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

[Captain_Oblivious]

What a wonderful wonderful tour! I am SO doing those steps on our next trip. Although honestly, I might like it better in reverse...going up!

 

[dizneeat]

Hm, Ellen, I wonder ........ are you doing this on purpose? I mean torturing me with all those awesome SF photos?

Okay, I just love all your pics. And I remember the sights you went too. We loved driving down Lombard Street - so fun and I remember the steps up to Coit Tower well. We DID walk them up and down. It was quite some workout.

And postcard row! Isn't that area ever so beautiful. I really need to dig for our photos - they look very much like yours.

 

[rentayenta]

I spent a fabulous summer following the Grateful Dead and ended up in San Francisco. Good times on the Haight.


Nice update friend. Don't worry about being busy, that's the beautiful thing about the DiS, were all here when we've got time to catch up.

 

[lisaviolet]

Nice update friend. Don't worry about being busy, that's the beautiful thing about the DiS, were all here when we've got time to catch up.

Ellen, I've looked at the gorgeous pictures but haven't read yet. Can't wait to I have a clearer moment to take it all in.

It simply takes one away. So thank you.

 

[MAGICFOR2]

....I've got '1700 more hours' ta go
before I leave for the Rose Bowl & my SO CAL Adventure.......



I am living vicariously thru ya and ......


well..........


YA LEFT US HANGING!!!!!




Um.......we ALL MISS YA & Hope ya crank dis here bugger back up.

Hmmmmm.....have u been MONKEE KISSIN' AGAIN??? IS THAT THE REASON 4 THE DELAY??


Details!! We wanna details!!




P.S. I am now at a 72 pound weight loss!! Details on my ongoing weight loss journey can be found on my SAN FRAN, ROSE BOWL trip report listed below in my signature. (starting on posting #68 forward).


T.T.F.N.
&
Cheerrs

Just wanted to say CONGRATS on your weight loss!

 

[jenseib]

Totally Full House! I always thought that one of those were supposed to be the house they lived in...did I assume wrong?
We used to watch it all the time too and Michael and Paige loved it and called it the Michelle show.

 

[podsnel]

Wow! Sounds amazing! I'd love to see St. John someday.

It is a beautiful island that is nearly all Nat'l Park- TONS of hiking. They also have camping there.

Very nice. I've come to appreciate this view from watching Mythbusters.

Huh?




Watch out! It's a mad photo-bomber!

She WAS a mad photo-bomber! She was a little nuts!



Next you'll have to explain why Christopher Columbus would have a fire hose.

Duh....to put out the fire on the Santa Maria....



Yeah, I can see where going downhill would be more appealing.

word.



The beauty of the digital age is that you can take lots of pictures without worrying about using up film or development costs. The downside is that you can freely take 20 pictures of the same flower.

Which I will know the name to unless it's on a tree and is purple.

Awwk! Polly wants to eat your brains! Awwwk!

That's some light snackin' there-

Have Cynthia take you on the Koko Head hike sometime.

Did you just call me Koko Head again?




Dude...Know what would be cool? A statue of a fire hose, man...

DUDE!!! And we can like put like Christopher Columbus in front of it man...Cuz Chris had a HOSE, dude!



Looks like you got to see quite a bit! SF looks like a beautiful city.

It rocks! A great, great place!

 

[podsnel]

What a great tour. I never woukd have thought of hiring a guide, but I can see where his knowledge of the town helped you to squeeze in a lot in a very shirt time.

He had a lot of details I would not have otherwise known- it gave me the afternoon off from being the walking vacation encyclopedia/atlas I usually become, which was REALLY nice!

I woukd have freaked out going down those stairs, not sure I could do it.

It was very pretty- just the end sucked!

We have a flock of feral parrots here in Long Beach too they are really noisy. It's always 4:20 in HA, but April 20 is like a National Holiday there!

I have heard they are loud. And I forgot about April 20th!! Holgar drove us by the field where everyone hangs that day and told us all about it!

All caught up! Your Dim Sum looks yummy!!!!!!!!!!!! But oh those little plates, bowls and steamers can add up fast.

Tummy wise AND wallet wise!

What a wonderful wonderful tour! I am SO doing those steps on our next trip. Although honestly, I might like it better in reverse...going up!

I figured you would say that! But have a look at this link- she says you should split the trip with the Greenwich Street Stairs- do one up, the other down- http://www.sisterbetty.org/stairways/filbertsteps.htm Although, if you look at the link for the Greenwich Steps it looks like that end part that freaked me out is a part of those, so maybe we were on both?

Hm, Ellen, I wonder ........ are you doing this on purpose? I mean torturing me with all those awesome SF photos?

Yea- sorry- it is photography heaven in SF, isn't it?

Okay, I just love all your pics. And I remember the sights you went too. We loved driving down Lombard Street - so fun and I remember the steps up to Coit Tower well. We DID walk them up and down. It was quite some workout.

I am VERY impressed!!! We had thought we would be going up and down too- but glad it worked out this way instead! Thanks to that monkey!

And postcard row! Isn't that area ever so beautiful. I really need to dig for our photos - they look very much like yours.

HAHA- I have alot of the same pics from MY last trip, too! There are many many mandatory photo ops in SF, huh?

 

[podsnel]

I spent a fabulous summer following the Grateful Dead and ended up in San Francisco. Good times on the Haight.

And yet another reason to love you....


Nice update friend. Don't worry about being busy, that's the beautiful thing about the DiS, were all here when we've got time to catch up.

Thanks girlfriend- I appreciate that more than you can imagine!

Ellen, I've looked at the gorgeous pictures but haven't read yet. Can't wait to I have a clearer moment to take it all in.

It simply takes one away. So thank you.

Thanks love- I am so honored you enjoy them!

Totally Full House! I always thought that one of those were supposed to be the house they lived in...did I assume wrong?
We used to watch it all the time too and Michael and Paige loved it and called it the Michelle show.

Oh yeah- they definitely "lived" in one of those houses! It was a great show, and Michelle was too adorable!

 

[lisaviolet]

Just love this shot, Ellen.

You know I love this one!

It's beautiful.

Party of Five. That's what these say to me! Party of Five! It's like Charlie is barking about something any second.

Pretty.

And I loved the tour, his and yours.

My niece is there for school, because I'm in my forties I can't even remember if I said that earlier , and loves it.

Such a joy to be able to tour the city with your family.

And that lady sitting down while you were taking a picture.

We have streetcars here, not like theirs - certainly not open . But I would lay my body down on a track if they even try to take them away.

 

[MAGICFOR2]

Yay! I'm caught up! Welcome Back from BVI!!! I'm sure you had a fabulous time as always!

I'm am so loving your SF tour! The Dim Sum looks so good - my mouth was watering! Still trying to find good Chinese food here - I think we came pretty close last week.

How cool that you found such a great tour guide! We did the same thing - drove down Lumbard and then our friend waited while we walked it and took some pics! You got some beautiful view pics! I just love the craftsman style homes and Victorian homes in the area! Just so cozy looking.

I remember hearing things about Haight Ashbury when I was a kid, but I thought it had something to do with Vietnam protests and hippies. The 4:20 is interesting.

Love the painted ladies - Fun pics!

Thank you for sharing! How is the Travel business going? Did you get to book a free trip yet?

 

[knewton64]

Just wanted to say CONGRATS on your weight loss!

Hey......2 u and the PODS -
It really means a lot to me - this lifestyle change & such.
------------------------





ANYWHO -
FINALLY GOT CAUGHT UP!!
Yer TR is really putting me in the mood for all things SO CAL -

(makes me wonder who is gonna get into the Rose Bowl)


Never been 2 both-
1st time visitor.


Just NOW there is 79 LESS pounds to me - WOO-HOO!!
(want 26 more off).





T.T.F.N.
&
Cheers

 

[Captain_Oblivious]

Did you just call me Koko Head again?

Of course not. Just directing you to check out her TR chapter on a similar hike. Since you loved those stairs so much.

 

[MAGICFOR2]

I forgot to ask about the photo bomb lady - did she say anything, or just jump in with a big smile on her face?

 

[podsnel]

After out tour, we were having dinner in North Beach, SF's Little Italy. This area is (also) FILLED with restaurants, and (also) many are very touristy- this is similar to our own Little Italy in NYC. But I kept seeing great reviews for this one, it was a bargain price-wise compared to many other SF restaurants, and the killer was- Yelp had soooo much food porn that I was drooling over that I HAD to go!

Funny thing is, it is VERY siomilar to the restaurant we ate at the previous night- but that's fine, we love seafood, and we love italian!





Tonight's fishies-



Upstairs, this is a small restaurant with a counter that you can watch the kitchen etc from-



WE, however, would be dining downstairs- in a maze of dining rooms below ground.



How CRAZY was it that we were seated in this room, with all the baseball memorabilia everywhere!



All that stuff on the walls was the real deal- my boys (all three) LOVED it!

The menu-



AND...what's for dessert-



Yea, that's right- no dessert at Sotto Mare. They are focused on the seafood here! To start, we shared some apps again- clams and oysters on the half shell-



Crab Louis-



Hungry for more-



That was all fresh and yummy, although we wished that Crab Louis was a bit more. Between this and our main courses, we had fun checking out all the stuff-





Then it was time for PASTA!!! We all ordered the same thing- 2 of us white, and 2 of us red, Linguine with Seafood ~ chef’s choice 17.00 White-



Red-



It is supposed to be whatever the chef decides to throw in that day- which to me means they won't get complaints if someone gets shrimp and someone else doesn't, lol. Ours had shrimp, clams, mussels, and calamari. It was yummo. But I REALLY wish that someone had ordered the Cioppino- but no one was up for the mess of it. Anyway, the pasta hit the spot after a long and busy day. Timmy continued to eat whatever was placed in front of him-





No idea, lol-



Dinner was good, and the baseball room was a big, unexpected bonus. We asked the server to call us a cab, and soon we were back to the Hyatt. Right outside our hotel-



It was still kind of early, so the boys went back to the room, while Pods and I made a little trip across the street to check out what was inside the Ferry Building on a Wednesday night-



For the record, this place is HOPPIN during the day, especially when there is a farmer's mkt going on outside. So most businesses were closed at this point of the day-



But there was one business in particular that we were going to visit, and that place was happenin-



A little wine shop with a nice size tasting/drinking bar. I LOVE the Ferry Building!!!



Today's Specials-



Yea...I could spend some time here! But tonight, it was just a small glass or 2 for each of us before we headed home-




Cont'd next post-

 

[podsnel]

It was another pretty night, and once again I was excited to be staying in this beautiful and more quiet (than Fisherman's Wharf) area....











We probably stayed up a little longer watching TV with the kids, then turned out the lights to rest up for another fun day- tomorrow we had another big string of events planned- Alcatraz and the "I am throwing you ALL off the bridge!!!!" tour..... See ya real soon!

 

[JKSWonder]

A cousin of mine had visited San Francisco for a wedding a few weeks ago, but could not visit Alcatraz because of the government shut down. He got some nice pictures of it in the background from a boat though.

 

[podsnel]

Just love this shot, Ellen.

Thanks Darlin'!

You know I love this one!

It's beautiful.

You do love those flower pics-


Party of Five. That's what these say to me! Party of Five! It's like Charlie is barking about something any second.

That was there, too? That was a great show!

Pretty.

ACH- I hate pics of myself, but thanks-

And I loved the tour, his and yours.

The Monkey did a great job!

My niece is there for school, because I'm in my forties I can't even remember if I said that earlier , and loves it.

Wait til you are in your fifties- you will forget you even HAVE a niece.

Such a joy to be able to tour the city with your family.

Awww.... you always say such sweet things!

And that lady sitting down while you were taking a picture.

I KNOW!!!!!!

We have streetcars here, not like theirs - certainly not open . But I would lay my body down on a track if they even try to take them away.

Oh, how nice! lucky you- they are totally charming!

Yay! I'm caught up! Welcome Back from BVI!!! I'm sure you had a fabulous time as always!

It was very nice, thanks! STJ is gorgeous, and loved our day visiting the BVIs on the boat-

I'm am so loving your SF tour! The Dim Sum looks so good - my mouth was watering! Still trying to find good Chinese food here - I think we came pretty close last week.

We have a place that is good sometimes and stinks other times- so we always hope for the best! It's so odd to me that there can be sooooo many Chinese restaurants in business, and yet they all are so blah!

How cool that you found such a great tour guide! We did the same thing - drove down Lumbard and then our friend waited while we walked it and took some pics! You got some beautiful view pics! I just love the craftsman style homes and Victorian homes in the area! Just so cozy looking.

They are gorgeous-

I remember hearing things about Haight Ashbury when I was a kid, but I thought it had something to do with Vietnam protests and hippies. The 4:20 is interesting.

The haight has an interesting history for sure!

Love the painted ladies - Fun pics!

Thank you for sharing! How is the Travel business going? Did you get to book a free trip yet?

Hah! Not yet- I need to book a LOT more Disney trips/cruises before I get to that level! But I do love it!

Hey......2 u and the PODS -
It really means a lot to me - this lifestyle change & such.
------------------------

Are you following a certain diet? exercising alot? What are you doing to lose this weight?



ANYWHO -
FINALLY GOT CAUGHT UP!!
Yer TR is really putting me in the mood for all things SO CAL -

(makes me wonder who is gonna get into the Rose Bowl)


Never been 2 both-
1st time visitor.


Just NOW there is 79 LESS pounds to me - WOO-HOO!!
(want 26 more off).





T.T.F.N.
&
Cheers

Good luck for everything!!

Of course not. Just directing you to check out her TR chapter on a similar hike. Since you loved those stairs so much.

Yea...right....

and I did see her steps up to Koko head- I would do it! I did do the Mist Trail for the most part, and that was straight up too-

I forgot to ask about the photo bomb lady - did she say anything, or just jump in with a big smile on her face?

She was SO STRANGE!!! The kids sat down, I was saying move a little left (their right) and as I am saying this she plops down. Then REALLY LOUDLY I say, "OK, ready for me to take your picture boys???" And she just smiles at me- so then i said "You ready, too, Grandma?" and she just smiles at me again- so....CLICK. There ya have it. And she did speak English- her family came up after that and started talking (they were leaving too). I was hoping that they were going to try to do a photo- because I was going to have us all sit back down if they were, LOL! But they didn't.

 

[Wicket's Mom]

I was horrified when the photo of your pasta appeared, tentacles with suckers totally gross me out! DH can eat that sort of thing, but no way Jose! Other than that the food looked really tasty, no dessert wouldn't bother us since we never eat dessert.

 

[papertraveller]

Fabulous updates.
Brought back memories of our trip to San Francisco 14 years ago. I had been travelling there on business, and dragged my husband back -- I had points to stay at the St. Francis, and was dying to sit and sip martinis in the bar. Only complication: four months pregnant.
We are big walkers, and hiked all up and down everywhere, using the cable cars and public transportation. We took the bus to Golden Gate Park, and then walked back past Haight-Ashbury, and to the Painted Ladies where we sat down for awhile looking at the skyline. Then we started to walk back downtown, I mean, you can see it, right?
It took forever, we kept trying to stick with a straight route, through some areas where we walked more briskly than others, and made it (finally) safe and sound.
Love the looks of the seafood place -- my husband is a huge baseball fan and I know would love that!