3 March 2011

One of the nice things about living where we do--if we get up one morning and the weather is nice, and there's nothing else to do, there's always San Francisco. And on Tuesday the weather was just about perfect and there was nothing on the schedule, so we headed for a BART station and rode the train in, with nothing specific to do in mind.

 We got off at an early stop and decided to walk along the Embarcadero. I don't think we were even sure how far we wanted to go, but it runs along the water and it's where all the pier buildings are.

Overall, there's not a lot to see other than those buildings and ships (which is fine if you like boats...I'm not a huge fan) but if you turn and look towards the heart of the city, you can see stuff like Coit Tower.

Very cool.

Still haven't see it up close, but even at a distance...very cool.

We walked down to Fisherman's Wharf and poked around Pier 39 a bit (ok, fine, I needed to pee and we knew there was a restroom there...) and split a soft pretzel and Diet Coke. In spite of the plethora of shops, we didn't wander into any of them (BTDT, have enough t-shirts) and instead kept walking.

And just past Pier 39, I met my new Boy Toy. He posed for the Spouse Thingy, and after this picture was taken. my new Boy Toy (MNBT) spotted an older Asian guy walking past, and he jumped from his perched and literally jumped on the old guy...I think hscaring the crap out of him, and as far as I know he may still be running down the Embarcadero to get away.

But while he was trying to get acquainted with the Asian guy, I was putting a dollar in his bucket. 'Cause, you know, he was nice enough to pose, and he was making everyone laugh.

After I dropped the dollar in his bucket I started to walk away, but MNBT decided to come get me, and together we walked back to where his throngs of admirers were waiting.

Ok, fine, it was a bunch of people who wanted to see what he was going to do next.

And what he was going to do, was pose for another picture for the Spouse Thingy.

Don't we look happy together?

My new Boy Toy is one of the reasons I love walking around San Francisco. You never know what--or who--you're going to see.

We walked a little further down the Wharf and the Spouse Thingy indulged in some fried fish (I do not do fish, but damned if I was going to be a reason he didn't get any. If you like fish, when you're at the Wharf, you get fish. It's like a law, I think...)

We ended up at Ghiradelli Square, and you bet we picked up some chocolate.

By the time we were done there, I think we'd both had enough walking. We wandered over to the cable car station at the end of Hyde Street, and this is the view you get while standing there.

Beautiful.

We wound up waiting there about half an hour; they had loaded one car that took off, and the next we *just* missed getting on...but it just sat there for 15 minutes while the operator took a break. When the next one pulled up, being that we were first in line, we got choice seats right up front...and still waited while another operator took a break.

Still...we didn't have to sit inside and didn't have to hang off the sides (though I get why some people like that...the kid that was standing in front of me kept going Wheeeee...LOL)

Since I was right up front, I was in a good position to get a few pictures. I was shooting for some perspective on the downtown hills, though the pictures I got don't quite do it justice.

Still, try to imagine walking up and down these hills. the locals don't seem to think twice; they just do it. You see guys on bikes all around the city and they all have these HUGE calf muscles...

Fricking amazing.

All I can think about when I see them is that 1) none of them killed me on the last 3 Day Walk; 2) I clearly remember swearing under my breath (and not so much under my breath) during the last 3 Day every time we came up to a new hill; and 3) I'm actually looking forward to doing it again.

Not just the walk itself, but coming into the city and wandering around, getting my feet and legs ready for September.

I think the next time we wander into the city we're going to drive in over the Golden Gate Bridge and head for the beach along the Great Highway, and maybe walk around Golden Gate Park for a bit. We've been to the DeYougn Museum there a few times, but haven't really explored the park. I want to check out Stowe Lake and the Japanese Tea Gardens, find Baker Beach, and see what else there is to explore.

I'm not sure much will beat a view like this, though

The Golden Gate Bridge from Crissy Field.