Bears vs 49ers - Day Four

We took the bus to Candlestick Park. At first, we planned to follow directions I got on 511.org, but then we spotted a bunch of Bears fans outside the hotel; we decided to follow them. Good thing, they led us to the express bus. 511.org made no mention of the express bus, evidently it’s not update to include special routes for game days. Anyhow, the ride couldn’t have been easier. We only had to pay $5 each for the bus transfer since we already had the Muni pass. The bus was packed with Bears fans, it wasn’t until the last stop a couple 49ers fans joined us. It was all good fun talking smack and whatnot.

The stadium is right by the bay, it windy and chilly.



We got into the park and found our seats, practically the last seats in the stadium we were only a couple rows from the top.



This was my first football game, I was initially surprised by the size of the football field it seems much larger on TV. We watched the warm-ups and then, Niner Noise made an appearance as did the cheerleaders, the 49ers were announced, and then there was a lovely tribute and Star-Spangled Banner was sung.











Next, the coin-toss then the game was on. The first half flew by despite no major plays being made. Crowds were in good spirits. Lots of razzing and cheering! 49er fans are much more passionate about their team, than Angel fans in Anaheim. That was good to see.





During half-time Chris Isaak sang a few songs while the troops watched on.





Then, it was back to the game.



It was pretty dreadful. Both teams played like amateurs, Cutler made 5 interceptions. Seriously, it was sloppy football. As it turned out the 49ers simply sucked less than we did. They were victorious. Still, it wasn’t a game to be proud over. I’m glad we went. It was fun, but I’d like to go to another game. Perhaps, one that will be more of what you’d expect from the NFL?

Getting back to the hotel was a breeze once we found our bus. We took it to the end of the line, and walked the last few blocks. We contemplated stopping somewhere for a bite, but we were both in the mood for a snack so we decided to simply polish off the leftover Ferry Building treats that were chilling in the fridge. Once we curbed our hunger, we were out. Another long day behind us.

North Beach - Day Four

While on the bus we passed a place named Italian and French Bakery, those are magic words. We got off at the next stop, Columbus Ave. Talk about kismet! We walked until we came to Petite Deli, it was a few minutes before they were scheduled to open. Along the way, we were tempted by several other eateries. So, we considered going elsewhere, but then a friendly older Asian man opened the door and invited us in. Young, the owner, was behind the counter prepping for the day. She couldn’t have possibly of been more sweet. She welcomed us as if we were guests in her home. We ordered an Italian Hero to share. That way we could eat again, shortly.

Young made us one of the most delicious sandwiches we’ve ever tasted. Ingredients were as fresh as can be, it had your typical Italian meats, but it was her special mustard, vinegar and basil that made it special.



Young wished us well and we were on our way. We couldn’t help, but stop at Piazza Pellegrini for a bite. Nevermind, that we literally had just eaten. Frank ordered eggplant parmesan; it was wonderful. I had homemade crab ravioli. It was incredibly delicious. We had no trouble finishing both dishes.





Next we walked all around the North Beach area. We quickly fell head over heels for this neighborhood. The corner bakeries, cafes, meat markets, etc. a little slice of heaven, it was.











We stopped at that Italian French bakery and bought a few goodies: Danish, Florentine, Croissant, and cinnamon bun. We ate them later in the hotel room, everything was a big disappointment. Fortunately, while walking around we found Victoria Pastry Co. We stopped in for a cappuccino and were unable to resist a chocolate mousse napoleon and a made to order cannoli. Absolutely scrumptious! Pure bliss.





We continued onward and ran into Chinatown. We knew that meant Cable Cars were near, so we caught one back to the hotel. On the way we realized that North Beach is only a few blocks from the hotel. The other day, we were a block away from Petite Deli. We felt so silly, we thought we were so far away – the bus had us both disoriented. The good news was our favorite neighborhood was practically around the corner!

Rather than exploring more, we went back to the hotel to rest up before the Bears game.

Bears vs. 49ers up next…

Coit Tower - Day Four

Thursday, we started the day with a visit to Coit Tower. We took the bus to Sansome St. and got off when we saw the signs for the stairs to Coit Tower. We climbed the first set no problem, the second were steep as can be, the next few sets weren’t much easier. We took a few breaks to admire the view and ponder the street sign and fire hydrant we spotted half-way up the mountain. Pretty flowers hung from the trees.







This was the view at one of the breaks in the stairs.



The nearby building had this interesting artwork.



View of the Bay Bridge from the next break.



Homes were really close together here, see?



Finally we spotted Coit Tower, we were close.



But there were more stairs to climb.



We arrived, at last!



The parking lot, it also serves as a bus stop. Too bad I didn’t realize we could take the bus straight there. We needed the exercise, though.



We went to the gift shop and purchased tickets to the top ($5/ea). Then, we took the original elevator to the top. That was a thrill. Next, we just enjoyed the amazing view!













We came back down, I took one last photo...



as a bus pulled up, we hopped right on. We didn't care where it was headed we just didn't want to walk down all those stairs we came up.

We wound around and around, we were left with no sense of direction. We figured we'd stay on until something looked interesting or we came across Columbus Ave. There was a deli I wanted to try.

Union Square, Chinatown, Boudin Bakery - Day Three

From Lombard Street we rode down to Union Square, we hopped on the Bart. We thought we get off at the Balboa Park stop and walk or take the bus to Golden Gate Park. But when we got off, we were all turned around, the neighborhood didn’t seem too friendly – we were a bit bewildered. We hopped on the first bus we saw. We rode for over an hour. Passing through neighborhood after neighborhood, never saw anything worth seeing, although we did pass Cow Palace which is an indoor event venue. At one point I asked Frank where he thought we were headed and he reminded me of the quote we loved on the wall at the World Market next to the hotel.



We eventually ended up on the expressway and building once again looked familiar. We exited the bus near Union Square. We stopped in a Big & Tall store, but walked out empty handed. We walked around a bit, I liked the area even less than the first time we visited it. It feels like you’re stuck in the Forum Shops during a busy holiday.













We walked a couple blocks to avoid the Cable Car lines and caught one in route. We exited the Cable Car in Chinatown. We walked around, checking out the sights, stores and bakeries.













We eventually wound up at Four Seas Cantonese Restaurant. We ordered spring rolls to start – crisp and flavorful.



Then, we shared 1/4 Peking duck and shrimp fried rice. The duck was tender and had delicious crispy skin, the rice wasn’t what we usually seek - it had the creepy shrimpy shrimp I don’t care much for, but it was very good. It had a nice oniony flavor.





Afterwards, we were on the hunt for a bakery with Almond Cookies. It didn’t take long to find one, we got a package to go. We enjoyed them later in the hotel room.

We waited at a Trolley Stop, but none came. A bus showed up and informed us the Cable Car stopped running. We soon found out why, it had broken down on the street – not far from the hotel.

We rested in the room for a few hours. We weren’t terrible hungry so we figured a large meal would be a waste. Instead, we walked over to the Wharf. How could I come to San Francisco and not indulge in the San Francisco treat? No, not Rice-A-Roni. I’m talking about Clam Chower in a bread bowl at Boudin Bakery. Frank ordered the Rustic Tomato soup. It was for the best since he didn’t much care for my Clam Chowder. What I never understood was why New England Clam Chowder is so highly popular in San Francisco, any idea?









Next we walked down to a bar we spotted earlier in the trip that touted 85 beers, and 84 cold ones. We each ordered a draft, I think the tab was $16. And it wasn’t that cold. None of the bars had chilled glasses. I really like my draft in a chilled glass.



It was there, we agreed we both missed home, despite having a great time. Instead of ordering another round we stopped at the liquor store and bought a six pack to take back to the room.

We crashed fairly early it was another long day.