We were able to get up and get going, but still taking us longer than normal. Two hours to get this crew up, fed, showered and dressed and out the door. In the car and off to San Francisco for a day of sightseeing by 9:00 and we made it by 10:00. Still need to work on the logistics on this part of the trip.
We headed into town, found parking and headed to the double-decker buses. Although Wendy and I have been to San Francisco many times, we would like to take a tour that will not only teach us more about the town, but also give the kids an education about the history and sights that they would not listen to if we were telling them.
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| Tony Bennett's Heart that he left here |
We meet our driver who says that our tour guide is the best they have. Chris the tour guide keeps reminding us that he is a starving actor, but loves performing for an audience – even if it on wheels. He has a lot of great information and we learn a lot about the city’s history and culture. We are on top and it is a chilly 56 degrees, but a great way to see the city and get our bearings.When we finish the tour, we walk up and take Chris’s advice about hopping the cable cars. The wait at the end of the line is about an hour long, so we walk up 2 blocks and hop on when the first car passes about 15 minutes later. I hand the conductor a twenty and he asks if we want one-way, round-trip or all day. I ask how much is all day and he replies $65, so I figure one way will work for us to which he says “then you owe another 5 bucks”. We are planning on hopping off at Chinatown, so we enjoy the quick ride and tell the kids “take it in and get your quick $5 worth”.
As the cable car glides downhill, we take in the smell of burning wood from the breaks as it rubs on the tracks. When we get to the cable car museum just above Chinatown, we hop off, snap a quick picture and start working out way to R&G Lounge on Kearny Street. Chris our tour guide recommended it. He said all his recommendations came from someone working on an actor’s salary – but would be some of the best spots in town.
As we get closer, Georgia says that she will not be able to find anything to eat there, so Wendy takes her to Subway next door for a sandwich. Charlotte, Jackson and I check the wait at the door to find out they can seat us right away. I notice the Michelin Rating on the wall and let Jack know that although it doesn’t guarantee a great meal, bit at least gives me some comfort that it is run well and the food is OK. Jackson says “What do they know about food, they sell tires!”. I then check Yelp to find 4 stars and a lot of great reviews.
They seat us at a table downstairs. A lot of local Chinese businessmen and locals among tourists. A pot of hot tea is set at the table and I pour a cup for each of us and we dig into the vast menu. Pictures for many of the dishes are shown as well as explanations. Many of the more unusual items are listed at market price and I tell the kids to avoid those for lunch. One that catches Jackson’s eye is a bowl of Shark Fin Soup for $75. “Can I have that Dad?”. He is just kidding, though I’m sure he would love to give it a try. I order the R&G Special Beef and Seafood and Bean Curd Soup. Jackson and Charlotte both order Chow Mein. Wendy and Georgia show up right as the food is being served. My beef is delicious and the soup is very tasty. Both of the other kids love their chow mein. We have Georgia try each, and she shrugs and say, “OK, maybe I could have found something”.
We finish our lunch and head out to do some shopping in Chinatown. The gift shops all look the same to me. I poke into some food stores as they look at the gifts and see if they can find something they really don’t need. As we finish up our shopping, Wendy notices she does not have our camera that she was carrying. A mad dash back to the first store as I tell Charlotte and Jackson to watch the door for someone leaving with it. Turns out she left it at the counter while paying and it is still there.We continue our walk toward Lombard Street to walk up the crooked street. It is farther than we thought, and although we get to take in a couple other neighborhoods, the trek is called off when I make a wrong turn and we walk a block and a half the wrong way up a big hill. They all decide it will be better to hit Pier 39 while we still have some energy and do the drive down when we get the car instead. No issues with me, so we walk the 4 blocks downhill to the Pier to take in the seals and do some more shopping. Turns out most of the seals have migrated for the season and are off breeding further south. There are four or five on the docks, but not what we expected.
We sit for a while and take in the bay. The sun is finally out and although it is not really warm yet, at least it is bearable. We hit some shops. Take in a lady who does some magic/circus routine and pick up $50 worth of chocolate in a shop. Then on down the wharf to take in some of the street performers.
We drop a couple dollars and get pictures with a “silver man” and stop at a guy who is doing spray can art to the beats of Eminem. This guy is really talented. He creates night scenes of SF with planets in a couple minutes and sells them for 5 to 10 dollars. Jackson decides he would like one as a memory of San Francisco. We walk down a bit more to find another guy doing the same thing. Here another artist has some oil paintings he is selling for $15 and Charlotte sees one she would like in her room. Off we go with bags and paintings in hand.We are all getting a little worn out, but Georgia reminds us that we told her she could do the Ripley’s Museum. At first none of the other kids is game, so I say I will do it with her. I’m always up for some odd facts and something strange. Wendy decides to rest while we all go in. We end up spending and hour and a half taking it all in.
Once done, we talk about dinner, but everyone is tired. We pick up the car and drive up to Lombard Street for the obligatory drive down. Georgia lets us know that these switchbacks are better than the ones we did in the Jeep! Charlotte snaps some shots as we drive down and then we head to the Golden Gate Bridge to see if we can get there before sunset.
As we make our way over the bridge, we notice that the sun is setting over the hills. We decide we have come this far, so hightail it up the back side of the Marin Headlands. As we start winding around the backside, we find out that the road to our favorite vantage point for pictures is closed. We have to opt for a spot further up the mountain and much further away. By the time we get there, the best light is gone, but we are still able to get in a couple shots.
Back in the car and we decide to call it a day and head back to the RV. Jackson and Charlotte decide they would like McDonald’s for dinner, so a quick pull through the drive thru and then back home.
Wendy and I have the leftovers from the kids Chow Mein with a nice glass of wine. I pull out the poles to get them set up for some early morning surf fishing, then off to bed for all. We have another big San Francisco day on Thursday.