Finds in San Francisco

Being away from home offers two of my favourite opportunities - time to explore and stumbling upon treasures.  Sometimes I have an idea of what I might want, of stuff I can only find in a city or that has more choices than I could find in my small-but-trendy hometown.

Monday's search was for paper and cupcakes.

Julie and I ended up on Fillmore Street after her web search.  The Paper Source is one inspiring place to hang out; it is one of those places that leaves me a bit dizzy after an hour or so of visual stimulation - so many items I have never seen before.  I spent a lot.  The surprise was that most of what I bought was not paper; it was cloth ribbons.

And that's what happens.  I never know quite I am going to find.  And life is like that.  Really.  If you think about it. 

Which leads me to our next search.   We caught the bus to a cupcake place on Union Street.  Had the cupcake store been open on Mondays, we wouldn't have gone to seek out the next one on the list.  Had we not decided to walk down Fillmore instead of Steiner we wouldn't have found the shoe store.  The shoe store where Julie found 2 pairs of Italian shoes.

We walked to the second cupcake shop, Julie looking down admiring her new purchase which she decided to wear.

The iPhone led us down a few blocks.  We turned a corner and scanned the buildings.  I am always a bit amazed at seeing a place after seeing it on Google Maps.  Like it won't really be there.  The surprise is in the fact that I never know what a place is going to look like, not really.  I looked to my left and there it was, an array of pastel colours gleaming at us behind the glass counter.  Susie Cakes. 

I chose one coconut and one lemon.  Julie chose chocolate mint and vanilla with pink icing.

As I was eating my cupcake with crumbs all around me and sticky fingers, I had a few thoughts about my intrigue with these sweet treats.

On one hand, cupcakes make a lot of sense - buy only one item instead of a whole cake.  I don't have to be fully committed to my "cake."  Cupcakes are a popular indulgence, perfect for cosmopolitan cities where calories are tracked.  My grandmother would be astonished that there are whole stores devoted to cupcakes, that they even have their own name - cupcakery.

But what separates one shop from another?  Here's what I have noticed.  Red Velvet cupcakes, whose key ingredients are chocolate, red food colouring and cream cheese frosting are faddish.  So are minis.  At most places I can find chocolate and vanilla cupcakes topped with various flavours of icing - lemon, coconut, vanilla.  It certainly doesn't stop there.  Miette Cakes in San Francisco offers “Old-Fashioned” – a bittersweet chocolate cake with Italian meringue and candy-coated peanut.  Mission Minis offers small bite-sized cupcakes in 10 different varieties. 

To top it off, cupcakery stores are visions of colour and the epitome of esthetics.

And yet....

The magic of cupcakes is a delicate matter.  They can have too much frosting.  Or too little.  Too dry.  Too boring. 

Perhaps it is all about the quest, of finding the pinnacle. 

Easter Sunday in San Francisco

Easter Sunday in San Francisco began innocently enough. After the traditional Easter egg hunt (isn't it curious where the last one is hiding), Ryan made breakfast, and then we set out to explore the city. Our plan was to check out Chinatown, which is apparently the largest Chinatown outside of Asia as well as the oldest one in North America.

We caught the F-line which took us down Market Avenue to Grant where we walked up to Chinatown. We ate at a sushi place, with a definite Easter-egg-shape to the dinnerware...



Perhaps we should have taken the before picture?

We walked and shopped, and landed in a gelato place where we had a lovely visit with a newbie to SF - John. He told us a good deal about mechanical engineering. While I was sitting, I noticed that my knee was feeling a bit wonky.

We said goodbye to our new friend. We had 2 hours before our arranged Skype-date with family in Winnipeg.

At first, it was all pleasant, though I was walking slower with the tender knee. The sidewalks are mesmerizing in that they sparkle in the sun, like diamonds....



As we walked along, we decided on a splendid plan. My last time downtown this trip would be punctuated with a ride on the cable car. We walked several blocks and I dug out my $5 bill. After a wait, the cable car came up the hill, but it was full. The operator shouted for us to take the next one. Ryan checked on his iPhone; we had 8 minutes to wait. The weather was a bit chilly so we stayed in the sun. The next cable car came along, and it was full and didn't stop for us.

We abandoned the idea of the cable car. A bus. We walked several blocks to the bus stop. And waited. Ten minutes later, a bus arrived. Full. It passed us by.

Here is a place we passed along the way....





Our next plan was to walk to Fisherman's Wharf and catch the F-line home. So we walked and walked (I more like hobbled and hobbled). We piled into the streetcar, and I met 4 lads from England who just came back from Alcatraz. Several blocks down the road, our driver said, "End of the line. Everyone off."

So we all piled off our double car and crammed ourselves onto the next single car.  2 l/2 hours after the decision to go home, we arrived.  We had a delightful visit. With webcams, you can:

• show your new purchases or gifts
• give a tour of your home
• make distorted pictures of yourself that makes your mother laugh and laugh

We said farewell, and got in Ryan's car for our trip to Trader Joe's, my first for this visit. Apparently, Trader Joe's closes early on Easter Sunday; I swallowed the disappointment and focussed on dinner. Part of the trip was to pick up our dinner and so I suggested that we go to the King of Thai Noodles; Ryan declined as he goes there frequently. His idea was for me to do take out. Groovy to me. Ryan parked outside, and I hobbled to the restaurant and to the server. "The kitchen closes at 9 pm." I looked at the clock - it was 9:05. The server offered to go and talk to the cooks, but it was a no deal.

And that is how we ended up eating crunchy tacos for our Easter dinner. At home, I opened the Taco Bell take-out bag, and sat in front of HDTV with an ice pack on my knee. I was grateful.

Riding the Streets of San Francisco

Our first full day in SF, Ryan suggested that we get a passport ticket, which allows a person to ride the public transportation system for a full day. The cost is $11.00. As we were busy in San Jose and chauffeured by Ryan, we didn't use our passport until our last full day. We began our day taking a street car to the pier for our tour to Alcatraz. $1.25

A few hours later, Julie met us at the Pier and we had lunch and did the city tour. We were done at 6:00 pm. And we had only spent $1.25 of our $11.00.

We decided to take the cable car to the shops - the cost - $5.00.

Ryan met us at the other end and we had the BEST Thai food ever, shopped, and then it was 9 pm. And we had only spent $6.25.

We decided to not squander our passport so we caught the cable to Fisherman's Wharf (another $5) and then lined straight away to catch it back ($5.00).



The streets the cable cars travel on are not exactly flat...



As you can tell most of our riding was done at night. I saw a laundromat called - Missing Sock, beautiful buildings, and we experienced a whole lot of fresh air. We rode standing...



Hanging on the outside of a cable car is an experience! In a way it is more comfortable than sitting on a seat, and sliding your way into the next passenger as we went either up or down a hill.

The Cable Cars of San Francisco keep their operators busy - there is a lot of levers, and pedals and cranks. No fossil-burning products - it is earth friendly.
.
By the time, we made it back to the shop-end of Powell Street, it was an hour from midnight - we were exhausted as we had been out for over 12 hours. Our passport was about to expire. We caught the train home ($1.25 on the passport), and were back in the neighbourhood by midnight.

Total expenditures on the passport - $17.50!

Ryan's SF Apartment

Now is a month after Aimee and my big adventure in California - when we originally booked the Tina Turner concert, Ryan was living well and truly in Seattle. And then life, as it does, shifted and Ryan (and Julie) moved to San Francisco to a new job with a company called Stumbleupon. They do the searching on the web for you.

Years ago when Ryan moved to Seattle, I just happened to be there on holidays when his papers came through - and so I met him at the airport.

This time, he (and Julia and Aimee who had already landed) met me at the Oakland airport. We had the double bill of seeing the concert and exploring Ryan's new world! And apartment - both him and Julie spent some serious time finding the perfect place, and were all moved in by the time we got there.

The apartment is very bright - windows in every room - even the closet. The closet is a walk in with two doors, which got me to thinking about the designer, and how that came about. The most intriguing window is in the bathroom - it is covered with a film so no one can see in (or out I suppose) when the window is closed - the window opens into an air duct which is about 2 feet by 2 feet and is open right to the sky. Is it an air duct or a light duct?? It does both. Directly across is another window, which was mostly ajar (as was ours when someone took a shower).

When I opened the window for my shower, each time I saw the bare midriff of a young man. Others in our place said they said it too. That was a lot of showers. And then it occurred to me that perhaps it was a different midriff each time. More than one roommate?

Really, though, here is where we spent most of the time...


This view is looking towards the bedroom - yes, there is French doors to the bedroom. In the corner is Ryan's work station.




This view is of the living room looking towards the front door, and vestibule. Ryan's new couch - hideabed - and underneath it a new carpet protecting the lovely hardwood floors!

And here is the kitchen...



Notable in a different way is the elevator. It actually has a door to it, on each floor. That might give a bit of a time period when it was made. As is such in these places, one says a little prayer as they push the button. The underground parking has space for 7 vehicles, very cozy - but it is not as cozy as the laneway into the parkade (I'm thinking parkade might not be the right word). Say a little prayer for the side mirrors.

One of the best selling features of the place is its location - close to Starbucks and Jamba Juice, and public transportation. And really not that far from Trader Joe's.... how perfect is that???

The Streets of San Francisco

The first night I was in San Francisco, Ryan took us on a tour of the city after our time at the beach. The San Francisco that I had seen so far was nothing like the movies. I had imagined being on the top of a hill and looking down at city and water, and though we had found our way to the water, it was relatively flat. What else I noticed was that the houses and buildings were not that tall, for such a large city; they were close together and there were a lot of stairs. So our driver, Ryan, took us downtown. What I realized after getting my bearings was that the water in all the movies and television shows is actually San Francisco Bay, and not the ocean. Here's our first view of the Bay....



There are hills in San Francisco - there is Russian Hill, Knob Hill, and as Ryan said, if there was a lot of precipitation there, it would be a problem. Here is a down view...



As you can see, cars are parked in a rather unique way. Great idea as it is difficult to slide sideways.

There is also up...



Here is a leap of faith in that there is something on the other side. To me, the painted STOP on the road almost looks like a vertical sign.

Ryan also took us to Lombard Street, a favourite for people touring San Francisco. The sight to see is a part of the street that has 8 switchbacks - it is called the Crookedest Street in the US. Ryan was delighted to take us down the hill, and in keeping with his hidden desire to be a Nascar race car driver, we zoomed down the street. I protested as I was so occupied with putting on the imaginary brakes and swirling around the corners, I couldn't see a thing. He had a lot more faith in the brakes than I did. At the bottom we joined the many photographers.

The Sights of San Francisco

Julie met us when our boat arrived at Pier 33 and we were off to Pier 39 where all the action is. When Julie first came to visit San Francisco, she took and tour of the city so she did some research on the street to see if they were still around. How does a city tour sound? We were inspired and after some sweet talking a different tour company, they decided that I could have the child rate. And that is how we met Vance. The three of us were the last tour of the day, and as it turns out, Vance's only customers. He pronounced Julie's name like this - Jewel-y. Our mode of transportation...



A motorized cable car. Vance had a lot to tell us. Also to others on the street because there were no doors or windows and Vance talked to everyone. To one woman who walked in front of the bus he said, "See, girls, I told you there would be celebrities on the tour."

This is a six-sided building - Think of all the light in that house...



The Transamerica Pyramid - the tallest building in San Francisco. Apparently only 2 of the 18 elevators go to the top.



On the Golden Gate Bridge. At last we get to experience it by daylight.



From the north side...


At this viewpoint, there are several coin-operated binoculars. We inserted our two quarters and then, maneuvered our cameras to get the picture. Here's what we saw, through the looking glass...


And here is a different view of Alcatraz...



We also got to see China Town, the Crookedest Street, North Beach (where I would love to hang out), many beautiful, huge homes, parks, and churches...



This church's address is 666 Filbert Street. (hmmm...)

Touring Alcatraz

Monday morning in San Francisco, Aimée and I caught the street car to Fisherman's Wharf for our sailing to Alcatraz Island, one of the popular attractions in the city. Before this journey, I had not realized that Alcatraz is THAT close to the city - indeed it is a 12 minute boat ride. The island has served a variety of uses over the years including military prison and an American Indian occupation (1964 and 1969 to 1971).

One statement about Alcatraz I saw that day was, "If you break the rules, you go to prison. If you break the prison rules, you go to Alcatraz." Indeed as a penitentiary, it housed some fierce dudes. It was a federal prison from 1934 to 1963.

The island was named by a Spanish explorer who saw the pelicans and called it, "Isla de los Alcatraces."

Our tour began at the dock with an introduction and stories by the Ranger. Apparently the first prisoner on Alcatraz was a Canadian from Montreal. Oh, our rowdy ancestors. From the landing area, we saw a guard tower - there used to be 6 on the island.



From there, up we went to see the features of the island - such as the cellhouse, warden's house, morgue, barracks, and various other buildings. One of the focal points is an audio tour of the cellhouse; at the beginning, each person gets a headset and MP3 player and listens to the stories and instructions. At any point, a person can pause the tour. We got to see the cells:



And Cell Block D (solitary confinement)...



This is definitely not her kind of place.

The prisoners spent their time:
- in a regimented way - for example, 20 minutes for meals, and did the same thing every day at the same time (not a good place for a Perceiving personality type).
- knitting, painting, writing.
- reading books!



To see a larger image, click in the centre of the picture.



The civilian population of "The Rock" was about 200 people, which included staff and their families. There were enough apartments and cottages for 60 families and 10 bachelors. At times there were up to 75 children living on the island; each morning a boat would come and take the children to school in San Francisco, and then they returned home every night. Apparently, the families never locked their doors... egads!

Here is a view of the entire island, from a Golden Gate viewpoint...



not a lot of space for 75 children... The tallest, long building is the cellhouse.

Three hours we wandered around Alcatraz, hearing stories of escape attempts, the famous prisoners, and infamous wardens. It was quite engaging, well put together, and worth the trip. There's lots of humour about the joint...

In the city, we saw t-shirts with this message: The Hotel Alcatraz - Guaranteed Room With a View - 24 Hour Security - Lifetime Accommodation - Catering to Select Clientele - Bars in Every Room - All Drinks Are on the Rocks.

After our tour, we headed back to San Francisco; this was our view of the San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge.



This bridge is a two-tiered (traffic going towards San Francisco are on the up part of the bridge - traffic going to Oakland travel on the deck directly below), toll bridge that is 4.5 miles long. Technically it is two bridges. This was our route to go to the airport in Oakland. Apparently 270,000 vehicles cross this bridge every day!

When we landed, Julie met us - with a plan - adventure 2 of this day to follow....

Day Two in San Francisco

Woke up this morning in Ryan's sunny apartment, and then went downtown via Muni - the train system. I have officially taken planes, trains and automobiles on my vacation. We got to see Ryan's new work digs...



Here is the greeting at the door entrance to his work...



Then we were off to the shops. We found our way to cosmetics at Bloomingdales.



And many other shops. I needed to find shoes for the big do tonight. And I was out of facial tissues (yep - the cold is still with me).

After sunset, we all took our cameras and went out into San Francisco at night. This view is from a place called Twin Peaks.



And the Golden Gate Bridge - the bridge that brings us from the north into San Francisco...



View with Ryan's camera...



And here we all are...

8 Hours Later

after I landed in Oakland, I got to see Ryan's new apartment in San Francisco (which is very funky and comfy with the new couch and furnishings).

What happened in those 8 hours is the topic of this posting.

The mother-daughter team are off on their grand adventure!!



Here are our hosts...



who did their move to San Francisco between our big adventure plans and our arrival - gotta love that synchronicity.

I arrived in the mid-afternoon, pre-planned to avoid all the traffic. I had Immediately, I could see we were in a different land...



On our way to San Francisco...



We found our way to the Haight-Ashbury District of San Francisco where we found a delightful Thai place for lunch. Then we were off to the beach...



We came across this gal... (we know this because Julie has gone crabbing with her parents - when you crab, you have to know which are male and female because the female ones over a certain size have to go back into the sea). In the spirit of doing one thing a day that I have never done before, I followed Julie's lead.



And then it did this... (Click on the arrow at the bottom left corner of the screen.)



We saw many gifts from the sea:



Update on the cold: The plane had one stop and the up and down twice was a pain - literally. Luckily when I was in Spokane, Al had given me a blister pack of decongestants - I took another in Portland. There was a moment at the beach where I realized that maybe being in cold ocean water wasn't such a good idea...



If you happen to be one of those people who want to do it all, then walking in the California surf is a GREAT idea!