There is no hope of loading any photos with this haphazard internet connection, so I have officially given up trying. Ugh…

NOTE: Charlie has the weekend off, hopefully he can return next week – I think he’s a little stressed over the impending holiday…

San Francisco 08 – Day Four

Wow!

We are squeezing every conceivable drop out of this visit to The City By The Bay! Yesterday, we got ready a little later than we had hoped, and when we finally headed out the door, we stumbled upon a local restaurant that was quite a surprise. I think they called it “IHOP”. Reasonable meal, decent prices – they should consider expanding these restaurants outside of San Fran – I think they could gain some popularity outside the city.

After our Rooty Tooty Fresh N Fruity breakfast (come on, that has a chance of becoming as popular as The Big Mac!!), we took advantage of the last day of our Hop On/Hop Off bus pass, and headed into Union Square, where the humungous Macy’s store has a skating rink set up outside, directly across the street. A rather slushy rink considering the temperatures, but a rink nonetheless – it looked positively seasonal. Just over at one end of the rink is a painted heart, painted by Tony Bennett, no less! It is across from the Chancellor Hotel, the first place he sang “I Left My Heart In San Francisco”, and the rest, as they say, has been history. The hotel is also famous as the place where Al Jolson shuffled off of this mortal coil – no word on any song he may have sang prior to that.

We also checked out the Apple Store behind Macy’s – purely investigative. Fairly close to the prices back at home, so I don’t think Mac will be under my Christmas tree this year. Maybe later…

By the way, San Francisco is also where MacWorld is held, CEO Steve Jobs will NOT be here. Mac trivia, even on holidays. (The brand is calling my name, and soon I must answer.)

Leaving Macy’s, we hopped on just as our tickets were expiring, and managed to catch the one tour we hadn’t been able to take so far – The Golden Gate Park loop, which also included Japantown (an incredible, picturesque area of Victorian-era homes), the GG park (even more picturesque), Haight Ashbury (the hippie-filled area famous for the “summer of love” back in the 60’s – also a goldmine location of 60’s rock music, including The Grateful Dead among many more) – and finally, Postcard Row, the most picturesque of all on this tour. It is also where scenes from the old hit TV show Full House were shot. Man, did that bring back memories. I still can’t stand the actor that played Joey.

Our education here has been eye-opening. So many things got their start here – The Gap, Levi Jeans, Folgers Coffee, the term “sugar daddy”. We even saw the housing complex where Patty Hearst was kept when she was kidnapped decades ago, and the bank that she robbed while under the sway of her kidnappers. This city is loaded to the brim with history.

Speaking of brim, after a stop at Ghirardelli’s Chocolates, we had dinner at the Buena Vista, famous as the first U.S. bar to introduce Irish Coffee, and it is a spectacular coffee that they serve. Just seeing them make the product is a show in and of itself – drinking it is just plain sinful. I had to control my “ooohs” and “ahhhs”, but many did get out.

We met a terrific couple from Houston there, who dined with us. Made the experience even more memorable. They shared stories of their own travels, and had some great recollections of New Orleans and three hurricanes that they dodged or were affected by. A very nice way to wind down the evening.

Today, we are in search of sea lions, and our first cable car ride, if you can believe it.

Chow(der) for Now(der)!!