California Dreamin'-A 14 Day Odyssey to San Fran,Yosemite & DL! 8/2013 COMPLETE!1/9!!

[podsnel]

We had a very sassy server-



The head bodyguard was busy admiring the AMAZING celebrity he was lucky to be sitting with-



Well, not really, but he does look so sweet there. Pods got the first of MANY Anchor Steams-



And I had



And some





Our sassy server, who was a native San Franciscan, came by to chat and talk about her city. Of course, as expected, she was awesome-



T&T came over to try some chowder too-



They did enjoy that 7D thing, but I would NEVER pay full price for it- it was over VERY quickly. Even though they played twice. They do offer a second round at a discount, if that's something you want, BTW. Then we went to do some perusing of Pier 39s finest including-



One day, Tim's photo could be up there with all the other famous leftys-



Pods photobombed my Carousel pic-



And we had our first glimpse of the Rock-



And the famous Pier 39 seals-





I offered to take a couple's photo with Alcatraz in the backround, and they were kind enough to reciprocate-



Sort of, huh, Capt Oblivious??? I could tell he was missing the point of our pose by the angle he was using, so I nicely asked if he would be able to do another with Alcatraz in it -



What can I tell ya- I'm from NJ. We're not shy about what we want.

Our next stop was another boy-motivated venue- the Musee Mecanique. It is free, and is a warehouse of old pre-video arcade games. It really is fascinating, and a lot of fun to visit. On the way-



Flowers are EVERYWHERE in SF!



Fistfuls of quarters are a good thing to bring here, although of course there are change machines.



To check out all the fully operational attractions from the past-



Look who it is!



Of course the boys had to play this



Cont'd-

 

[podsnel]

This one TOTALLY creeps me out!



Tyler is VERY strong-



But not strong enough, lol!



There were loads of toothpick creations which animated when you dropped your quarter in-



Pinball was always my favorite-



It was getting close to our dinner time, so we moved on-



We did not go inside the sub, sorry. Although that would have been very cool, I am sure.



Nowhere In Particular- LOVE IT!!!



Tonight we would be having seafood for dinner, and on Fisherman's Wharf. If you have ever looked into having a nice seafood dinner on Fisherman's Wharf, you probably know there are not alot of good options. Lots of restaurants, just not that many GOOD ones. But we were going to Scoma's- and although it was pricey (like everything else in FW), it has very good ratings on Yelp and TA and even Chowhound.... so off we went to our first dinner in the city of yumminess!

Have to go upload some pics for this- I'll see ya real soon!

 

[jedijill]

What an awesome gift! You had quite the start to your morning! I have to get to SF some of these days.

Jill in CO

 

[Captain_Oblivious]

So what was in that box??? Well....to be honest, we kind of already knew what was in the box- from the outside, and from the AMAZING and delicious perfume of nectarines and peaches and plums coming from it. Plus the Orchard stamp. Yea, that was also a pretty big clue that we had not only been blessed with a bottle of Cabernet, but also a gorgeous assortment of the MOST beautiful and scrumptious plums, peaches & nectarines....

Wow! Somebody knows how to treat you right!

I was in tears when I read it. How special this all made me feel, I can not say!

Tricia sent me all this to say welcome back to SF, thanks for writing TRs.

Double wow! What a special gift...DIS'ers rock!

And outside- already SO BEAUTIFUL in this city, and we just got started!!

Some great pictures here. It really does look like a beautiful city.

So I picked a pair out of the bag- after she told me I couldn't pick the first 2 I chose (because that was what everyone was picking- but she had me talk about them too, because they liked everything I was saying about the first shoe, I was really good at this they all said).

I think I would have liked to hear Pods' take on it instead. It would have been like mine: "Um...they're shoes. They go on your feet...

...that's about it."

And Timmy says, "So, let me see if I have this right. We have been in San Francisco one hour. So far, you have gotten presents from someone you have never met and you have been on TV. Is that right?"

From Diners, Drive ins and Dives- we were planning to have dinner here one night....

We do lots of research with that show, too!

Our sassy server, who was a native San Franciscan, came by to chat and talk about her city. Of course, as expected, she was awesome-

Sassy servers are the best servers.

Sort of, huh, Capt Oblivious??? I could tell he was missing the point of our pose by the angle he was using, so I nicely asked if he would be able to do another with Alcatraz in it -

Alcatraz? Why would you want that in the picture? I figured you just wanted the family in front of unrecognizable water.

This one TOTALLY creeps me out!

Yeah, that's Clown-in-Poltergeist-level creepiness.

There were loads of toothpick creations which animated when you dropped your quarter in-

Very cool!

 

[podsnel]

We arrived at Scoma's for our 6:30 Reservation a few minutes early,



so we had a seat at the bar. A pinot grigio for me, another Anchor I think for Pods, water for Tim, Coke for Ty. The bartenders were hilarious!



They offered to take our pic, and took several- here is one-



Scomas is an old, old restaurant that has been a part of SF for nearly 50 years. When we last visited SF, there was no way Pods and I could afford to eat here, or at any of the other restaurants I had always seen on postcards as a child. So I was VERY happy that this time we were able to enjoy one of them, and this one imparticular is one that gets some good reviews, as I said before- it also has some marvelous food porn on Yelp that had me salivating for months prior, lol. Soon we were seated-



our waiter was John, and I am pretty sure he has been there for a while. I asked him about the sand dabs- this is a fish I always see in recipes from West Coast chefs, but we do not have this fish on the east coast. John said that was what he ate the most often here. Great! Put me in for that, and we will share some apps first (we had that filling chowder not so long before this, so not terribly hungry). Some shrimp- Crispy Shrimp Torpedoes 17



And some oysters, which Timmy INSISTED he liked, although we all thought he was mistaken!



Turns out...Timmy was NOT mistaken, he DOES in fact like oysters on the half shell. Go figure- the kid won't eat grilled cheese made with anything other than processed American- but slimy sea creatures? BRING IT!





Too funny.



Here are my Grilled Sand Dabs 29
Lemon-Caper Butter -



I had asked John about bones, as bones in fish are a deal breaker for me (yes, it's true, there are even some foodie things I can't do) and he said he would tell them to be extra careful about the bones for me- bless that John, there was not a bone in sight. I really liked them- I was thinking that they would be like flounder, but they are more solid than that, although sweet, if that makes sense.

Pods enjoyed Alaskan Halibut Siciliana 34
Topped with Tomato, Olives, Capers, and Anchovy



It was very very good. Timmy the shellfish eater had *New York Strip Steak 8oz 31



He ate every bite. Tyler had prawns- Fried Prawns or Scallops 32



I wish one of us would have ordered the Cioppino, but none of us was in the mood- I think we were starting to get a bit tired, with the 3 hour time difference. We asked John to take a pic-



He was just so sweet. Reminded me of many Italian men I know in NJ, lol.

When we left Scoma's, on a Tuesday night at about 8:00 or so, it was still busy, people were still coming in. I would certainly go back- it was a really good way to kick off the trip. Outside-





We walked home, much to Tyler's never ending complaints. More soon- I really need to go work out!

 

[jenseib]

What a fun day and great gifts.....now I am hungry for a nectarine!
Dinner looks fabulous.

 

[jedijill]

You are an updating machine this morning!

Scoma's looks amazing! Not a huge seafood lover but that all looked fantastic!

Jill in CO

 

[Captain_Oblivious]

Looks like I replied before you were finished updating...oops!

Glad everyone enjoyed dinner...looks like a neat place! I would have gone straight for the steak, though.

Beautiful sunset!

 

[podsnel]

I decided to finish out the first day once I uploaded everything so.....

We walked back- the sunset transformed the city and made it even more beautiful, if that was possible. Also more chilly.This was outside of the restaurant-



SERIOUSLY touristy down here in FW-



Boudin Bakery bread animals-





Back by the water for our 25 minute walk home-



The Cable Cars run along this water- and they are very easy to pick up in FW, and then get off anywhere along the line- in our case, at the Hyatt, on the historic (because they use these old cable cars from EVERYWHERE in the world) F line. Probably the best thing to do is to buy a muni pass for however many days you will be there- I think there are 1, 3 and 7 days available, and that covers cable cars and buses. OR...if you purchase a Citypass, it is included in that (along with Alcatraz, Exploratorium, Cali Academy of sciences, etc....). But we like to walk- well, all of us except tyler, that is- so that's usually what we did. More flowers-







So, this is how that walking thing works in my family. My family walks, and I stop every 3 inches (THEY say- I say it's more like 10 inches, but what would I know) to take pictures. Then I sprint to catch up. Then I stop again. Then I sprint. You get the idea. So by the time we are done, I have basically run a 5k, and everyone else has had a leisurely stroll home. NICE.... do you SEE how far ahead they are?



FWIW, I gained no weight on this vacation. So sprinting is GOOD!

This reminds me of HHI-



That was the Coit Tower- we will be up there another day. Outside the Exploratorium, which looks like a BLAST if your kids are into science and hands on stuff. My kids are into sports, extreme hiking, and video games. (They sound smart, don't they? ) So we didn't go here this time- but had they been a couple of years younger, we definitely would have.



Look! Timmy is being all interactive with some free science stuff outside the museum!! There IS hope, lol!





Ah- it was athletically challenging- that was the draw. Back to jock-dom.

Almost home-



Our hotel-



Inside the lobby-



Looking down from the ride UP-



The boys turned on the tube and watched some sports, while Pods and I did what was MOST important.

Opened that wine and enjoyed the view!







THANK YOU TRICIA!!!!

Tomorrow- Muir Woods hiking and a tour of the city with Silver Lion tours-

 

[JKSWonder]

All subbed up Ellen!

And Timmy says, "So, let me see if I have this right. We have been in San Francisco one hour. So far, you have gotten presents from someone you have never met and you have been on TV. Is that right?"

Yes, my youngest son. That is just HOW it IS for Mommy in sunny San Francisco!!

[/B]

Hehe, good for you!

The pic of Tim in front of the Left Hand store...Timmy is a giant! A tall, skinny giant! When did that happen?

We passed by a Left Hand kiosk at Downtown Disney last month. I had never seen it there before, so I think it must be relatively new.

We just got back from a week at WDW...the Beach Club. I'm debating whether or not to do a trip report. On one hand, I want to. On the other hand, I doubt my ability to stick to it until the end!

 

[rentayenta]

I didn't realize until your lobby photo that thats where Michael Joshua stayed last December during their boys trip to see the Raiders game.


Wonderful, wonderful, wonderful! Love every bit of this report from dinner (yum) to the sweet gifts. You are blessed my dear.

 

[dizneeat]

That's what I call an awesome day!

Great gifts (well deserved ), great hotel, being a TV celebrity, and then a walk through one of the most beautiful cities in the world, chowder in a breadbowl , and a delicious dinner ..... only to be topped by some great wine and an evening on the balcony.

You live THE life, Ellen!

 

[kid-at-heart]

I miss SF. My college boyfriend and I spent many a fun spring break touring about the city.

Had to laugh, I am like you, I research the heck out of an intended vacation, make all my plans (wish list) then hand it over to a TA. That way I get to have the fun and they can handle the problems, if there are any. Most often everything runs smoothly. Also, I hate talking on a phone so if I cannot reserve something via the internet or handle an issue via the internet then I want nothing to do with it.

 

[MAGICFOR2]

What a wonderful gift! I'm sure you enjoyed getting it almost as much as eating/drinking it! Nice first day in SF! How cool that you got to me a QVC celeb! I wish I had seen your interview - I'm sure you sold lots of shoes - they should have given you a free pair! I just love the way the sun gleams on the West Coast just before sunset!

We loved the mechanique museum too! What a hoot! Looks like a wonderful dinner - looking forward to your next day!

 

[G'sMaman]

Oh, Ellen! The pleasure was all mine. You are always so incredibly sweet! Thank YOU for all the time and TLC you put into your trip reports. It’s not just your wonderful trip reports and pictures, but you really have a way of connecting with your readers and making them feel special. I can’t wait to read about the rest of your trip. The next time we have visitors in town, I will tell them to read your TR and I’m certain that even if they only manage to do what you did in one day it would still be a very fun, full week!

 

[Wicket's Mom]

I do so want to go to SF after seeing your photos! The night picture from your room was stunning!

The box of fruit was like a treasure chest fill of jewels. Beautiful, I love fresh fruit. Then to also have that great bottle of wine, such a gracious lady.

Timmy is growing up so fast. Tyler always looks so blasé, but that's the typical teen pose.

 

[eandesmom]

Then I took a closer look at the wine. Now, I am not knocking my friend Marilyn, who was my TA and who usually sends a bottle to the room when we book a cruise or All Inclusive...but, to be fair, these bottles are less expensive tokens available to TAs in general. (FWIW, Marilyn's hubby is a wine collector, and we have personally enjoyed many lovely bottles with them- this is just different). I looked at that bottle of wine that we had just received AGAIN...



Ummm...that ain't no TA freebie- that is some VERY special, VERY VERY lovely wine.

Nice choice! and what a lovely thoughtful gift! I really like Embarcadero/Financial District for stays. We have stayed in most parts of the city, including Fisherman's Wharf and we really loved being down at the Ebarcadero this time as well. SO many good options in the city though.

CRAZY!!!!!! So after talking about shoes and how I would wear them and what I would wear them with, I signed a release and rejoined the fam. And Timmy says, "So, let me see if I have this right. We have been in San Francisco one hour. So far, you have gotten presents from someone you have never met and you have been on TV. Is that right?"

Yes, my youngest son. That is just HOW it IS for Mommy in sunny San Francisco!!

I want to travel with you too!

From Diners, Drive ins and Dives- we were planning to have dinner here one night....

We had brunch there yesterday!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Fun to see pictures of the Musee Mechanique, we've never done it and I bet the boys would like it. The exploratorium is extremely cool. I didn't know it had moved from the Palace of Fine Arts, and was so shocked to see it down there!

Tonight we would be having seafood for dinner, and on Fisherman's Wharf. If you have ever looked into having a nice seafood dinner on Fisherman's Wharf, you probably know there are not alot of good options. Lots of restaurants, just not that many GOOD ones. But we were going to Scoma's- and although it was pricey (like everything else in FW), it has very good ratings on Yelp and TA and even Chowhound.... so off we went to our first dinner in the city of yumminess!

I've never been but have heard good things. There is not much right in Fisherman's Wharf itself that is for sure!

 

[englishrose47]

Wow Ellen what awesome updates !!! Alcatraz, the seals , the flowers and the food !!! Those Bread animal were great !!! Hmm I have to check if San Franciscois a Free Trip!!!

 

[MEK]

Holy Mega Update! I can't even read it all now because, ya know, I gotta get ready for work.

Love your arrival gift, your shoe interview, your entertaining lunch, and the cool museum. And thank goodness you told your stand in photographer how to take a correct picture!

I'll be back to read about dinner and, most likely, drool over it.

What a COOL city!

 

[podsnel]

Subbing !!! I even have caught up!!!

YAY! So happy to see you Rosie!

The photo of Sean & Pods together is one beautiful shot. I'm partial to fathers & sons pictures, maybe because I have four, LOL.

LOL- me too!

I'm using IE, probably 7 maybe 8 and the last thing I can see in your sig is the Mickey with the life preserver. I can tell that there is another ticker below it because I see a sliver of that, and the words "**************", but I don't see that ticker or anything below it.

What size is your screen? Maybe that's it- can you see all of your own sig? I think yours is the same as mine-

Ellen - I am arriving May 12th for 6 nights. Traveling with Cynthia again. We are on an every 18 month schedule! We were hoping that Jenny could join us. We plan to pool our points and book an OKW studio.

How fun! I am skipping this year I think- hopefully you will have less band groups than we did- it was more crowded this past year the 1st week in May than ever before- and it was really all the band kids. It really kind of messes up everything, those large groups- when 200 kids get on EE all at one time, there really is no chance to be a single rider, etc- KWIM? Great that you can pool your points!

I hope Jenny can still go, but with her cruise changes I certainly understand if she can't. I wouldn't be able to travel twice in the same 6 weeks from a work perspective. Darn work - it is TOTALLY cutting in on my vacation plans!

I hope she can go with you, too- you will love her!

What an awesome gift! You had quite the start to your morning! I have to get to SF some of these days.

Jill in CO

SERIOUSLY!!! It was a GREAT start to a great vacation! Have you ever been to SF? You do need to go- it's very eclectic, and very beautiful.