I think I mentioned that I was going to San Francisco? I Loved it there! I took loads of photos, but I promise I am not going to bombard you with holiday shots. I'll try and choose a few highlights. San Francisco is such a picturesque place that I could take endless photos and would never tire of it. I only wish I had taken more pictures of the neighborhood where we stayed (I guess that means I really must go back, right?). We rented a studio apartment in the Castro neighborhood (really it was right in between Castro and Mission Districts). It was a lovely place, so I have to share what it looked like inside. There was also a kitchen and small bath as well as a private hallway.
After we dropped off our luggage and settled in a bit we headed for Ocean Beach--the Pacific side of San Francisco to visit the beautiful coast. It was sunny but a little on the brisk side. Isn't it gorgeous? And I know my photo doesn't even do it justice.
It's so pretty let me share another shot of it. We ate at the Cliff House restaurant, which is perched on the hillside. Look at the misty hillside in the distance--it was breathtaking. The Cliff House sits above the former Sutro Baths. They are just ruins now--you can see just a little edge on the lower right corner. By the time we finished eating it was a little too cool to make the trek down to the ruins, but they were interesting to look at from above. As cool as it was, there were people out surfing (in wet suits of course). That's dedication. I am pleased to say that we had no trouble getting around the city using the excellent Muni. As someone who walks a lot and doesn't own a car, San Francisco is a dream city for me!
The Japanese Tea Garden in the Golden Gate Park was really pretty. Lots of tourists there, but if you could find a nice quiet corner, quite peaceful as well. It's amazing to think of such a quiet green space in the heart of such a big and bustling city.
And it's a city with lots and lots of hills. I'm told that the steepest hills have steps (but I climbed a few hills that didn't have steps that my calves assured me were pretty vertical!).
I'm not joking about those hills. We climbed up to the Coit Tower, down the hill and up to the other side to get to Lombard Street.
Every step was worth it, though, to get a view like this! There were some really amazing views out over the city. That's the Bay Bridge in the far distance.
Just to give you a little perspective. Remember how I mentioned Coit Tower? There it is in the distance. We walked from there to here (just around the corner from Lombard Street--the twisty street) in one afternoon.
It's a good thing we did all that walking, as we also did a lot of eating! Do you see those two big, hungry bites out of that pizza. It had mushrooms and ricotta cheese--yum. Everything we ate in San Francisco was delicious!
And the desserts weren't bad either! This is Miette Patisserie in the Ferry Building on Fisherman's wharf. I can assure you the macarons are quite tasty.
A few more photos to follow in the next day or so, and then I think I might have a few updates to share with my needlework as well!
