May 22nd , either 12.00 p.m or 3.00 p.m!
Can't tell, totally disoriented. The phone clock is behaving erratically. It showed 12.00 an hour ago and it is only 10 past 12 now! Guess it is picking up the local time of wherever we are passing over. I always have this sense of a time wrap in planes...Anyway, this flight was made bearable by our Norwegian co-passenger of Guyanese descent visiting his family in San Fran (talk about melting pot!) He was quite knowledgeable about Norway and the ill-effects of microwave cooking(!) (The guy used to be a chef on cruise ships) Also, I am finally reading Delirious New York again. On a flight to SF :))
Still May 22nd, actually 3.00 a.m but having to pretend it's 12.00 a.m!
The Wyndham Resort is good! Warm and cosy - especially now as we are coming in from the 'fall' weather outside - at a time which is summer in most parts of the world.This is hilarious. I only packed a bikini and summer dresses. I will most probably freeze. The evening was so-so, me coming to terms with the weather. After walking around in circles for sometime, we made our way to the Udupi restaurant in the Mission neighbourhood. Amazing bisi bele bhaath! The cable car ride on the way back was fun too. SF seems less lively/populous after NY.
May 23rd:
A really good day - totally worth the aching feet at this point. It is incredible how much you can achieve if you put your mind to it! Chinatown, North Beach, The Wharf and Lombard Street - all in a day! It was a good decision to postpone the winery trip...gave us a chance to explore the city first. After a non-nondescript breakfast and some pointless walking, we wandered onto Union Square and got some good pictures together. It was quite cold despite the sun. M insisted on buying me warm clothes before I whine and spoil the trip. We legged it to H&M (God bless them!) and picked up a bomber jacket which goes perfectly with dresses. I also used their trial rooms to slip on a pair of slacks (they have turned out to be such a great addition to my wardrobe!) Things picked up thereafter.
Chinatown in SF is not as dense as the Chinatown in NY. While there is some argument to be made for the complexity and loveliness of the latter, I actually enjoyed being able to stop and watch instead of being swept along in a swarm or people. M's old classmate from Penn State joined us there. Lunch was at the most authentically Chinese restaurant of my life. Servers ran around thrusting food trays at diners. I watched bemusedly while they tried to tempt us with pork/shrimp/fish dishes, all the while shaking their heads to indicate that it contained no meat. M didn't eat much - he had discovered bits of sea food in his supposedly veggie noodles.
Cute orange/lime tree outside a random house in China Town.
The 3 of us then picked our way up steep lanes to Telegraph Hill. Loved seeing how people dealt with living on an incline! Incidentally, the street was also featured in the Hitchcock classic 'Vertigo'. Coit Tower, atop the hill, used to be a lighthouse of sorts. Naturally, it provides great views of the city and the famed San Fran bridges. The plaza at its base had great vistas too, which we explored, interrupting lovers amidst bushes. Coming back to (seemingly) level ground, we fortified ourselves with coffee at a gem which Lonely Planet had missed - La Boulange, if you want to visit. Split a plateful of tiny desserts which were surprisingly low on saccharine.
Noted this spot for potential lazing on our way back from Telegraph. Didn't happen though; we took another way down.
'Vertigo' style pic from the top of Telegraph Street.
Almost amazed at how much ground we had covered in a few hours, we continued walking across pretty and quaint houses and found ourselves at Fisherman's Wharf. The beach afforded glorious sunshine and gorgeous views of the mysterious Alcatraz. Seagulls skimmed past us along the touristy Pier 39. Apart from the mandatory souvenir shops, an artist/handicraft market lined the way. Nothing like some retail therapy to soothe tired feet! The sunlight was beautiful, fresh and clean, like a new sun; but also deceptive - the breeze was giving us the chills.
A closer look at submarines, delightfully bright cookies and Boudin's famous sourdough, decked up for the shop window - all along Pier 39.
We took the cable car for the homeward journey but hopped off at Lombard street - had to, it called for closer inspection. It is now officially , the prettiest street I have seen, along with being the crookedest. Anniversary dinner had to be a take-away after all the walking, but the day was so worth it.
Tricky deal for cars on Lombard, pretty shots along the street and Alcatraz seen in the distance from the top of Lombard.
