San Francisco

We arrived in San Francisco yesterday, around lunch time. We are staying in the Fisherman's Wharf area, so we immediately went down to the piers to grab some seafood. Then, we wandered around Pier 39 for a while, before stopping to watch the sea lions wrestle for position on their little sunning platforms. After that, we came over to the hotel to shower and rest for a couple of hours. Around 5:00, we headed back down to the piers to catch the evening boat to Alcatraz. We really loved the tour and learning about the history of this unique prison and some of its colorful inhabitants. By coincidence, we were visiting on the 55th anniversary of the mysterious escape of three convicts, which made it even more interesting. When we got back to the city, everyone was starving, so we popped into Fog Harbor Fish House for some more seafood.

A selfie on Pier 39,
with Alcatraz in the background

Sun bathing sea lions

Welcome to The Rock

Less-than-cozy accommodations

Checking out The Hole in D Block

We spent this morning riding around town on The Big Bus (a hop on/hop off bus) and learning about the city. We saw many sights, but I think the highlight for our group was driving over the Golden​ Gate Bridge. When the tour was over and we were back at Fisherman's Wharf, we headed over to Pompeii Grotto, on my mom's recommendation, for more seafood. (Maybe you're starting to see a theme?) After lunch, we made our way to Ghirardelli Square, where we spent the afternoon indulging in sweet treats, sipping coffee, shopping, and playing ping pong and Cornhole. Around 6:00, we called an Uber to take us over to see the famous "Painted Ladies" houses and to drive us down Lombard Street, "the crookedest street in the world." Besides just being a very steep street with eight hairpin turns, it is also like a drive-through botanical garden. It was truly breathtaking! When our ride was over, we returned to our hotel to watch the old movie Escape from Alcatraz, starring Clint Eastwood. Then, we caught the last five minutes of the NBA finals. It was fun to see Golden State win while we are here in their fair city. Finally, we went over to China town for a late dinner.

Crossing the Golden Gate Bridge

Crab melt at Pompeii Grotto

Chocolate works at Ghirardelli

Salted caramel brownie sundae

Ping Pong in Ghirardelli Square

The Painted Ladies

Lombard Street

Dinner in China Town