Hello, Again, Old Friend!

It was a week ago, we loaded into my car and hit the road for San Francisco. The drive was long, most notable sights were fog and the Wind Farms outside Mojave. Nearly nine hours after our departure, we arrived. It was so bizarre to come in from Oakland. I didn't realize that was supposed to happen and I thought I came the wrong way, missing an exit on the way. It was very strange to come across the Bay Bridge. I really thought I'd come up the penisula so I was so discombobulated.

We needed a hotel to stay, I never booked anything for Friday unsure of how far we'd make it. I recalled seeing the Bayshore Inn on Columbus which is a motel in the Wharf. I figured it had to be less than the hotels (holiday inn wanted $149+$45 to park + taxes). It was, and luckily they had one room with double beds left, it was $99 with parking. The room was shitty, cold and noisy but it served its purpose. We were starved when we got in and there were few options nearby that late.

After finding a couple bar kitchens closed we went to Golden Boy Pizza for slices. They closed the inside only selling slices from the street. There was a large crowd being the only food around and the bars had last call. It was interesting people watching... people were smoking joints in line. I could probably test positive for marijuana right now for the amount of pot smoke I inhaled this weekend... Thankfully, they didn't run out of slices before our turn. We each got one. We walked back to the hotel and passed a lot of drunks that wanted our pizza. By the time we got to the hotel the crust wasn't crisp because it was all steamy from being in the box. It wasn't half as good as last time I had it, but it was 100x better than Denny's and that was our only other option at 2am. After eating, I crashed hard. My dad, Mike and Amy followed soon after.

Saturday morning, we checked out of the motel. I cannot recommend Bayside Inn at the Wharf, but we had nice views from our old, dank room.







When we set out my thought was to drive to see the farther off sights that are not easily reached by public transit, while killing time before we could check into the Holiday Inn at the Wharf. Fortunately, the family was game. Our first stop was to view the Golden Gate Bridge. I didn't plan to go across to Sausalito, but it worked out that way because traffic was so heavy I couldn't make my exit. We drove over the bridge and sat in traffic. Eventually, it was our turn to enter the lot that offers lovely views of San Francisco. Frank and I had been before when we biked from the Wharf to Sausalito. It was just as cold and overcast then, too.







After our look around, I planned to head back to San Francisco, but traffic was jammed going back. We explored Sausalito some before going back via another exit. The hills are wild over there. I felt like I was off-roading on a few of those streets. I cannot imagine growing up there, riding bikes or taking the bus to school is much different experience than mine. Folks from Wisconsin called us flatliners for a reason. Anyway, we made our way back, and our next stop was the Sutro Baths for a look at the Pacific Ocean. Weather conditions were far more pleasant here.

















After our look around, we drove by Alamo Square for a look at the Painted Ladies, which are also known from the Full House opening scene. Traffic was a bear getting back to the Wharf. It took forever. It was stop and go the whole way which wears this booted girl out. I was so focused on the traffic jam, I completely forgot I wanted to drive down Lombard Street. Mark that as the first major landmark the family didn't see on their visit.

Seeing those sights took us 3.5 hours. I happily parked the car when we arrived at the hotel. I much prefer public transit in San Francisco. Driving was stressful and inconvenient. We received an upgraded room upon check-in, which provided us with a small fridge. We unloaded our bags. After getting settled in our warm spiffy room (that cost less than the motel, thanks to Hotwire), I suggested we go eat. I was STARVED. That's a crime in San Francisco with all those glorious dining options. Dad wanted to eat at Aliotos, I thought now was a good time. If we went later, reservations would be required and my family is not the punctual type. We moseyed on over, the family was surprised how close we were. We ran into Bushman on the way. In all my visits that was the first I saw him. We made it to Aliotos and I was right, we were able to walk right in. After ordering, the sun began to set, the skies changed from sky blue to coral before night fell.



The view was lovely. Service was a bit slow and not terribly friendly. Frankly, it felt like we were an inconvenience. Prices are a bit higher than I've found at other seafood houses and I'd soon learn their portions are smaller, too. My brother and sister don't enjoy fruits of the sea so they ordered pasta and chopped steak. My dad chose a combination saute with crab, shrimp and scallops. I cannot come to San Francisco and skip crab so I went with half of the marinated dungeness. I did not realize it would be served cold. That wasn't a bad thing, but it was a surprise. It felt like an appetizer more than entree. Dad kindly picked up the tab, and we were on our way.

The city was ours. I figured it was only Chinatown that was off the table since much of it closes at dusk, but we spent the evening in Fisherman's Wharf. We walked to Ghiradelli Square and then to Pier 39 stopping in shops and galleries along the way. We stopped in Fisherman's Pizza for beers, the Longboard Lager sign in the window drew us in. Prices were a bit high so we sought out another bar. Frank and I usually stop at Fiddler's Green so we walked over there. They were charging a cover. There was no way I'd pay a cover for such a dive. We walked up to Kennedy's Irish Bar instead. We camped out there. They have a huge beer selection and prices are very reasonable. Last call was coming soon and hunger was striking. I noticed the time and we had a few minutes to get In N Out before they closed. Dad had never had it, and it is a real treat for Amy and Mike. We took our bags full of fries and double doubles back to the hotel. It was a nasty walk over. The streets were filled with drunks and pukers. Not pretty at all! Fortunately, we didn't lose our appetite. We managed to stuff ourselves silly and then crashed looking forward to the fun that was to come.