Sunny Sunday

I know I am jumping from Saturday afternoon to Sunday morning, but the rest of Saturday wasn't too much of a story! I was tired and full after the Farmers' Market, lunch, and Ghirardelli, so I ended up going back to the hotel, took a nap, had a light dinner, and went to bed early. I wanted to be fresh for the next day!

Sunday started out with a trip to the Mission District. I had gotten lots of suggestions to check it out, so I headed that direction after breakfast. There wasn't a ton of stuff going on, but I wanted to see some of the murals there. I am glad I went...

All the city guides said that Precita Eyes was a good place to get information

about the Mission District, so that was my first stop...

Dang- got there before it opened! Oh well...it was still cool to find it ;) 

This was the first mural that really caught my eye

I liked the angel in this one

COOL! Max from "Where The Wild Things Are"

A little creepy, but deep...

...and a pretty one :)

My next Sunday stop was the Little Italy area near Washington Square. One of the first things I noticed after getting off the bus there was this cute little hat shop:

Loved the vintage signs...

...and the black and white panama hat! But I decided not to splurge on it

since I had already had some fun at Sur La Table the day before ;)

The next thing I saw at Washington Square was this beautiful church

I had to stop and stare for a second! So pretty. After enjoying the scenery, I decided to check out Coit Tower before I started getting hungry for lunch... So up the hill I went...

The trek uphill was worth the views :)

Now I was hungry! So the next stop was Cafe Divine- and the name was fitting. Had a really nice Sunday brunch there before heading on to see Beach Blanket Babylon (a funny musical). My recommendation is to Google BBB to get the scoop; there is too much to type here!

A quick pic from our seats in the theater; photos weren't allowed during the performance. 
I am glad I took the time to see it! A must for San Francisco, and worth every penny.

The rest of Sunday seemed to fly by. I strolled back down through the Ferry Building and then headed back to home base to freshen up. Found a nearby place for dinner called Cafe Claude (where I tried pate' for the first time and coq au vin). Very good. San Francisco was getting wild just about the time I was finishing dinner... The Giants won the World Series! There were people cheering, fireworks popping, car horns beeping, and all sorts of crazy shenanigans. It was cool to be there, but the day had me tired, so I walked back to my room and crashed- pretty oblivious to the commotion :)

Saturday Afternoon (in San Fran)

Golden Gate Bridge was the next major stop after the Ferry Building. It was the perfect day for a walk in the sunshine...

Walking by Fisherman's Wharf

Watching kids playing near the shore...

Checking out Ghirardelli Square- I was definitely stoked for this part!!

Note: under this sign is a huge vat of hot fudge being stirred- mmm! I stood and 

oogled the chocolate for a bit, but decided to be good and find some lunch first ;)

Good choice- this Latin Grill was fantastic! And the music was good too :)

Golden Gate Bridge

City view from the bridge

This was the point at which I decided to loop back to Ghirardelli- yay!!

Saturday Morning San Francisco Style

Day One was great, and Day Two was every bit as good. The Saturday Farmers' Market at the Ferry Building was highly recommended as a place to see, so that is how I started my day. Excellent suggestion! It was like a foodie Disneyland...

People enjoying the sunshine at the pier

One of the market stands

A rainbow of peppers

Fresh quail eggs- cute!

Mmmm- cheese...

I am no oyster connoisseur, but these were the best oysters I've ever had- yum!

After inspecting all the treasures outside, I moved indoors to check out the Ferry Building itself...

Exotic mushrooms (the legal expensive kind)

Very nice butcher shop- luv the shirts haha!

One of my FAVORITE stores- Sur La Table. I contained myself pretty well, but

splurged on some great ramekins from Italy... score!

The famous Boudin Bakery

Hello sourdough...

First Day in San Fran

After my first night (which I spent in Oakland), I moved to the big city. I packed up my bags, navigated the BART system, and made it to the Powell Station near Union Square. Partly being cheap and partly because I wanted to really experience SF, I decided to walk with all my stuff from the station to my hotel on Bush Street. 5 blocks is no problem usually, but I admit I worked up a decent sweat pushing my big suitcase 5 blocks uphill on Powell lol! Nevertheless, it was fun, and hey- I could always shower once I got checked-in. I booked a room at the Executive Hotel Vintage Suites on Bush Street, and it turned out to be a great choice. The location was good, the staff was nice, the room was clean, and the area was relatively quiet (other than the night the Giants won the Series)...

Hotel Exterior

After I was free from my luggage, I decided to do a little exploring while I waited to check-in... Here are a few things from Powell Street

Super cute art at Union Square

Trolleys near the Powell Station

"The Dome" area in Westlake Center (a big mall off of Powell Street). Very nice! It was

a great place to grab a quick bite for lunch and check out Victoria's Secret :)

By this point in the day, I was pretty pleased with my decision to visit SF, but my day still got better from there. After getting settled in my hotel, I went out for an absolutely fantastic dinner at Cocotte on Hyde Street. Oh. My. Gosh was it good! A "must" for all future SF trips!

San Francisco Bound

My latest journey was to San Francisco (at the end of October). I had planned on it prior to the Word Series being held there, but that was definitely an added bonus! There were Giants fans, Giants parties, Giants apparel, and Giants trinkets everywhere! Although I ended up not getting a ticket, I still went to the stadium and was part of the energy. Pretty dang cool. I watched one of the games from a sports bar near the stadium and had a great time- that is, once I figured out the public transportation system. It is a nice offering for residents, but pretty confusing haha! Here are some of my pics from the start of my trip...

AT&T Park

Just one of the many many many lines at a sports bar (there were lines for everything!)

This guy was broadcasting live from the ballpark

Some of our fine men and women preparing the flag for the opening ceremonies :)

Jets flew over the field as well- great touch!

Fall Biking in AK

Well... after I got back from all my traveling, I knew I had better get outside and enjoy the scenery before it snows in Anchorage! It will probably be snowy out when I get home from my time at work this month. I am not sure if I am ready or not... In any case, I was lucky enough to get a sunny day before I left for work, so I aired-up my tires and set out on the Coastal Trail. Here's the evidence ;)

The first of SIX moose I saw that day

I stopped to watch the female, and pretty soon this guy started coming towards us!

Then, another female and a baby walked across the trail



This was about as close as I was comfortable with getting to this bruiser-

without a gun hehe... Glad I got outside; very cool day