Lizzybear
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- Jul 23, 2006
- Messages
- 2,955
Pre-trip
Day 1
Day 2
19th September 2008
Up at 7:30 (quite good for me on the first morning in the US, in hindsight I was lulled into a false sense of being over the time difference..!) We decided on Mama's at Washington Square for breakfast. This got great reviews online which also mentioned that there is usually a queue and this morning was no exception! I think we waited about 20 minutes or so, it's only a tiny place but they're very efficient once you're in (you place and pay for your order first then get seated)
Just a cool car we saw on the way to Mama's
Steve had the spinach omelette with breakfast potatoes and I had french toast with chocolate syrup and fresh beries and a side of bacon. This was also our first experience of being given tap water with our meal without having to ask, i'm a big water drinker so I really appreciated this. Our breakfast was delicious and mine currently tops my 'best breakfasts ever' list! Everything is made for you and with really fresh ingredients (you can see them all behind the counter) In our opinion it was worth the wait and the bill ($35 inc. tip) so if anyone is visiting San Francisco I would definitely recommend you pay a visit. After breakfast we set off for the Fisherman's Wharf cable car turnaround to buy our 3 day passes (one cable car ride is $5 so the 3 day passes at $18 a person are a bargain as you can use them on any of the MUNI vehicles which include buses) We caught our first cable car ride to Union Square as they weren't busy at that time of the day and it meant we could scope out the route a bit.
First cable car ride, yay!
Shows how steep the cable car route was, and this hill was mild compared to many others in the city!
Once we arrived at Union Square we had a wander round and bought some bits and pieces from Walgreens (room snacks mostly!)
It had to be done!
We'd come out in hoodies but decided it was now too warm (a lovely day though, not sweltering but not cold either) and we didn't want to carry the stuff from Walgreens around all day so we got the (now packed!) cable car to Lombard Street, stopping of course to walk down and take some pictures.
We walked the short distance back to the hotel (we were glad we'd chosen the North Beach location to stay in rather than Union Square or Fisherman's Wharf because it was mainly residential and seemed less frantic but still with a good vibe) and dumped our stuff, had a little rest and phoned our parents (hadn't managed to before now!) before heading back to Fisherman's Wharf to explore a bit.
First stop was the Musee Mechanique which was fun, though be prepared to use all your quarters!
Just to prove we got a gumball *lol* Couldn't get it out of the machine though!
I love the little sweaters!
The USS Pampanito was nearby but we didn't want to pay the $9 each to look inside so we just took pictures of the outside.
Alcatraz of course
We decided to go to Ripley's Believe It Or Not. I know some think it's overpriced for what it is ($14 a person) and i'd probably agree but Steve had never been to one (I had in Orlando) and we found it a fun way to spend an hour or so.
Next we headed towards Ghirardelli Square, with Steve getting distracted by a fair few camera shops along the way! Amazing how much the price drops when you walk away *lol* I reckon you could play them off against each other! We did plan to get a DSLR but were concerned about the warranty we'd get from a smaller/non branded retailer. We saw a homeless guy with a sign that said 'need $$ for weed' At least he was being honest I guess! I have to say it made me sad to see so many homeless people. I'm aware that not everyone has their own opinion on this but I just can't help thinking the sheer number in San Francisco is shameful for such a rich city. Anyway, we arrived at Ghirardelli Square and had planned on having an ice-cream sundae to share but after a yummy peanut butter chocolate square sample each we decided we didn't feel like any more chocolate (had a Cheesecake Factory dinner planned!) and instead opted for a lemon cupcake from a cute little shop nearby. The girl in there loved our tattoos and had some herself and we had a nice chat about artists, conventions and the like. It was times like this that we had romanticised thoughts of packing it all in at home and getting jobs in a little cafe in San Francisco (no need to tell me how improbable this is, I know! *lol*) It really is a lovely city and I can see why so many love it.
Day 1
Day 2
19th September 2008
Up at 7:30 (quite good for me on the first morning in the US, in hindsight I was lulled into a false sense of being over the time difference..!) We decided on Mama's at Washington Square for breakfast. This got great reviews online which also mentioned that there is usually a queue and this morning was no exception! I think we waited about 20 minutes or so, it's only a tiny place but they're very efficient once you're in (you place and pay for your order first then get seated)
Just a cool car we saw on the way to Mama's
Steve had the spinach omelette with breakfast potatoes and I had french toast with chocolate syrup and fresh beries and a side of bacon. This was also our first experience of being given tap water with our meal without having to ask, i'm a big water drinker so I really appreciated this. Our breakfast was delicious and mine currently tops my 'best breakfasts ever' list! Everything is made for you and with really fresh ingredients (you can see them all behind the counter) In our opinion it was worth the wait and the bill ($35 inc. tip) so if anyone is visiting San Francisco I would definitely recommend you pay a visit. After breakfast we set off for the Fisherman's Wharf cable car turnaround to buy our 3 day passes (one cable car ride is $5 so the 3 day passes at $18 a person are a bargain as you can use them on any of the MUNI vehicles which include buses) We caught our first cable car ride to Union Square as they weren't busy at that time of the day and it meant we could scope out the route a bit.
First cable car ride, yay!
Shows how steep the cable car route was, and this hill was mild compared to many others in the city!
Once we arrived at Union Square we had a wander round and bought some bits and pieces from Walgreens (room snacks mostly!)
It had to be done!
We'd come out in hoodies but decided it was now too warm (a lovely day though, not sweltering but not cold either) and we didn't want to carry the stuff from Walgreens around all day so we got the (now packed!) cable car to Lombard Street, stopping of course to walk down and take some pictures.
We walked the short distance back to the hotel (we were glad we'd chosen the North Beach location to stay in rather than Union Square or Fisherman's Wharf because it was mainly residential and seemed less frantic but still with a good vibe) and dumped our stuff, had a little rest and phoned our parents (hadn't managed to before now!) before heading back to Fisherman's Wharf to explore a bit.
First stop was the Musee Mechanique which was fun, though be prepared to use all your quarters!
Just to prove we got a gumball *lol* Couldn't get it out of the machine though!
I love the little sweaters!
The USS Pampanito was nearby but we didn't want to pay the $9 each to look inside so we just took pictures of the outside.
Alcatraz of course
We decided to go to Ripley's Believe It Or Not. I know some think it's overpriced for what it is ($14 a person) and i'd probably agree but Steve had never been to one (I had in Orlando) and we found it a fun way to spend an hour or so.
Next we headed towards Ghirardelli Square, with Steve getting distracted by a fair few camera shops along the way! Amazing how much the price drops when you walk away *lol* I reckon you could play them off against each other! We did plan to get a DSLR but were concerned about the warranty we'd get from a smaller/non branded retailer. We saw a homeless guy with a sign that said 'need $$ for weed' At least he was being honest I guess! I have to say it made me sad to see so many homeless people. I'm aware that not everyone has their own opinion on this but I just can't help thinking the sheer number in San Francisco is shameful for such a rich city. Anyway, we arrived at Ghirardelli Square and had planned on having an ice-cream sundae to share but after a yummy peanut butter chocolate square sample each we decided we didn't feel like any more chocolate (had a Cheesecake Factory dinner planned!) and instead opted for a lemon cupcake from a cute little shop nearby. The girl in there loved our tattoos and had some herself and we had a nice chat about artists, conventions and the like. It was times like this that we had romanticised thoughts of packing it all in at home and getting jobs in a little cafe in San Francisco (no need to tell me how improbable this is, I know! *lol*) It really is a lovely city and I can see why so many love it.
