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

[ACDSNY]

Woo hoo for out shopping DH! Who can resist a great sale! I love all the interesting little facts I find out about our state from you.

 

[shushh]

Shopping is a fantastic reason not to take photos Yay for Macy's.

I am all for random acts of kindness. Something simple that could make you day just that little bit more special or change it from a crappy one to a good one!

 

[PrincessInOz]

Great porn even on the sly.

I love SF. Nice photos. Love the ones of the trolleys.

Before i asked if you framed your photos and you seemed surprised. You really take nice pictures. I'd frame them if it were me. We have canvased a few of Michael's. I love displaying photos that we took.

Thanks. I'm definitely considering getting a few of last year's done.

Woo hoo for out shopping DH! Who can resist a great sale! I love all the interesting little facts I find out about our state from you.

Sale? There's a sale?

(I can't resist a sale!!! )

Shopping is a fantastic reason not to take photos Yay for Macy's.

I am all for random acts of kindness. Something simple that could make you day just that little bit more special or change it from a crappy one to a good one!

Yes. I'm definitely trying to increase the random acts of kindnesses that I show as well. Pass it on!

 

[rentayenta]

I just read about your special lunch for the third time today and wow, was the truffle mac and cheese as incredible as it looked? I'm so skipping fruit and lunch meat. The roast chicken does look good. Really really great photos. I'm glad you're going to hang a few of your own.

And what fun to get to spend the day all together. Did you family enjoy it?

 

[PrincessInOz]

I just read about your special lunch for the third time today and wow, was the truffle mac and cheese as incredible as it looked? I'm so skipping fruit and lunch meat. The roast chicken does look good. Really really great photos. I'm glad you're going to hang a few of your own.

And what fun to get to spend the day all together. Did you family enjoy it?

That truffle mac and cheese? YES!!!!!

We all had a great time, although DS was ready to get on some rides by the end of it all.

 

[rentayenta]

That truffle mac and cheese? YES!!!!!

We all had a great time, although DS was ready to get on some rides by the end of it all.

Those big huge truffles, holy house payment! I make this popcorn with truffle oil, truffle salt, and parmesan cheese. Heaven.

I'm sure he was. 2.5 hours is a long lunch. What a sweetie for being so patient.

 

[franandaj]

I've heard reports that all the waiters/waitresses are bringing bowls of the truffle mac and cheese to the lunch tables in lieu of good tips....

 

[rentayenta]

I've heard reports that all the waiters/waitresses are bringing bowls of the truffle mac and cheese to the lunch tables in lieu of good tips....

It looks incredible as do the lamb chops I saw. And the pasta. And the desserts. Joshua is reading with me and said I have to bring him a Club 33 cookie. I love him! He is ooooing and aweing with me.

 

[PrincessInOz]

Those big huge truffles, holy house payment! I make this popcorn with truffle oil, truffle salt, and parmesan cheese. Heaven.

I'm sure he was. 2.5 hours is a long lunch. What a sweetie for being so patient.

Yes, DS had been a sweetie that day.

I still occassionally dream of those truffles.

I've heard reports that all the waiters/waitresses are bringing bowls of the truffle mac and cheese to the lunch tables in lieu of good tips....

WOW! Rentayenta can tell us if it's true or not!

It looks incredible as do the lamb chops I saw. And the pasta. And the desserts. Joshua is reading with me and said I have to bring him a Club 33 cookie. I love him! He is ooooing and aweing with me.

If I lived closer, I'd be asking for a cookie as well. Enjoy.

 

[PrincessInOz]

Bacon! Bacon! Bacon!




We started the day early with the hot breakfast buffet. It was to be our ritual morning catch up for DH and me.


Every morning, DH would grab the eggs and/or cook some oatmeal.
Every morning, I would wonder if bacon would be served. DH would patiently sit there and listen to me oink on about the razorback cuts of not serving non fatty crunchy goodness.




This morning, there WAS bacon, so DH could enjoy his breakfast in peace.



Me? OINKING Heaven. Bacon! Bacon! Bacon!

Oh....alright! Here's the other side.

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[PrincessInOz]

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Life in the Go Zone




Today, I was heading into the Presidio for a special meeting at 10 am. When I had looked at my public transport options to get there, I was looking at either the CalTrain or BART into the downtown area and about 3 bus changes to get to the Presidio. Duration for this? 2 – 3 hours.

I.think.not!



My other option? Driving, Miss PiO.



I’d checked out the driving time as an alternative to the public transport option. GoogleMaps has this trip down as about 50 minutes or so. I will admit that driving from Silicon Valley into the Downtown area in peak hour was not something that filled my soul with delight.


So, it was just as well that I had the good mood food this morning.



My foray down the 101 yesterday had been a trial run for today. Given yesterday’s experience that I was not keen to repeat, I had looked at the alternative route……the 280.



What a great choice it turned out to be!


This was life in the go-zone. I was cruising down this highway at Bullitt-style speeds higher than the 75 mph limit; and with relatively little traffic around me.


I had left at shortly after 8 am. By the time I got to the streets of San Francisco, it was still in the 8’s. I would have over an hour to kill.







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[PrincessInOz]

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An Oldie….but a Goldie….Gate Park




It has been many years since I’ve properly made a visit here and today….this morning……I was delighted to revisit an old favourite tourist destination of mine in this city. The fifth most visited city park in the US is the Golden Gate Park. At over 1000 acres, this park is a veritable green haven in a busy metropolis with many intriguing attractions.

Aside from traffic, I had been keen to travel along the 280 because I thought it would give me the opportunity to glimpse at the park. And when I had gotten to the city significantly earlier than even I had optimistically hoped, I made a quick detour and stopped off for another brief visit.


I found a parking spot by Lake Stow and stopped off for a brief walk.

The locals might have been out and about……

…but there was no denying….it was rather early in the morning for the two-legged visitors.

I must admit…..I do prefer things this way.

In the middle of Lake Stow is Strawberry Hill. Someday, I’m going to take a picnic basket with me and head to the island, climb the hill and take in the downtown view from up there.

I got back in the car and headed towards the de Young Memorial Museum. It was too early for opening but I remembered that there were some art sculptures around the museum.

I had remembered correctly. The bronze urn and the concrete sphinxes were originally brought to San Francisco for the 1894 California MidWinter International Exposition and purchased by H.M de Young. The sphinxes are actually replicas; and are showing their age.



There is also another statue purchased from that exposition outside the museum…..the Apple Cider Press.

Yes, I was certainly enjoying the view this morning.

The thing about being in this part of the park is that there are a number of other attractions close by.

You know that California MidWinter International Exposition? The original site was here….where the Spreckels Temple of Music is.

The weekends are the times to visit for live entertainment at Spreckels. Afterall, it has been an open air venue for dances, concerts and performances for over 120 years now.

At the time of morning and day that I was there, I only saw the Tai Chi groups under the elms.

I also took a wander through the garden of the de Young.

I was rather intrigue by apples in the park today. They seemed to be everywhere!

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[PrincessInOz]

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An Unexpected Freebie – The Japanese Tea Gardens




The other attraction in this area is the Japanese Tea Garden. The oldest Japanese public garden in the US, it is a firm favourite for me and DH. We’ve been here about 3 or 4 times in the past and I figured I’d just take a picture of the outside.

Imagine my surprise when I got up close and realised that entry between 9 – 10 am on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays was free!

Well…..in my case, it was a Wednesday but the admission was not quite free. The cost of admission for me was being 10 minutes late to the DisMeet. So, I’ll apologise now for my tardiness! But this was too good a deal for me to pass up on.


This garden was yet another one of those originally created as an exhibit for the 1894 California Midwinter International Exposition. The garden holds tea ceremony demonstrations during the day in the tea pavilion. I would not experience it this time; nor was I to get any tea or snacks available here.

I headed down to the Sunken Garden.

This area had been the residential site of the original “owner” and landscape architect Makoto Hagiwara. He and his family were interned during the Second World War and never returned to the garden.

This section of the garden is as zen as they come.

There are lovely meandering paths in the garden that just scream walk down here to me.

Some; that just encourage you to find the hopscotch child within. For those of you interested – that’s the Peace Lantern to the right. The Peace Lantern was a symbol of friendship given to the future generations in the United States from small contributions from the children of Japan. San Francisco was chosen to receive the lantern because the Japanese Peace Treaty was signed in this city in 1951.

This five-stored pagoda was originally in the Japanese exhibit at the Panama-Pacific Exposition of 1915. After the close of the exposition the Hagiwaras had it brought to the Tea Garden.

I checked the time and figured I needed to get going. So, I headed out through the Main Temple Gate.

There was a spot a little lower down, near the main pond where I stopped to check the view.

A random act of kindness……someone stopped and asked if I wanted them to take a picture of me. He did a great job!

There were koi in the main pond. They were letting people tickle them from underneath!

I took a moment to climb the Drum Bridge. I wish I knew where that kind stranger had gotten to. It would have been cool to have my picture taken at the top.

It really is a beautiful garden. If you’re in the neighbourhood, it is well worth a stop.

By this stage, I knew I was going to be late for my DisMeet! So, I headed on out as quickly as I could to my next destination.

 

[ACDSNY]

Lovely pics of the Japanese Tea Garden, I love walking through there. It always seem like a magical place. You accomplished quite a bit in your time before the DISmeet.

 

[usnuzuloose]

Lovely pictures! I have never been in that area. I will have to get there sometime. Love that bridge.

 

[franandaj]

I am always amazed at how much you squeeze in before you meet up with each of us. I mean between the time I dropped you off at the GCH and we met up after your pass you had like a lifetime of pass photos! LOL!

You are a master at snapping photos!

 

[rentayenta]

The garden is stunning. Very peaceful.


Glad you got your bacon.

 

[tiggrbaby]

Lovely pics! That garden is really all I remember of my one trip to San Fransisco back in '79.

 

[zanzibar138]

Oooh bacon! I also LOVE bacon in the US - you just can't get it like that in Australia

We spent quite a few hours getting lost (literally) in the Golden Gate Park trying to find the Walt Disney Family Museum (before arriving only to discover it was closed that day ). It was a very pretty place to be lost but that must be a different part you went to. Will have to check that out next time!

 

[PrincessInOz]

Lovely pics of the Japanese Tea Garden, I love walking through there. It always seem like a magical place. You accomplished quite a bit in your time before the DISmeet.

I love walking through here too. And yes, magical is the word for it.

Lovely pictures! I have never been in that area. I will have to get there sometime. Love that bridge.

If you have the opportunity, I would highly recommend it. I really do love the Golden Gate Bridge area.

I am always amazed at how much you squeeze in before you meet up with each of us. I mean between the time I dropped you off at the GCH and we met up after your pass you had like a lifetime of pass photos! LOL!

You are a master at snapping photos!

Thanks! I was actually glad to be able to squeeze in the Japanese Garden this morning. I had hoped that traffic would be kind and that I would be able to enjoy some time in the Park...the Japanese Garden was a pure bonus!

The garden is stunning. Very peaceful.


Glad you got your bacon.

I'm glad I got my bacon too.

Lovely pics! That garden is really all I remember of my one trip to San Fransisco back in '79.

Was that the last time you were in San Francisco?? It's probably changed a bit since then.

Oooh bacon! I also LOVE bacon in the US - you just can't get it like that in Australia

We spent quite a few hours getting lost (literally) in the Golden Gate Park trying to find the Walt Disney Family Museum (before arriving only to discover it was closed that day ). It was a very pretty place to be lost but that must be a different part you went to. Will have to check that out next time!

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.