Day 7 8/12/07 - USA

San Francisco

Highlight

• Tried to pack in a very full day. The 1st day of touring with Slokky and also a very nice day.
• 1st stop, the Ferry Building’s farmers market. It was a lot of fun with a great array of produce. Lots of taste testing allowed. Unfortunately, the produce, especially the dairy, was not really up to the standard I’ve had in Oz and in the UK.
• Tried the SF oysters – very different to the Australian ones but great tasting.
• Great Mexican stand where they press fresh tortillas. Got some chicken mole with a to die for chocolate chilli sauce.
• Got some baked goodies for the flight.
• Walked down The Embarcardoro to see Cupid and the Bay Bridge.
• Got the N-tram to AT&T Park. Slokky used the GO card to get in. I rushed back to the ferry building, but the Ferry Lien Cruise was cancelled for the rest of the year, so I rushed to Fishermans Wharf and just made the Red & White Cruise.
• Glorious weather, so got some great pictures of the SF skyline and the GG Bridge.
• Learned more about SF than you need to know with the American way of having commentary on everything.
• On the Boudin Bakery tour, where there’s even more info on SF. Great smell and you get to watch the factory at work. The best thing though had to be the tasting room at the end. I tried 4 different types of breads and there was no one there, so I got my $3 worth in eating. There were 3 dips there too, but they were more of an afterthought.
• Slokky had to try his burger joint, so went to In N Out for a “double double”, which is better than McDonalds, but that’s about it. The milkshake was good old fashioned stuff though, the chips were crap.
• Finally to Go Car, a three wheel glorified motorbike. You get GPS guided tour of SF. Our 1st car didn’t’ work so we had to go back for another. At least we got used to the car with the first one.
• It was a really cool way to do SF, if it’s a glorious day and you don’t mind everyone staring at you.
• Got to do all the stuff I couldn’t do my bys. Highlight was driving along the beach. At Fork Point, in the Presidio with the cliff face side, along the cool streets of Cow Hollow and Chestnut Street, and of course, driving down Lombard street.
• After 1.5 hours, we were happy but cold from the wind, so stopped of for that last bowl of chowder (no bread this time as this wasn’t lunch). This time at nick’s Lighthouse. Ok, it was better than bebella and La Torre, but that’s about it. Next time I come to SF, I definitely want to try a bowl at a better restaurant. The tourist spots never deliver, but you have to do it at least once, and I’ve now done it twice!
• Finally made it to Pier 39, that’s where all the tourists were. Consisting mainly of touristy food joints (think ice cream, donuts, hot dogs and pretzels) and heaps of lolly shops, gift shops. It didn’t hold much interest. Step to the back though, and we got glorious view of the bay at dusk.
• Aquarium on the Bay was closing early for a function,, so it only left us with ½ hour to see everything. Turned out that’s all the time you really need. It was a very small space, mainly for viewing for children, with 2 big tanks being their main attraction. Sydney Aquarium trumps them anyday.
• Another long bus trip to Yabbies for our 1st seafood dinner. Got a seafood platter – excellent sauce and the sweetest Dungess crab and the SF signature soup, the cippano. So much better than the room service one. The desserts were comfy and sweet.
• Back to the hotel to pack and SF is over.
• Still didn’t see:
  • Cloat Tower
  • Twin peaks
  • West of Golden Gate Park
  • Lincoln Park
  • mission district
  • Grace cathedral
  • cable Car Museum
  • Full House and after Victorian Houses
  • steak house
  • diner
  • ice cream
  • French Laundry!!
  • shopping

Food

• lemon scone
• 10 oysters ($20)
• chicken mole ($9.50)
• boudin bread: sourdough, multi grain, asiago cheese, chocolate raisin
• In and Out double double burger, chips and strawberry shake
• Nick’s Lighthouse clam chowder with oyster biscuits
• Yabbies Coastal Kitchen dinner:
  • baguette
  • cippano with dunguese crab
  • seafood platter: oyster, prawn, clam, mussel, dunguese crab, shrimp salad, avocado and tortilla