Saturday we mostly lounged around Phil & Vanessa's apartment. Phil was brewing his first batch of beer, so Patrick consulted on an as-needed basis.
Later that night we had some fun at the nearby bowling alley. Patrick & Vanessa performed very well (I think they both got strikes on their first 3 turns), especially considering none of us had bowled in quite some time.
The next morning we took the bart (the city's rail system) into SF. One of our first observances as we strolled the city streets must have been a good omen that we were meant to be there! ;)
Our first destination was Chinatown, at my request. I hadn't been to one before, but my first encounter was with good timing. Preceding the Chinese New Year by about a week, the area was hosting a mini festival of flowers, where you could purchase the decorations and fauna used in people's celebrations of the holiday.
Each of the 2 dragons had 2 performers inside the suits. They would jump on each other's shoulders to make the dragon stand up tall, and the eyelids/mouth on the costume would move. It was quite intriguing to watch them dance to the drumbeats!
Our glutes got a workout walking around this city, and I'm sure parking breaks do too.
The nice thing about walking up the steep hills is that we were periodically rewarded with some decent views. Here, we got one of Alcatraz.
The Bay Bridge in the background.
Lombard Street is the most crooked street in America (the road wound up the hill parallel to itself, with near 180 degree curves repetitively placed).
Lombard Street was also home to many cute living quarters! (Although we're not sure how the resident here would get their car in the garage. The picture may not highlight it well, but the driveway's decent would be rather detrimental to an auto's underside).
We're on our way to the sea!
...But first a quick stop at Ghirardelli for a free square of chocolate. MMM! :)
We made it to the Pacific Ocean! I dipped my finger in it and while I debated whether to take my shoes off or not, a wave washed onto my feet and decided for me. Luckily just a little bit got in!
We walked along the marina pier to take in the ocean wind and see what people were catching. A girl casting a basket for crabs showed me the little guy that her family swept up. Hopefully they don't get sick if their intention was to eat these. The sediment is too contaminated from mining long ago for the food to be healthy near that coast.
The Golden Gate Bridge!
Although it was a gorgeous, sunny day, we were rather chilled after spending time leisurely walking and loitering along the blustery shoreline, so we popped into a nearby cafe/bookstore to rejuvenate. To Patrick's and Vanessa's dismay, the cafe was out of chocolate! Apparently everyone wanted a hot cocoa fix that day. I contented myself with a latte, however.
Purchasing a cable car ticket meant we could revel in an icon of the city, while providing ourselves some respite from walking all the way back to the bart station!
The four of us disembarked near the Hyatt hotel, where we took the lift to the top floor to cheers a glass to the fun day and survey the city night lights. Afterward we passed Union Square (above) on our way to dinner/dessert at a creperie. By the time we got back to Phil & Vanessa's we were too tuckered out to drive home, but we returned the following morning with the desire to come back again!