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

[zanzibar138]

Did you drive when you were in San Francisco?

It's a rather big park; and there are lots of different sections to it. I could spend 5 days there and not see it all.

No we didn't drive, we walked from Fisherman's Wharf to the bridge, then through the park to the Disney museum - wasn't a very good idea

We passed what looked like military housing, police horse stables, a cemetary, and then the little village thing where the Disney museum is. It was pretty, but we would have enjoyed it more if we weren't so concerned about being lost!

 

[PrincessInOz]

No we didn't drive, we walked from Fisherman's Wharf to the bridge, then through the park to the Disney museum - wasn't a very good idea

We passed what looked like military housing, police horse stables, a cemetary, and then the little village thing where the Disney museum is. It was pretty, but we would have enjoyed it more if we weren't so concerned about being lost!

I think you walked through the Presidio; rather than Golden Gate Park. They are close'ish to each other. The Presidio used to be a military base and is now part of the Golden Gate National Recreation Area. And it is very easy to get lost in the Presidio. Except for this visit, I've gotten lost every other time.

 

[zanzibar138]

I think you walked through the Presidio; rather than Golden Gate Park. They are close'ish to each other. The Presidio used to be a military base and is now part of the Golden Gate National Recreation Area. And it is very easy to get lost in the Presidio. Except for this visit, I've gotten lost every other time.

Oh, that would make sense then

 

[PrincessInOz]

Poster Gals and Guys of the Lasting Kind - DisMeet #3




When planning for this trip, the one thing that was the highest priority on my must-do list was to meet up with as many of my Dis friends as possible. Afterall, there were about 4 or 5 of us that hang out on a thread and aside from myself and franandaj, most of the others lived in Northern California.

Usnuzuloose and I had already met in Monterey last year. It was really great to be able to spend more 3D time with her.

ACDSNY and I had been poster gals of the lasting kind for a while. It was to be our first face time together.

mvf-m11c is a regular poster on the Disneyland section of the boards and has one of the most viewed TRs on this section. Hes been hanging out with us for a while as well. I was looking forward to putting a face to the on-screen persona.

My Three Amigos all lived in the same region in NorCal. Would you believe that this is the FIRST time they'd DisMet as well?

When we arranged this DisMeet, there was really only one place for us to meet up. You may have already spotted it already.....

The Museum is located at 104 Montgomery Street, The Presidio and is the brainchild of Diane Disney-Miller. Diane is the first daughter of Walt and Lilian.

Why is it in San Francisco? Well, it turns out that Diane lives in NorCal and most of her archives are stored in a warehouse at the Presidio. It seemed only logical that she would set up a museum here.

It is a strictly no photography sort of place; so there will be none posted here.


The museum consists of about 9 or 10 gallery rooms absolutely packed to the rafters with memorabilia and mementoes of Walt Disney, the man. As you progress from room to room, you go through the stages of his life and every item in that particular room tells the story of that stage. There are handwritten notes, pictures, visual artefacts, audio recordings....you name it! There were even sketches and cartoons drawn by Walt Disney himself in the early days.


It was a great place for a DisMeet but for one very important fact. This museum is mind-blowingly, gob-smackingly detailed! There is stuff EVERYWHERE! We were all entranced with exploring and reading about the man behind the theme park and that had started the corporation that we barely got much time to chat to each other. Still, it was a great way to spend time in 3D with the link to Disney; that formed the basis of our friendships with each other.


There was one other noteworthy thing from the morning to mention. When we entered in through the reception area, there was a lady greeting some friends in the area. ACDSNY nudged me to point out that the lady was Diane Disney. She was obviously conducting a personal tour of the museum and we did our best to hang around to listen in on the conversation. I didn't catch much of what was being said but she was definitely peppering her tour around the rooms with her personal memories; plus why she had selected the items for display. Seems like what was in the museum was but a drop in the bucket of the stuff the Walt Disney Family Foundation had in storage. Her group moved past us in the second or third room; and I wished that we could have been a Ray-the-firefly on the wall with that group!


It took us about 2 - 3 hours to get through the various galleries. The ones that stood out in my memory are his childhood home, the early Hollywood years, the gallery where the creation of Snow White and the Seven Dwarves is, the optical projector, the large gallery with the 3D scale model of Disneyland and the final touching room where a number of us were moved to tears.


By this stage, mfv-m11c had to leave. So we headed out to take a final shot of our DisMeet.

My thanks to ACDSNYs DH for taking the shot of the four of us!



And for you NorCal Dis-sers.....here's one of just the 3 of you.

It was another very successful and pleasurable DisMeet! I hope to do it again sometime in the future.





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[PrincessInOz]

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Crabby Patty #2 – A Lasting Lunch in Sausalito




After we said our goodbyes, the others and I talked about having a bite to eat. We had considered grabbing a bite at the WDFM café but the food there was not what we had in mind for lunch. Turns out that none of us had researched food options around or in the Presidio. The nearest options we knew of for decent food was along Chestnut or Union Street in the Marina district. However, we had car parking to consider and ACDSNY and I knew that parking was going to be a problem for one car; much less two.

So, we headed out in a totally different direction. We headed to an old favourite haunt of mine.

The Seafood Peddler used to be the Cat and Fiddle. It’s located in Sausalito and ACDSNY drove us all there.

It is located on Bridgeway; but away from the tourist section of Sausalito and there was plenty of parking out the front.

Despite the name change, the ambience inside had not.

We ordered drinks; none alcoholic and none that came with umbrellas.

The bread on the table was reasonable.

I ordered the clam chowder, which was rather good.

It was when our meals came out that I experienced Crabby Patty #2.

See…..I was sitting at the end of the table.

And I really wanted to take pictures of the food…..Dungeness Crab was in season and a couple of us ordered the salad.

I got up to take a picture; only to be ‘singled out’ by one of the waiters. Maybe I should have asked or have been a bit more discreet; and I don’t remember what he said……but I did feel a little put out by it. There is definitely been something about me taking crab pictures this trip that attracts bad karma!



A couple of us ordered the Dungeness Crab (patty) burger. Definitely crabby….and Oh So Good!

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[PrincessInOz]

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Sittin’ on the Dock of the Bay, Sausalito




We weren’t near the dock where the majority of the floating homes of Sausalito were moored but there were a couple of house boats sittin’ down the dock just where the restaurant was.

And as we were right there, we decided to do a short walk down and take a look.

There were a number of homes on the water here…..

….and this one was for sale.

It gave us something to speculate and contemplate as we walked down the pier.

Yes, you saw right. That’s the Taj Mahal floating home right at the end of this pier.

I believe that this used to be a Bed and Breakfast……but it’s now back as a private residence.

Pity! Might have been interesting to spend a night here.



We took a look at the hills of Sausalito. I’ve always liked the hilly-ness of this area!

It was a very calming and tranquil view; just sittin' on the dock of the bay in Sausalito.

By this stage, it was time to head back. The NorCals needed to trek on home and still had a couple of hours driving ahead of them.

 

[usnuzuloose]

Awesome! I hate my photo But always happy to see you!

 

[tiggrbaby]

What a fun day!

 

[zanzibar138]

Aww I'm a bit sad that you weren't able to share any photos from the museum. But I'll get back there one day and see for myself! Sounds like you all had a great time

And boo for the crabbies!

 

[rentayenta]

Great update! Love having faces to out with names.


The crabby patty looks so good. What's the brain child behind bringing the soup in a boat and then pouring it in the bowl I wonder?

 

[ACDSNY]

Woo hoo my internet stayed up long enough to finally get to see the pics tonight. I really enjoyed our DISmeet day and as always your pics are lovely.

Tomorrow night we'll be at the local crab feed so we're keeping the crabby going.

 

[mvf-m11c]

Nice to see your latest update.

I was glad that I was able to meet you, Angela and Usnuz at the WDFM. It would have been nice to take pictures inside the museum but it was nice to take it outside.

Nice to hear that you had a good lunch that day.

Very nice update.

 

[franandaj]

It looks like you all had a wonderful day. I wish I could have joined you!

 

[PrincessInOz]

Awesome! I hate my photo But always happy to see you!

Let me know if you want me to take your picture down.

What a fun day!

It was a very fun day. Our conversation pretty much started off from where we left off on the Dis.

Aww I'm a bit sad that you weren't able to share any photos from the museum. But I'll get back there one day and see for myself! Sounds like you all had a great time

And boo for the crabbies!

Zanzibar - there are pictures on the internet on the inside of the museum (reporters taking pictures when it first opened in 2009) but it does not do it any justice. It really has to be seen to be believed. There is just so much memorabilia everywhere!!

Great update! Love having faces to out with names.


The crabby patty looks so good. What's the brain child behind bringing the soup in a boat and then pouring it in the bowl I wonder?

I can only say that by the time they were done, the soup was a little less hot. I would have preferred it to be hot-hot myself; but that's me.

Woo hoo my internet stayed up long enough to finally get to see the pics tonight. I really enjoyed our DISmeet day and as always your pics are lovely.

Tomorrow night we'll be at the local crab feed so we're keeping the crabby going.

Hope you didn't experience Crabby Patty!!!

(Was the crab good??? )

Nice to see your latest update.

I was glad that I was able to meet you, Angela and Usnuz at the WDFM. It would have been nice to take pictures inside the museum but it was nice to take it outside.

Nice to hear that you had a good lunch that day.

Very nice update.

Thanks Bret. We must do another DisMeet someday. Would have liked a longer chat with you.

It looks like you all had a wonderful day. I wish I could have joined you!

I wish the same too.

 

[rentayenta]

I'm a hot hot soup person too.

 

[PrincessInOz]

I'm a hot hot soup person too.

Me too. You can definitely come to dinner at my place!

 

[PrincessInOz]

Taking the Right Fork for a change - Castillo de San Joachin




As ACDSNY drove back over the bridge, I took time to reflect on that iconic icon of San Francisco.

It had been a while since I've taken time out to just look at the bridge and given how close I was, I figured that there was no time like the present.

So, after I said goodbye to ACDSNY and Usnuz, I hopped back in my car and made my way through the labyrinth of the Presidio.



For those of you that dont know, I am blessed and cursed with a swiss cheese elephant memory. When things are rock solid, I never forget. But there are occasional holes some quite large in that necktop computer of mine.

There is one area that I have yet to hit a hole in the memory banks&&.and that area is remembrance of roads previously travelled. DH and I had spent 30 minutes or so driving rings around the Presidio in 2005; and that was even with us having a map to navigate our way! We kept missing the turn-offs and ended up circling round and round in order to get to our destination.


So it was....that when I drove from the Walt Disney Family Museum, I remembered my way around. I'd learnt that in order to get where I needed to get to I had to always take the right fork.

My destination?

My favourite end of that bridge. Fort Point.

Fort Point is the southern side of the Bay and the fort located here was originally called the Castillo de San Joachin. In 2005, when we were here, the Castillo was opened and we spent an afternoon exploring. The next couple of pictures are from that trip.

There even were docents in period costume around the place. (Look at how young my DS was!!!)

Sadly, there would not be a blue sky today; nor was that Fort opened. It was sad to see everything closed up. The National Park Service only opens the Fort on Friday through to Sundays.


But irrespective of what day of the week you are here, the views of the bridge are brilliant. It is most definitely worth a visit.

I've always thought this side of the bridge to be perfect for a closer-up experience.

You might have noticed that it was a pretty overcast day; and there had been that famed fog hanging about on the hills of Sausalito. It was a dark and stormy day.....and it was a sign of the weather to come!

....and it was definitely time for me to move on.




But not before a quick stop at Battery East for a final look at the Bridge....

....and a last look at sunset.

And then it was really time for me to head down the 280 back to Silicon Valley.







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[PrincessInOz]

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More Cheesy Food Porn




Today’s Happy Hour offering was chicken. I got us some Wings but passed on the Noodle soup.

I hadn't planned on eating the Happy Hour offering; but I did end up having the wings on the plate (and I left the rice). Just as well I had the snack……DH had promised me a dinner for two tonight and had thought he would be finished work early. But this turned out to the latest finish of all the work days he was there.



We eventually made our way to the Cheesecake Factory at Hillsdale Mall. We normally hit the branch at Palo Alto; but the Guitar Centre had also opened up at Hillsdale Mall and DH wanted to check it out.


But dinner first.


I like the house bread offering at the Cheesecake Factory. It is a little sweet for my taste; but that rye bread is one of my favourites when it comes to eating bread in the US.

DH stuck with water; whilst I indulged in a raspberry lemonade.

I couldn't convince DH to try a different starter. He really loves the avocado egg rolls; and we always get a plate to share. Maybe next time we'll try something different.

For the mains, DH ordered the Fish Taco. Soft corn tortillas filled with fish, avocado, tomato, onions and cilantro.

It comes with black beans and rice.

Me? I take a different tack in this restaurant chain. I ask my server what their favourite dish is and then order it (if I haven’t had it before). So.....I ended up with the New Orleans Shrimp.....shrimp, Andouille sausage, tomatoes, peppers, mushrooms and onions in a mild spicy sauce.

Both mains were very tasty.


We had a little debate of what to have for dessert. Afterall, there really was a decent selection of cheesecakes on offer.

In the end, we settled on the Mango Key Lime Cheesecake to share. So yum!

We....er...DH had another great night of shopping. He ended up coming home with a practise guitar from the Guitar Centre and whilst I did wonder how we were going to pack it, turns out that DH had done some homework and research before coming to America. That practise guitar, when unpacked out of the box, just managed to fit into his bag.


We finished the night shipping at Old Navy and I really wish that I'd bought some pants there. I umm'ed and ahh'ed about it and thought I'd come back. I never did.

So.....for the Aussies out there reading and lurking......the lesson here is when on holiday and you see something you like, buy what you like when you can wherever you are. Even if you think you might find something else that you could like better!!!

 

[tiggrbaby]

Your bridge pics are breathtaking!

 

[ACDSNY]

Hope you didn't experience Crabby Patty!!!

(Was the crab good??? )

It's been a crabby weekend. We went to the crab feed on Sat. night which was so yummy and then for my Aunt's birthday we went to Leatherbys and had crab sandwiches and ice cream on Sun. night. No crabby pattys.

Love the bridge shots!