to do so by car. We turned around, got to HoA eventually, where our friend hooked it up with free jumps. Tired and hungry from jumping and, before that, working/walking around all day, we were all eager to grab dinner. We decided on Italian, and had the authentic at Trattoria Contadina in Little Italy. I could tell some of us were getting a little testy from the hunger and fatigue before, but the good food helped bring back harmony and contentment in the air (as well as our stomachs).

“accidentally” crossing the GG Bridge :p

bouncy bounce-bounce (@ HoA)

hearty Italian dinner in Little Italy

NorCal Trip: Day 1+2 (SF)

Going through my piles of priceless pictures and memories from my recent trip up north, I figured I should lay them out in (digital) writing. Besides, lately I’ve been neglecting my blog.

As I mentioned in my previous post, I took a week-long trip to the Bay Area with a friend to visit some of our friends. I met them all (the friend I flew with and those we were visiting) the summer after I graduated college. I still think back to that summer sometimes and get nostalgic. I always told myself I would make this trip after finishing grad school. So here I was…

Day (more like night) 1: After our flight was delayed nearly 2 hours, we finally arrived in SFO. A friend of a friend (and thus essentially a stranger at this point) was kind enough to pick us up from the airport. He stopped by a taqueria for us to get some burritos, then a Safeway for drinks, and for the rest of the evening, we had a kickback at his house, where I got to make a couple of new friends.

blue skies and waters seen outside as we near SFO

…but hella foggy and misty in the City

Day 2: Muni-ed it to the Embarcadero and walked inside and around the Ferry Building. I was happy to get myself a cup of Blue Bottle Coffee. I’d been in love with their quality coffee since discovering it on my last SF trip. After that, we headed over to Outer Richmond to get us some dumplings and chicken wings from Shanghai House. But being engrossed in conversation on the train ride there, we missed our stop and ended up stranded in the Tenderloin for a while. After some walking around being yelled at by hobos, a bus ride, and a long wait in the cold outside, we were finally seated in the tiny but cozy room of the restaurant, and stuffed ourselves with not one, not two, but three plates of their famed dry fried chicken wings.

in front of the Ferry Building

I ❤ Blue Bottle Coffee

our plates of dry fried chicken wings from Shaghai House

Über spontaneous local rail adventure

Since I was already downtown running errands and my TAP card was about to expire this weekend (major sad face), I figured I might as well make some good last-minute use of it, and so randomly hopped on the Metro Gold Line for the first time. I initially meant to take it up just to Pasadena to do some window shopping and what not, but ended up taking it all the way to the last stop at Sierra Madre since I bumped into a friend who was heading there, and decided to ride along.

Verdict: Why didn’t I ever do this before? It’s so clean and comfortable! And nice views, too (especially of the Arroyo Seco). Once again, I am convinced that suck-age of LA public transit is merely a myth. I wish I didn’t have to drive so much…

It also made me realize how much I miss traveling on the train. I used to do it all the time. During the first two years of college in San Diego, before I had my car, that is how I came home on weekends. And come to think of it, I’ve taken some awesome trips via rail: the Coast Starlight from LA to SF as well as the California Zephyr from Chicago to SF. Both were such beautiful routes, with breathtaking scenery of some of the best elements that this country has to offer, such as the Pacific Ocean, the Rockies, and the Sierra Madre. The California Zephyr trip is especially memorable since it was an intense 3 day-long train ride with no showers and in the strange yet cheerful company of ex-convicts, hippies, and the aerophobic. I think I’m up for Portland next, and perhaps after that…Canada! After all, train rides are always an adventure, for better or for worse.