Fall Trip - San Francisco

Ted and I had planned to go to Orlando this last weekend.  A little guy named Matthew changed our destination.  One of the bucket list places for me has always been San Francisco.  We left Friday night and got home Sunday evening.  We really only did one day of heavy sight seeing - because we decided to head to the airport early Sunday because the flights got really tight.

One thing you need to know - I do not do anything spontaneously.  I usually plan everything out about what I want to do.  And Ted is good enough that he just let's me be me. This weekend was different.  There were no real plans.  Ted used to live in Sacramento - and he traveled to the Bay area every week to work - so he had a list of places that we wanted to go see.

So Saturday morning after breakfast, we just started driving.  We drove a bit and ended up in the Wharf area.  Parking was really expensive where we parked - $3 for every fifteen minute with a $45 maximum.  We agreed to get out and walk around for thirty minutes.   Then we decided to do a boat tour that took us under the Golden Gate Bridge - around Alcatraz and then the Bay Bridge.  We had so much fun!!!!  It was actually Fleet Week - and they gave us the cruise for free because Ted is a veteran.  So paying the $45 for parking seemed like not a big deal at that point.

Once done, we ate lunch at Aliotos on the Wharf.  Dungeness crab, clam chowder and sourdough bread.  Was so yummy!!!!

We ended up driving the Golden Gate, then around to the Richmond Bridge and finally on the Bay Bridge.

We were so exhausted by the time we started toward our hotel, all we could think about was getting some food and heading to the hotel to relax.  Figuring we could do more the next day.  I guess since that didn't happen - we'll have to make it back there to see what we didn't get to see this last weekend.
PICTURES!!!

October is Breast Cancer awareness month.  Delta does pink lemonade for $2 every October on their flights.  I always
buy it when I fly - all proceeds go to BCRF.  

On the Air Train from SFO to the rental car place.

I loved our hotel.  We got upgraded to a king junior suite.  I loved our little swans in the bathroom.  They had a robot
that if you ordered anything the robot would deliver it to you..  I ordered some wash cloths and two bottles of water
on our second night.  The robot would call your room phone and make R2D2 noises.  You would open the door and the
robot was there.  It would open up a door on top and your items were inside. It was so cool!!

This was a liberty ship.  They made them during World War II. They were made by the Rosie the Riveters - the women
left behind - as well as the older folks too old to be in the service.  They made these ships in 60 days so they could get them
out in the ocean as soon as possible.

Call me Rosie

Waiting in line to get on our bay cruise.

These sunflowers were so beautiful.  I loved the different color on them.  See the bee??  It's ready to get some pollen.

A fort from days gone by.  Sits on the edge of the bay under the Golden Gate Bridge.

Alcatraz.  The tall tower was the guard tower.  Guards would sit up top for eight hours with high powered rifles - holding watch..  The burned out building was a huge mansion for the warden.

The other side of the prison

Downtown San Francisco

Sea Lions sitting in the sun at Pier 39

Skinny little streets. Big old hills.  My usually very restrained old man driver was very crazy driving in San Francisco
I was a bit freaked out at times.  The way that cars parked on those hills.  Holy cow!!

It was Fleet Week in San Francisco.  They had an air show going on with the Blue Angels.  While in the middle of the
bay on our cruise, they started flying overhead.  It was like one of the most amazing things ever.  Watching
them do tricks and such right over our heads!!

Palace of Fine Arts.  Beautiful building.

Bay Bridge.  Crazy traffic.  I don't know if you remember the earthquake back in 1989.  This bridge has a double decker
section.  One direction on top of the other.  During the earthquake, the top collapsed on top of the bottom half and 42
people were killed.  They rebuilt it - and built it a little differently in that section.  

While driving on the bridge, these five to six motorcyclists started doing tricks in the very crowded bridge.
They were doing wheelies, they were standing on their bikes while doing wheelies.  It really freaked
me out watching them.  I was sure they were going to cause an accident or something.  

From one of the hills in San Francisco  I asked Ted if he thought people started to take for granted this type
of view, like people here in Utah start to take for granted the view of the mountains.  

My very favorite picture from the Golden Gate.  

And my very favorite from the Bay Bridge.
Edit - this is actually Richmond Bridge.  Sorry for the error.

When we got our seat assignments to go to San Francisco, I joked with Ted about how we either get first class, bulk head seats in Comfort that are not very comfortable or the middle seats in the very back row  On our way there - we actually got first class.  It was really nice and a great flight.  On the way back, we actually got on a plane that we never thought we would get on.  The flight was showing as oversold by four and we were number three and four on the standby list.  We got the very back row - me in the middle and Ted in the window.  Not comfortable, but we made it home.