Discovering Another Mad Dash (Oct 14): Heading Home and Finally finishing this TR #1523 (05/03)

[PrincessInOz]

Skiing was incredible. They had gotten 79" of snow a few days before we got there. (That's 200 cm for those non-US folks!) We had two absolutely gorgeous days. The views from Heavenly are unparallelled to anything in the world IMHO. I will post pix on my current TR thread in a few days...

Looking forward to seeing your shots. Us Aussies - we would ski on 79 CM of snow; heck - we even ski on 30 cm. 79 INCHES? In one night? *sigh*

....that she moved to Siberia?

Is that far enough? Maybe not....I'd still be on the Dis.

....boy, oh boy, that ice cream that your DS is eating sure does look dee-LISH!! ....and BTW, it's CHOWWWWWW-dah....



I was born in Asia. The best I can do is CHOWWWW....Time!








Possibly.......CHOWWWW......Mein!



["Jay - Eee - Tee - Esss, JETS, JETS, JETS!"]

Lemme try this one again!

["Jay - Eee - Tee - Esss = 49ers, 49ers, 49ers!"]

 

[PrincessInOz]

San Francisco Maritime National Park


We re-joined the tourist trap of Fisherman’s Wharf and headed in the direction of Ghirardelli’s. But neither of us felt like looking at more mugs or chocolates so we walked down to Hyde Street….

….and DS saw something that just had him spinning wheels!

We walked though the Riverboat..

…and took ourselves back in time to marvel at the ship-making craft.

I haven’t been in the Hyde Street Pier in years! So I was delighted to step in again.

The Hyde Street Pier used to be part of Highway 101. Before the bridge was built, there used to be a ferry that took vehicles across the harbour to the Marin county side. You can still see the 101 sign.

We headed down the end of the pier, admiring the golden day ships that reside here as tourist attractions. The ships are part of the Maritime National Historic Park and include this beautiful square rigged sailing ship.

And it was a good opportunity for DS to learn the ropes a little…

They had stations down the pier that showed how to tie different knots. Both DS and I had fun getting ourselves tangled in knots.

Yes, we had a great time down the pier.

And the views were fabulous!

I asked DS to take a picture of me with the Rock in the background…..

….guess we’ll have to go back for that shot sometime!

We headed back out and I guess DS must have thought he’d really pulled his weight today….

…but he still had one very important decision to make…..


(Continued in Next Post)

 

[PrincessInOz]

(Continued from Previous Post)


Clang, clang, clang went the trolley…Ding, ding, ding went the bell….


DS was faced with the perplexing conundrum of……

What form of transport to catch back?


My DS just loves transport of any sort so this was a very hard decision for him to make. His options were:

A) The bus. We’d already caught that to get to the wharf
B) The street car. The San Francisco F-line street car runs from Fisherman’s Wharf past the Ferry Building and up along Market to the Castro. This vehicle is similar to the trams we have in Melbourne and DS was severely tempted to catch this one back to Market.
C) The trolley. In the end, I convinced DS that we should catch the trolley back as this was probably the only mode of transport that was distinctively “only in San Francisco”.


As it goes in the song “The day was bright, the air was sweet. The smell of honeysuckle charmed you off your feet”….

Well…no honeysuckle in bloom but the trolleys are charming!

I do wonder if DS had been happy to catch the trolley because we were ‘right there’ rather than having to walk all the way down towards Pier 39 again to catch the street car. But I was glad to have the opportunity to take the shots in this post!

We waited for the gripman and conductor to put some effort into making sure that the trolley was okay for the passengers.

They had to make sure that it had its best “face” forward....showing the Powell/Hyde line!

We had deliberately waited for the next trolley to be top of the line so that we could choose our seat for this ride.

Naturally, DS and I both wanted to sit on the outside of the trolley. What was surprising was that both of us wanted to be on the inside of the outside….

….I think you know what I mean.

I got the window seat!



We waited for the gripman to pull on the handle.....which released the brake ...

And we were off! "Clang, clang, clang went the trolley!"

Up the top of the first or second hill is Lombard Street, the crooked-est street in the world. DS wanted to get off here….

…but I reminded him that we’d paid $5 for the ride and if we got off, we were walking all the way back to the Caltrain station (Yes, sometimes I can be a cruel mum).


I just love the bay windows of San Francisco.

We kept heading up those Russian Hills…towards Nob Hill...

…and what goes up…..

….must come down!

Do you remember the last sentence of my first post?

Just to remind you – No seat belts required, feel free to keep your hands, feet and head or any other part of you outside the car – and remember….no liability will be assumed by the writer at any time!

Sure hope you remembered to keep your hands, feet and head or any other part of you INSIDE the car. And if you didn’t – no liability will be assumed by this writer at any time!

"Ding, ding, ding went the bell!" Numerous times!!


My last trip to San Francisco downtown was in 2009, just DH (on another work trip) no DS. I spent 5 days shopping in the downtown area; so whilst I was pleased to see Union Square again, I had no desire to stop and shop.

Seriously. The clothes I bought on that trip are still hanging in my wardrobe, some still with the tags on them!


We eventually reached our destination.

…And DS and I walked down Market to 4th Street …..

…..and caught a bus back to the Caltrain station.

Our train was waiting and we headed on…home.

(Continued in Next Post)

 

[PrincessInOz]

(Continued from Previous Post)


More Food Porn


One of the reasons why I didn’t have the inclination to shop at Union Square was because DH and I had decided to hit the Great Mall in Milpitas tonight.

I’d already driven circles round the Great Parkway a day or so back; so I had no inclination to drive there again. But DH likes shopping there and he doesn’t need very much arm-twisting for me to go along with this idea.

So, DS and I waited for him back at the hotel at the allotted time. 10 minutes, 20 minutes, 30 minutes go by before I get a text…….“Running Late.”

Yeah, I think I got THAT bit….but there was no ETA for when he would finish.

We waited some more…..the group meeting ran overtime by 90 minutes!

90 precious minutes of shopping time or staying in the downtown area! GRRR!

Still…..we got to the Great Mall a lot later than we wanted and I think DH managed to do significant damage on the credit card. I managed to pick up a couple more Gap tops. But the clear winner for the night was DS. We got his winter wardrobe all sorted out for this year.

Turns out that the Great Mall was nearly at the corner of the 880 and the 237. From where I was at the Winchester Mystery House, I could have nearly reached out and touched it! Double D’oh!!

The thing about the Great Mall is that there is a complex of restaurants and the cinema at one end of the mall. And there is this restaurant that just doesn’t seem to belong in the group….

The Coconut Grove serves Malaysian and Singaporean style cuisine. DH and I found it here way back in 2005 and we’ve been coming here for dinner after shopping ever since. But it had been a few years since our last visit and I was curious to see if the standard had remained high.

As it was Wednesday night, there was a $2 Roti special.

…served with a curry sauce.

Delicious. The sauce might have needed a bit more depth to its taste; but I would have been happy if this had come out of my kitchen.


DS ordered the Char Hor Fun.

When we ordered it, the waitress pointed out that that the dish was served with an egg-y sauce. She seemed dubious that DS would like it.

That is exactly why we ordered it. This dish did not disappoint and DS sucked it all in.


DH decided on the Nasi Lemak, with vegetable curry.

Wonderful! The coconut rice had the right amount of coconut milk and the curry was a delight.


I decided to order my litmus test dish of the Char Kaoy Teow.

I left well satisfied. Standards had definitely been maintained at this long-time favourite restaurant! And the bill came to around $40 (including two lemonades and tips!).


All in all, another great day. I’d found my heart in San Francisco, reassured myself that it was in a good place and got some shopping and great food for the day.






[Up Next – Day 9 In search of Good Cheap Eats]

 

[shushh]

It sounded like another great day for you and DS! The photo of the sailing ship is just gorgeous.

 

[eeyore7360nc]

I can't believe I missed the link to your report. Sorry I am late to the party. I have been enjoying all your photos on all the photography threads, now I can put them all in context.

 

[queenie82]

Righteo...
Here I am...very unfashionably late...and proud of it...
It truly isn't laziness. It is that you write too much and I've been a life rollercoaster from hell for a while now...

But I'm here...and up to page 15. I've completed the Disney part.

Great trip report as always. You never fail to deliver in humour and photos. I'm going to smack you if I ever meet you in person over the Club 33 photos

I really really loved and appreciated your WoC assessment and photos. I like others think you can get a bit too much of a good thing with the whole water and lights. And your assessment showed me so much such that I could make an even more informed decision.

I am a Disney tragic and I have that pull which will make me watch it. But I know it won't be a favourite. What will happen is I'll go in not expecting much and come out with throbbing legs and hopefully a smile.
As you know I've now completed the 5 castle tour and I've seen pretty much all the recent and current shows and parades bar WoC.

I do like the water stuff and you could find me standing mesmerised outside the Bellagio when we first saw those fountains. Eyes glazed over just staring. But part of that enjoyment comes from the fact you don't wait hours for it. It just happens. That doesn't make sense to everyone but wait time affects your enjoyment level. The level has to be high enough to overpower the discomfort.

I apologise for the essay...it's just WoC has been something I've been debating for a while. And I'm glad to see the other comments. [No I haven't seen anything past page 15...ok...I'll get to it...]

I kind of love how DS messed up your plans. It was sweet and annoying. I would have smacked him over Autopia though. That is THE slowest loading ride ever. It is always twice the listed wait time.
It looks like you all had a lovely Disney time. No you didn't see everything or do everything. But it is Disneyland which is the easiest for us Aussies to get to. [I didn't say closest...but I consider easiest]

There is no way in HELL you'll get me back on the Swinging Gondolas again though unless you give me some carabiners and handles to hold onto for grim life.
In describing your riding it reminded me of a description the BF once gave of riding with a former friend on Big Thunder Mountain.
"Somewhere in Kissimmee a dog howled....
The next statement from the back seat became one of the great quotes of the trip and the piss was duly taken for the next 14 days.

"Holy ******* ****, we're all going to die!!"


Thanks again for the fun ride

 

[franandaj]

Oh man, I was afraid this would happen to you with the size of your photos! Your photobucket account is hosed! How long until they give you back your bandwidth?

 

[PrincessInOz]

It sounded like another great day for you and DS! The photo of the sailing ship is just gorgeous.

Hi Shushh. Thanks for reading. Yes, the downtown days were fantastic!

I can't believe I missed the link to your report. Sorry I am late to the party. I have been enjoying all your photos on all the photography threads, now I can put them all in context.

Hi Eeyore! Thanks for joining the party and welcome to my TR. Hope the commentary made sense on the photos. And I know pea n me said I could post commentary with my shots; but I think you've worked out why I declined the offer.

Righteo...
Here I am...very unfashionably late...and proud of it...
It truly isn't laziness. It is that you write too much and I've been a life rollercoaster from hell for a while now...

But I'm here...and up to page 15. I've completed the Disney part.

Great trip report as always. You never fail to deliver in humour and photos. I'm going to smack you if I ever meet you in person over the Club 33 photos

I really really loved and appreciated your WoC assessment and photos. I like others think you can get a bit too much of a good thing with the whole water and lights. And your assessment showed me so much such that I could make an even more informed decision.

I am a Disney tragic and I have that pull which will make me watch it. But I know it won't be a favourite. What will happen is I'll go in not expecting much and come out with throbbing legs and hopefully a smile.
As you know I've now completed the 5 castle tour and I've seen pretty much all the recent and current shows and parades bar WoC.

I do like the water stuff and you could find me standing mesmerised outside the Bellagio when we first saw those fountains. Eyes glazed over just staring. But part of that enjoyment comes from the fact you don't wait hours for it. It just happens. That doesn't make sense to everyone but wait time affects your enjoyment level. The level has to be high enough to overpower the discomfort.

I apologise for the essay...it's just WoC has been something I've been debating for a while. And I'm glad to see the other comments. [No I haven't seen anything past page 15...ok...I'll get to it...]

I kind of love how DS messed up your plans. It was sweet and annoying. I would have smacked him over Autopia though. That is THE slowest loading ride ever. It is always twice the listed wait time.
It looks like you all had a lovely Disney time. No you didn't see everything or do everything. But it is Disneyland which is the easiest for us Aussies to get to. [I didn't say closest...but I consider easiest]

There is no way in HELL you'll get me back on the Swinging Gondolas again though unless you give me some carabiners and handles to hold onto for grim life.
In describing your riding it reminded me of a description the BF once gave of riding with a former friend on Big Thunder Mountain.
"Somewhere in Kissimmee a dog howled....
The next statement from the back seat became one of the great quotes of the trip and the piss was duly taken for the next 14 days.

"Holy ******* ****, we're all going to die!!"


Thanks again for the fun ride

LATE....and possibly LAST! But never LEAST!
You're only on page 15? Keep going. I have some of your favourite animals captured on dots.

Just remember - you did sorta ask for the photos of Club 33. A gentle tap will be acceptable.

Oh man, I was afraid this would happen to you with the size of your photos! Your photobucket account is hosed! How long until they give you back your bandwidth?

Sorry for this. I upgraded my account; photos back on line.

 

[franandaj]

Sorry for this. I upgraded my account; photos back on line.

All of them were back except for the Food Porn post...the pics all have little red X's now which is a different problem.

 

[PrincessInOz]

All of them were back except for the Food Porn post...the pics all have little red X's now which is a different problem.

Mmm. I can see the food porn pictures....anyone else have the same problem?

 

[queenie82]

Just turned over to page 19 but I need a break. That flashing Irish Mickey is driving me bonkers!!!!
Just can't take it anymore.

Loved the drive up to SFO. But I have to say it seems so strange to me to go to Monterey and NOT go to the Monterey Bay Aquarium.
I have a...slight...obsession with Sea Otters.
Ok fine...I'm downright OBSESSED with Sea Otters.
No NOT those River Otters (aka big rats) you see in Australian Zoos. I mean SEA Otters. Those adorable creatures who hang around floating on their back in the water cracking sea urchins with rocks on their chests.
These guys...

You sure got a nice room but I would have gone in and demanded my money back from the hotel with the bikies and bolted...
Glad you still managed to cope though.

Look forward to reading the rest when the burned in image of flashing Mickey goes away...

 

[PrincessInOz]

You'll be waiting until the 17th March....so the 18th in Oz.


Unless, of course, you want one for yourself???

 

[queenie82]

You'll be waiting until the 17th March....so the 18th in Oz.

Unless, of course, you want one for yourself???

Gawd no...
It is just that not only you but many of your followers have it too.
So it is ALWAYS there

 

[usnuzuloose]

You know I have never rode the trolley. I am not sure why. Guess I will have to at some point. I love the pic of the ship. Dont you hate to find out you drive and not find what you are looking for and then find out it was right under your nose. I will keep in mind about the bandwith. Make multiple accounts. Looks like another beautiful day as well. Keep it coming.

 

[franandaj]

As it was Wednesday night, there was a $2 Roti special.

…served with a curry sauce.

DS ordered the Char Hor Fun.

When we ordered it, the waitress pointed out that that the dish was served with an egg-y sauce. She seemed dubious that DS would like it.


DH decided on the Nasi Lemak, with vegetable curry.


Wonderful! The coconut rice had the right amount of coconut milk and the curry was a delight.


I decided to order my litmus test dish of the Char Kaoy Teow.

From someone who is dying to try a Pho restaurant, but can't seem to get Fran to go there....So what is in Char Hor Fun and Char Kaoy Teow these look good and intrigue me.

I don't need to know about Nasi Lemak because with coconut, forget it!

 

[queenie82]

Phew...completed.
Love it :

I loved the look of the custard buns. I can't imagine there being any equivalence to krispy kreme...but anywho...

I have to ask my asian friends if they can get any at the asian supermarket. One gets lovely vegetarian ones and red bean ones. [Yes I am a caucasian girl who likes red bean]
I am addicted to Pork buns too...love the bun part almost more than the pork.

I have a thing for SFO too...but it has waned a bit. My fondest memory is from my first trip when I was 8 and I had a cough that gave the sea lions a run for their money We actually got the cough medicine from Chinatown. Nothing Chinese...but still a lovely lady who loved the little cutie pie with a cough

The highlights are still Pier 39 and the Sea lions, The Golden Gate Bridge, Lombard Street, Monterey Bay Aquarium (for real otters...not those rodents you saw) and Jelly Belly


I'm so glad you had such a wonderful time with the family. That is what matters most.

Although I'm even more peeved than you about photos of the Winchester House. I wanted to see it without having to go there

 

[PrincessInOz]

Gawd no...
It is just that not only you but many of your followers have it too.
So it is ALWAYS there

You should try hanging out on the Games board!!

You know I have never rode the trolley. I am not sure why. Guess I will have to at some point. I love the pic of the ship. Dont you hate to find out you drive and not find what you are looking for and then find out it was right under your nose. I will keep in mind about the bandwith. Make multiple accounts. Looks like another beautiful day as well. Keep it coming.

You should have seen me that afternoon when I finally figured out that I'd driven circles for nothing!

The trolley is fun....takes a bit of time; but fun nevertheless.

From someone who is dying to try a Pho restaurant, but can't seem to get Fran to go there....So what is in Char Hor Fun and Char Kaoy Teow these look good and intrigue me.

I don't need to know about Nasi Lemak because with coconut, forget it!

Both Char Hor Fun and the Char Kaoy Teow are made using rice noodles. Char means fried. So, both are variations of fried rice noodles.

In the Char Hor Fun, the noodles are fried and the sauce is made separately. The sauce will consist of the proteins and vegetables, add some stock, seasoning and thickener (usually corn flour) and at the end add an egg. The sauce is then poured over the fried noodles. This dish ends up "wet fried".

In the Char Kaoy Teow, the proteins (shrimp, pipies or clams, fish cake) and vegetables (bean shoots and shallots) are fried with the noodles. The seasoning usually consists of soy sauce. The egg is also fried in with the noodles at the end. This dish ends up "dry fried".

Phew...completed.
Love it :

I loved the look of the custard buns. I can't imagine there being any equivalence to krispy kreme...but anywho...

I have to ask my asian friends if they can get any at the asian supermarket. One gets lovely vegetarian ones and red bean ones. [Yes I am a caucasian girl who likes red bean]
I am addicted to Pork buns too...love the bun part almost more than the pork.

I have a thing for SFO too...but it has waned a bit. My fondest memory is from my first trip when I was 8 and I had a cough that gave the sea lions a run for their money We actually got the cough medicine from Chinatown. Nothing Chinese...but still a lovely lady who loved the little cutie pie with a cough

The highlights are still Pier 39 and the Sea lions, The Golden Gate Bridge, Lombard Street, Monterey Bay Aquarium (for real otters...not those rodents you saw) and Jelly Belly


I'm so glad you had such a wonderful time with the family. That is what matters most.

Although I'm even more peeved than you about photos of the Winchester House. I wanted to see it without having to go there

If your Asian friend gets you the red bean buns and the pork (char siew) buns, then they would know about the custard buns. And IMO for anyone that likes the bun component (better than the pork) the custard will be a better choice to experience the taste of the bun. Be warned - the custard is sweet. Next time you do a Yum Cha, ask for them too.

Next time you're in SF, try heading down to Union STREET for shopping. And take notes of my Day 9....(still under construction).

I haven't been to the Monterey Bay Aquarium for years. We just didn't have time this trip. You pretty much need 2 nights in Monterey to fit the Aquarium and a drive down 17 Mile in.

Yes - I thought it very unfair that I wasn't allowed to take pictures inside WHM. Afterall, it wasn't as if I was going to plaster it all over FaceBook and share it with the rest of the universe. I was only taking them to share with you all....

 

[AussieDisneyNut]

Hi Princess, still loving your TR , Scoma looks like a definite inclusion on our SF trip. I have to admit that is has been at least 15 years since our last SF or DLR trip, and I am so enjoying all your reviews and pics. We were thinking about the Winchester House but have now decided against it, based on your reviews and the distance we would have to travel. Thank you for all your insights. Your pics are amazing!

 

[franandaj]

Both Char Hor Fun and the Char Kaoy Teow are made using rice noodles. Char means fried. So, both are variations of fried rice noodles.

In the Char Hor Fun, the noodles are fried and the sauce is made separately. The sauce will consist of the proteins and vegetables, add some stock, seasoning and thickener (usually corn flour) and at the end add an egg. The sauce is then poured over the fried noodles. This dish ends up "wet fried".

In the Char Kaoy Teow, the proteins (shrimp, pipies or clams, fish cake) and vegetables (bean shoots and shallots) are fried with the noodles. The seasoning usually consists of soy sauce. The egg is also fried in with the noodles at the end. This dish ends up "dry fried".

Interesting to hear someone Asian describe this. Western foods are more commonly named by their ingredients or creator, whereas is seems that asian foods are more named for the cooking process.