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

[jenseib]

I agree with Doris....that pasta looks disgusting!!!! no way could eat something that looks alive on my plate!!!!

 

[franandaj]

Looks like a nice restaurant, I'll have to go there sometime!

I would have eaten the pasta, but truthfully, I'm a sucker for Linguine and Clams when it is made with Fresh Manila clams, so I probably would have gone for that. You all didn't SHARE that plate of oysters and clams did you? That would have been MY plate! Yummy! Love Oysters!

Nice wine bar, but I was shocked at the prices of the specials $7-8 for a TASTE! Yowza!

 

[eandesmom]

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?

I am that predictable huh? Seriously though I am totally saving these links for our next trip, like this summer. SO up our alley!

And really, after Koko head at least in SF I'll just tumble down...the street...not into a ravine, a volcano...a crater! Crap with my coordination I'm as likely to whack my head on the guardrail!



I hear you though...I've done Half Dome...freaky!!!!!!!!!!!!

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!

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

FUN! I've not heard of this...but that means NOTHING. I love love love that you ended up in the baseball room but really, ALL getting the same thing? Sigh. I'd have gotten the cioppino! LOL. I struggle with crab louis...for the price (usually) I want a LOT of crab and well, it rarely delivers...which means I've not had it in ages. I really love, and respect the dessert statement and even more so, love the after dinner outing for you and Pods. We've looked at that wine bar many a time and it's never quite fit into the timing. What a great night all around!

 

[pharmjenn]

Hmm, I live in the Bay Area, and still the idea of a tour of SF sounds very intriguing. May have to look him up.
Love the photos, I wouldn't have liked those steps either. I have a very strange fear of heights, some things bother, others don't, but open steps are one of the worst.

 

[podsnel]

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.

UGH- that government shut down messed up a LOT of vacation plans for a LOT of people. We went to St John for a week where most of the beaches are Nat'l park- they shut down the beaches and had guards on them throwing people off! Lucky for us, that nonsense ended 6 days before we arrived (even tho the gov't debacle was still going on).

Our first visit to SF Pods and I did the same thing- we did not tour the island, just rode the boat around it and listened to the stories. It was a decent alternative to an actual visit. I hope they enjoyed their trip!

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.

LOL- I was wondering if it would bother anyone! Sorry about that, Doris-but those suckers tasted GREAT!

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.

You need a RE-DO! I hear that is one gorgeous hotel-

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?

I CAN see it because when Pods and I went, that was how we saw the whole city, too- walked to the painted ladies, walked to HA....everywhere. It's amazing how much ground you can cover when you don't have a teen ager tagging along complaining about it-

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.

I remember that, too- the city is not on a grid , so easy to get twisted around-

Love the looks of the seafood place -- my husband is a huge baseball fan and I know would love that!

That was a great surprise!

I agree with Doris....that pasta looks disgusting!!!! no way could eat something that looks alive on my plate!!!!

I promise, the squid was NOT still moving, lol!

 

[podsnel]

Looks like a nice restaurant, I'll have to go there sometime!

It was about half the price of the one from the night before with many similar items. Although a MUCH smaller menu. Scoma's menu is enormous!

I would have eaten the pasta, but truthfully, I'm a sucker for Linguine and Clams when it is made with Fresh Manila clams, so I probably would have gone for that. You all didn't SHARE that plate of oysters and clams did you? That would have been MY plate! Yummy! Love Oysters!

Linguini and clams is one of my favorites, too- the best one I EVER have had was at Longhi's on Maui on my honeymoon- the last night of it, as a matter of fact. And you KNOW it was AMAZING- because I remember how it tasted 27+ years later!!

We did share them- Actually, I think I only had one oyster. I was trying to be conservative!

Nice wine bar, but I was shocked at the prices of the specials $7-8 for a TASTE! Yowza!

Hence the reason why we only had a glass or two....

I am that predictable huh? Seriously though I am totally saving these links for our next trip, like this summer. SO up our alley!

Excellent! I can't wait to hear what you think!

And really, after Koko head at least in SF I'll just tumble down...the street...not into a ravine, a volcano...a crater! Crap with my coordination I'm as likely to whack my head on the guardrail!

For the love of God, Cynthia- please be careful!



I hear you though...I've done Half Dome...freaky!!!!!!!!!!!!

I am VERY impressed you hiked half-dome. Don't think I am brave enough for those heights and incline. ESPECIALLY on the way down!You would LOVE my friend Steven- who will be in this TR later (he and his son met us in DL for a couple of days). Right before he got married, he hiked half dome AND THEN hiked up to Glacier Point- and sat out on the point (where you aren't supposed to go) for a good hour contemplating his life (he ended up in a nasty divorce and now has sole custody of their son). He says that day nearly killed him- INSANE!!!!!



FUN! I've not heard of this...but that means NOTHING. I love love love that you ended up in the baseball room but really, ALL getting the same thing? Sigh. I'd have gotten the cioppino! LOL. I struggle with crab louis...for the price (usually) I want a LOT of crab and well, it rarely delivers...which means I've not had it in ages. I really love, and respect the dessert statement and even more so, love the after dinner outing for you and Pods. We've looked at that wine bar many a time and it's never quite fit into the timing. What a great night all around!

Yea- that was a disappointment, wasn't it? When they all ordered I thought about changing, but the cioppino is for 2 there. And I don't think I could justify Crab louis again, either. We did like that wine bar- they had tasting classes going on while we were there too- that Ferry Building is HEAVEN......

Hmm, I live in the Bay Area, and still the idea of a tour of SF sounds very intriguing. May have to look him up.
Love the photos, I wouldn't have liked those steps either. I have a very strange fear of heights, some things bother, others don't, but open steps are one of the worst.

Tell him I said hello! He is a nice guy!

And i am JUST LIKE YOU with the heights- some things are fine- but those open stairs were baaaaaaad.

 

[podsnel]

It was already Thursday morning! Day 3- we were going out on the first boat over to Alcatraz, then having some lunch before picking up bikes and biking over the bridge into Sausalito. Anyway....part one was Alcatraz, and we needed to hoof it over to the pier- so after grabbing breakfast upstairs in the Regency Club, we were on our way to make it to the Early Bird tour which departed at 8:45. The advantage being that we were the first boat of the day, with the next boat and tour always behind us. A cable car on the way....



We had printed our tickets at home, (I had made the puchase a few months in advance as soon as the dates were released for our vacation- tickets sell out fast, especially for this first tour of the day) but the printer did not do a good job, so we had to exchange these for other usable tickets. Good thing we arrived a little early! Once on the ferry, I posted a pic to FB of Tyler heading to his new home-



Timmy was all for that idea, lol-





Here we are, in the morning fog!







The Ranger asked us to gather for a brief talk before we headed up. She explained that a tram service was available but only for disabled patrons.



She also told us that once we got to the top we would be able to pick up our headsets which were included in our ticket fare.



So up we went-











No, Cynthia, these stairs are NOT for you-




We picked up our headsets, and the very well choreographed tour began- it was very much like the audio tour at Pearl Harbor, but with a lot more movement around the area. Here are some of the narrators-



They made it very authentic and eerie.





We found the baseball! Of course!





This is the baseball field-



I'm thinkin' they went through a few balls out there.

The inmates had very small cells-



Some famous inmates-



Cont'd next post-

 

[podsnel]

This was the block where the hole was- NOT where you wanted to be-





The audio had an inmate who described being in the hole- he said he would throw a button and then keep himself occupied all day by feeling around and searching for it in the complete darkness...then when he found it, he would toss it off again...and again....

Let me out!!









Where's the city?







Dug out with a spoon for an escape attempt (and he was never found- some say he drowned, some say he lived the rest of his life in South America)



The dining hall-



What's for breakfast on the last day-



That ain't no Disney Cruise get-the-heck-off-our-ship breakfast!

How they kept track of cutlery in the kitchen-



True dat-



Cont'd next post

 

[podsnel]

We handed our tour back, and headed back down the hill after I bought a magnet for my cousin and a decal for my luggage...









Look at all the orbs MEK! I bet they are not happy ones!



Before visiting here, it had never occured to me that families lived here- but of course, they did.



Kind of creepy, huh? Raising your kids in such a dark place....

Bring on that blue sky!





Once at the bottom, we stopped in to hear a bit about the Indian occupation here before getting on line for the next boat back. All in all, we were done by-







It was fascinating and completely eerie touring Alcatraz. Both the boys enjoyed it, and we were glad to have had the experience- ESPECIALLY so early in the day. As an alternative, they offer a night time tour- I hear that brings a whole other element to the visit, and I bet it would be really frightening and intense to be walking around that prison at night.

Up next- Pods and I do it animal style!

 

[jenseib]

That is a dream place I want to visit. I know that sounds weird, but I really do. What a creepy place to be put at...and you are right, a creepy place to raise your family.

 

[podsnel]

That is a dream place I want to visit. I know that sounds weird, but I really do. What a creepy place to be put at...and you are right, a creepy place to raise your family.

It ain't no Disneyland, that's for sure!

 

[jenseib]

It ain't no Disneyland, that's for sure!

I know! It's so crazy the things that attract me. "let's go to a prison and then ride the Space mountain."

 

[KristiMc]

What a creepy place - especially with the fog! It would be an interesting tour though.

 

[franandaj]

Another interesting place in California that I've never been to. I'm going to have to schedule some time to be a tourist in my home state!

 

[dizneeat]

Love the Alcatraz update. What a change the time you visit makes. We have been to Alcatraz three times and always went later in the day and the place was always packed.

BTW - I made a note of that seafood restaurant you went to - we still want to do California in 2016 and that sounds right up Tom's street.

 

[ProudMommyof2]

Wow! Awesome photos and very creepy place. The story about the hole gives me the chills!

 

[Wicket's Mom]

Really creepy place, bet there are some bad vibes there considering the population which was living there!

 

[scottny]

The pics are amazing. Looks like a gorgeous city to visit.
LOL the Goofy cut out.
I now have the Full House theme in my head. LOL
I bookmarked his website for when we get out there.
LOL at the dessert menu.
Great pics of Alcatraz. The night tour sounds like fun.

 

[RGirl]

Ellen! Again - I am so sorry that I got so far behind! I was counting on being "subscribed" and something went awry - I'm so glad you popped back into my TR so my rapidly aging memory was jarred!

Not totally caught up yet, but the tour sounds amazing! I am seriously considering doing something like that. I lived in SF for years, but I didn't visit half those places. Something about living somewhere for me - I can "do that anytime" so I never do it!

Of all the photos though my absolute favorite is the one where the woman just sat down and joined the photo!!! That is so hilarious! I can't even stand it!!!!!!!

 

[anewmac]

LOL ya when we went and they said families lived there the boys thought it was soo cool... They kept saying wow they got to live on an island.. um ya NO its not like Castaway Cay! LMAO

Animal Style my favorite way to get dirty LOL