San Francisco - Day Three

Sunday dawned bright and early and beautiful. The bf and his co-worker (I'm still deciding on a nickname for her) had to be to the convention center bright and early, which meant I was on my own for the morning. I did wander up to the bf's room when our wake up call came since I knew it was before his. I wanted to wake him up (I had a key to his room) Unfortunately he spoiled my plans by being up when I walked in! He made up for it though by climbing right back under the covers to cuddle a bit before his actual wake up call came though. The bf walked me back to my room on his way down to the lobby and I promptly fell back to sleep. When I finally woke up I had a nice leisurely morning getting ready and grabbing breakfast from downstairs before heading out to explore Union Square.
There were SO many people out around Union Square. I used some of my alone time to give my grandparents a quick call to say hello and tell them how my trip was going. They were definitely happy to hear from me. :) I lounged in the warm sun on a park bench in the dead center of Union Square.The statue on the left was in the center of the square. The heart was a statue that was by the entrance to the square closest to our hotel. They had all sorts of tables and whatnot scattered around the center of the square, people were out and about drinking coffee, chatting and reading newspapers. Isn't the heart so beautiful? They had several scattered around with different images, but this was my favorite. (I also managed to not get pictures of the others...but trust me, this was the prettiest)
I wandered around the shops, peering in windows and just generally enjoying the unusually beautiful weather. (the locals told us it was unusually beautiful, so sunny with just a slight breeze) I went into Williams and Sonoma. My goodness but that store is incredible!! They have the best product displays and totally made me want to start cooking things. Their prices leave a little something to be desired at times, but you can find expensive cookware lots of places. They definitely had quality merchandise. I think my favorite was all the baking products and sprinkles. Their lemonade mixed looked pretty good too. (they apparently sell several pantry products there as well, I had no idea!) I wandered into several other stores like Victoria's Secret and H&M, just browsing around. I didn't realize I was so close to Market Street until I saw the crowds gathered for the PRIDE celebration parade. There were thousands of people. I didn't venture all the way down to Market because I was by myself and don't like such dense crowds of people, not to mention that there were also quite a few protesters with overly large signs down there too. (seriously, can someone please explain to me how homosexuality is a threat to national security?) There was an incredible turn out though and I could hear all the cheering. I definitely thought of a wonderful blogger friend and wished he could have been there to see it. I heard that the mayor of the city was in the parade, pretty cool.

The bf got done around noon and met me back at the hotel. We walked up to Grace Cathedral up on Nob Hill. I have a thing for cathedrals, particularly any kind of gothic architecture. The cathedral was only about 5 blocks away from our hotel, but the hills, oh the hills. They got steeper as we walked. I swear the last one was nearly straight up. It definitely was steeper than 45 degrees, no joke. (incidentally, I saw women pushing strollers up similar hills...I don't know how they did it!) I knew from Google maps that it was steep, but wow. It was steep! It was worth it though. The cathedral was gorgeous. We spent over an hour photographing the interior. I have to edit some of those photos to lighten the details and such, but they'll be up soon. There is just something magnificent about cathedrals like this one. I absolutely love them. It's just this innate kind of passion, I could get lost in these types of structures for days. The National Cathedral in Washington D.C. is one of my favorites. I'm sure Notre Dame will join the ranks when I finally get over the pond to see it in person! I also have a thing for castles both Medieval and Renaissance...Versailles here I come!
After getting ourselves lost in the beauty of the Cathedral we wandered around Nob Hill a bit before walking down into Little Italy to find a place for a late lunch/early dinner. We looked at menus as we wandered along. The owner of this one little place was outside and asked if we were looking for a place to eat. It was a special day at his restaurant so the ladies got a rose and a complimentary glass of wine. The menu looked good, so we headed in. The owner was such a nice man, I really liked him. He definitely sold us on his restaurant. It was a cute little place on the corner across from the St. Peter & Paul Church on what I believe was Washington Square Park (if I remember the guide book correctly) I chose a Cabernet as my glass of wine, it was surprisingly delicious. I don't always like Cabernet's right off the bat but this one was tasty. I couldn't decide between two dishes, so the bf and I got both to share. One was a salmon over a bed of sauteed spinach, it was perfectly cooked and absolutely mouthwatering. The other was a cheese ravioli with some kind of mushrooms (don't remember the name) in a creamy sauce. OMG that was divine! The flavors were heavenly. All of the food there, right down to the bread with olive oil and balsamic vinegar was absolutely divine. It was my favorite meal of the entire trip and in such a beautiful setting. We were in the corner window of the restaurant that looked right out onto the sidewalk and the park across the street. It was such a quaint little place. I loved the way the owner was personally inviting people in. He also poured and brought my glass of wine, and of course the beautiful pink rose when we walked in. You can see how beautiful the rose is in the picture with the food...I draped it over the bread basket for the shot. :)
After our late lunch/early dinner at Michaelangelo's the bf and I headed stopped in for a few minutes in the beautiful church across the park to see the inside. Just like Grace, it was absolutely breathtaking. We didn't stay too long though before heading back towards the hotel. We hopped off the cable car to check out the Cable Car Museum. It was so neat seeing all of the old cars and machinery. I think the neatest part was seeing the working cables that pulled the cars all across the city. The cable cars don't move on their own power. Rather, they grab onto the cable running under the street, it's pretty cool to see. There was this place where you could go downstairs and see the actual wheels as they run under the streets. It's incredible to imagine that these are scattered under the pavement throughout various parts of the city. It's really a rather ingenious system really. I love that they still run the cable cars exactly as before when they began. As a history student I particularly enjoyed the history. The Cable Car Museum had lots of great historical information and photos. I was really glad we decided to jump off to check it out as we passed. We didn't stay too long as the museum wasn't that big and it was awfully hot and sticky inside. It had a bit of a funny scent, but I think that was just from all of the machinery and whatnot running and spinning. It's really a neat thing to see if you're there.
After the museum we went back to the hotel to enjoy the evening Club Level cocktail hour. They've got a nice little lounge for the Club level guests where each evening they serve wine, champagne, mixed drinks and sodas. They also have cheese and crackers and the host serves slices of artisan type pizzas. Really a great little set up and very classy. We spent some time there each evening I was there, it was a lot of fun. The bf and I weren't too starving and neither was his co-worker, so we got a recommendation for dessert from our doorman. He definitely knew the best places to eat. We went to a little place next door to the hotel. The bf and his coworker got crab cakes, she got bread pudding, and I got creme brulee. Creme brulee is absolutely one of my favorite desserts in the world and I get it very very rarely, so I definitely enjoy it when it is available. I've made it before too, but haven't in quite some time. I want to make it again this summer sometime. It was a great little place and the food was delicious. When we finished the three of us walked over to the drugstore to get some candy to snack on later. I got a pack of airhead sour belt licorice stuff. We wandered back to the hotel to have a relaxed evening. I hung out with the bf in his room watching the food channel and proceeded to eat my sour belts. (the bf had maybe 2 of them) We were having a nice layed back evening which was well deserved after all those hills and walking we'd been doing. Evidentally my body had a little too much of the sour sugar to handle, because a couple hours later I was throwing it all back up. Definitely NOT fun. I felt a lot better after though. The bf was such a sweetheart taking care of me though. He definitely made me feel better, making sure I had everything I needed and rubbing my back to relax me. I have to say, I'm not a fan of being sick, especially on vacation, but the bf made it so much better and was such an absolute sweetheart. All in all it was a fantastic day, and I slept really well that night too. And seriously. If you get up to San Francisco anytime soon and like Italian food, you HAVE to try Michaelangelo's (it's at 579 Columbus Ave). It's SO delicious. Your taste buds will thank you. :)

San Francisco Day Two (the bonus story)

I have the most romantic and wonderful boyfriend ever. I'm even more in love with him after our San Francisco trip, it's crazy and incredible and beautiful all wrapped into one. We are both part Irish and love the meaning and symbolism of the Claddagh ring. I know that he looked at Claddagh rings for me once quite a few months ago. What I didn't know is that he never stopped looking.
While we were waiting for our table at the Pier Market for dinner, we went into this great little shop on Pier 39, Treasure Ireland. (doesn't the name just send a delightful shiver down your spine?) There were all kinds of beautiful treasures to browse through. One of the first things that caught my eye was the collection of Claddagh rings. The bf asked the shopkeeper to help me try them on. He showed us the special collection of rings. It was a perfect fit. The bf bought me the most beautiful silver Claddagh ring. I wear in on my left hand facing in. We're not engaged, not yet anyways. It's a promise ring. And it is absolutely beautiful. I keep my Claddagh on even when I'm asleep, I only really take it off to shower. I am the luckiest girl in the world to be in love with such a wonderful guy. He's perfect :)

San Francisco - Day Two

Saturday morning began beautifully sans alarm clock, which was definitely nice after a week of early alarms. We started with a great continental breakfast in the restaurant that is complimentary for Club Level guests. (we really enjoyed the Club Level perks) We set off down to the cable car turn around to get a 3-day Muni pass that let us hop onto any cable car or bus for three days. We took our first San Francisco cable car ride all the way down to Fisherman's Wharf. It was an absolutely beautiful day, lots of sunshine and plenty of warmth, with a hint of a breeze to keep things from being stifling. It's crazy to see them turn the cable cars around. I guess that's part of the charm. They roll it onto the circle platform and then the two guys spin it around and push it back onto the opposite set of tracks. It's all done by manpower...it's incredible to watch. I think being a cable car driver would be really interesting, but I think you have to be a guy to do it because those things take muscle and they definitely are not light. But I bet they meet so many different people and hear so many crazy stories. They probably see their share of freaky people too, which probably provides for some interesting dinner table
conversation. I can just imagine the stories.
We went all the way to the end of the line and then walked the last couple blocks to the wharf. It was gorgeous along the water. We explored all around, saw a submarine and some ships from WWII. There was a little museum type place that had all sorts of old fashioned coin operated games, a lot of which you could still play. It was a neat place. We wandered around Pier 39 looking at the various shops and places to eat. I love seeing all the street performers...they are definitely creative. We also saw the famous bush man! I was so excited. My cousin warned me about him before I went to San Francisco in high school, but I never saw him. He is a homeless gentleman who hides behind some branches that he's cut and scares people as they walk by. I saw him as we were approaching and got really excited. We got to watch him scare a few people, it was absolutely hysterical. The funniest part is that a lot of the people went back and paid him because it was so well done and to be honest, quite clever. There were also the standard silver guys that freeze in poses. We saw all kinds of interesting acts. The bf's co-worker joked that she was getting ideas to file away just in case for later, what with the economy and all.
We also got to see the famous sea lions that laze in the sun on the floating docks just West of Pier 39. I love listening to them, they're so cool. I got some great pictures of them sunning and playing. This one is one of my favorites because I caught several of them in their "proud" pose while enjoying the warm California sunshine.










We also got our first views of the Golden Gate Bridge from down along the wharf. Luckily the fog wasn't obscuring it, but rather sitting just below it which made for some awesome pictures. It's really such a magnificent and beautiful structure, and definitely a well known California landmark. We didn't cross it or anything on this trip, but I did get to drive across it in our bus on my high school trip up there. It was cold on the other side from all the wind. Cold but beautiful. We walked up to Ghiradelli Square on the recommendation of the bf's
There was incredible wine store there that had a port syrrah that the bf and I tasted. It was pretty good, but not as good as the price would indicate. We enjoyed tasting it though. The bf's co-worker and I both got ice cream from the Ghiradelli Ice Cream Parlour. She got some ice cream in a cup. I got Ghirdelli chocolate in a chocolate dipped waffle cone. It was intensely delicious. I finished that off as we headed back down the hill (there are seriously a LOT of hills there...just in case you didn't know) and back down to the wharf. We got clam chowder bread bowls from Boudin's Bakery Cafe. They were mouthwatering and very filling. Boudin's makes the BEST sourdough bread, I absolutely loved it. We got sourdough complimentary with nearly every meal we ate in San Francisco. We took a break to rest at the hotel before dinner. Dinner took us back down to the wharf to a seafood restaurant right on the water at Pier 39, I believe it was called the Pier Market. I got fish and chips which was so perfectly cooked. The bf and his co-worker got a sea food sampler that had calamari, fish, crab and I think shrimp. We all agreed that the food was wonderful there. We also had an incredible view of both the city scape and the bay from where our table was situation near the window. It was back to the cable cars for the trip back to the hotel. I got to ride on the runners, it was SO much fun! It wasn't hard at all either, you just have to stand on the running board and hang on tight (don't worry, the bf was nearby making sure I was safe, he's protective like that...I love him SO much!) Here's a shot of how steep some of the hills were. Just imagine the downward view...it was pretty exhilarating. I'll end my day two recap with this night shot of Union Square as we approached it on the cable car. Our hotel was just around the corner. Saturday was a fun filled and fabulous day. I
definitely slept well that night when I got to bed. I have to say, the beds in our hotel practically sucked you into them they were SO comfy.

San Francisco - Day One

San Francisco was absolutely incredible, I had such a great time. I only wish I didn't have to be home already. There are so many stories to share that I'm going to have to split it up by day so that I don't overwhelm you with one ridiculous long post. Instead I'll give you several ridiculously long posts. ;) I also took TONS of pictures. I'll have quite a few up in posts and many more will be up on Flickr! as soon as I finish sorting and editing. (they'll go up in waves) I'll hopefully get some new ones up later tonight. (Flickr! button on the right)
Friday was a whirl getting my little brothers to their camps, getting all of our stuff into the car, handing them and their things off to my parents and working all at the same time. It was fun though...really great to see my parents and to have gotten such an amazing week with my little brothers. Everything got done and the bf, his co-worker and I jetted our way up to San Francisco. It was a pretty pleasant flight, I got to sit next the the bf which was fabulous after barely seeing him the whole week. There was a little bit of turbulence at the end that I wasn't fond of, but I got to cuddle up to the bf so it wasn't quite so scary. It's been several years since I've been on a plane. I like the shorter hops where you don't sit for hours.
We had a nice trip through the city on the way to our hotel on Union Square. It was so neat to see all of the architecture. As we got closer to the hotel and deeper into the city, the buildings gave way to the stereotypical look and feel that you expect from San Francisco. It was absolutely beautiful to see. We got some great cityscape photos on the drive to the hotel and saw some incredibly clever architecture that the bf and I both really liked.
We got settled into the hotel and then headed out to explore and get some dinner. We headed into China town which was only a few blocks away from the hotel. There were a lot of really neat shops with lots of shiny things to look at. They had these cute little hear no evil, see no evil, speak no evil monkeys sitting out on benches in various places along the sidewalk. It was a beautiful evening for a walk. We ended up walking all the way into Little Italy. We went as far as the St Peter and Paul Catholic Church. Isn't it beautiful? We were actually within probably 5 blocks of the harbor...we walked a REALLY long way. We might not have gone quite this far, but I saw the church towers and had to go see them. I have a thing for cathedrals, particularly gothic architecture. This isn't quite gothic, but it was still absolutely beautiful. I was enthralled. It sits across the street from a nice little park. The bf finally managed to get me to put my camera away so we could head back into China town to get dinner. There were so many people out and about and so many delicious looking places to eat. I kept thinking that I needed a month there just to try out all the delicious food venues!
We went back into China town to a restaurant that our doorman recommended. It was absolutely delicious, we all loved it. Their prices were reasonable and they gave you a ton of food. We did a family dinner that came with won ton soup (my favorite!), rip tips, beef and broccoli, house fried rice, sweet and sour pork and some other kind of chicken with veggies. That beef was so good it literally melted in your mouth. The fried rice had tiny little shrimp in it, which I surprisingly liked. And of course the standard hot tea they served was perfect.
The restaurant had a really great view of China town, we sat right by the window overlooking Grant Street. Our doorman was definitely spot on with this recommendation and we were sure to tell him so when we returned to the hotel.
Being up North, San Francisco definitely stays lighter way later than down in SoCal. We didn't get back to the hotel until nearly 10 pm and it wasn't quite all the way dark. It was such a fun filled first day there, I absolutely loved it. Our hotel was fabulous and boy were those beds comfy! I slept so well at the hotel. The room I shared with the bf's co-worker was lovely and had a great view of the street in front of the hotel. It was so wonderful. The feel of the hotel was just so unique, definitely not a cookie cutter hotel. The staff was wonderful as well. I would definitely stay there again.