Touring San Francisco

Day 2 - Dec 24, 2013

My day started off with a wonderful breakfast made by Parc 55's finest.

A wonderful omelet and coffee, lots of coffee to start my day.  I packed my backpack with all the stuff needed to tour the city for the day and off I went to catch my bus.

We toured around briefly through the streets as we picked up more passengers.  We drove through Nob Hill where the old cable cars run, and then proceeded up through Fishermans Wharf.  Jumped on another bus that would begin our tour portion, and that started off through Cow Hollow (which got its name from a multitude of cow pastures many years ago).  Also home to Pacific Heights, some pretty expensive housing and where a few celebrities live.  That area then took us to the start of Highway 1 & 101 and across the Golden Gate Bridge.  Alcatraz was also visible.  There was some light fog, but it was a very bright day.

Highway 1, the Coastal Highway, was extremely scenic and had lots of switchback curves, which reminded me of Deal's Gap.  We were on our way, about 12 miles north of the Golden Gate Bridge, to see the Giant Redwoods at Muir Woods - listed as a National Monument of California.

You will note Charlie will continue to make his presence felt throughout my blog.  Everyone say Hi!

These trees reach heights of nearly 400 feet tall and 2000 years old.  They can grow up to 22 feet in diameter and have bark that is a foot thick!  This particular canyon has never been logged.  The park is 560 acres and has 6 miles of trails.  We were given 75 minutes to explore.

This was enough time to walk up to the Cathedral Grove where the oldest and biggest trees live, and see the Bohemian Grove and Pinchot Grove on the way back.  They really are something to see, and its difficult to grasp their age and size.  Some have fallen, and when they are laying on the ground, can get a better understanding of how large they really are.  I'd estimate spending half a day here would be sufficient to walk the longer trails.

It was pretty cool in the forest, cool in temperature too.  The sun was shining as we left and we went up to Muir Beach Overlook which was spectacular.  The weather was clear for the most part and there was alot of Pacific Ocean, with crashing waves below.  The cliffs and water and coastline looked very much like the Italian coast, which I would feel like I was seeing double of when we made our way to Sausalito.

Quaint shops, boutiques, a tourist haven for knick knack shopping, Sausalito sits along the coast. We were given about an hour here, which was enough for  me to grab a wonderful prosciutto panini and watch the water.  From here, Alcatraz is just visible, and I noticed a seal swimming around.  It was one of those patios I didn't want to leave, however I didn't want to take the Ferry back.  It isn't necessarily a place I like because of all the shops, but the "beachfront" if you could call it that, was inviting on this sunny no-wind day.

We left Sausalito and stopped for a photo-op of the Golden Gate.  The location was the best spot for pictures.

It was also getting pretty busy tourist wise.  We crossed over it again and headed back to the Tour Office.  I then jumped on the bus for the City portion.

Early afternoon took us through the city streets.  Again by Fishermans Wharf and again across the Golden Gate Bridge.  More pictures of it from another outlook, which was now brimming with people and cars.  Next was a short drive through Presidio, and Presidio Golf Course which was apparently an old cemetery.  The graves were all dug up and nearly all the monuments removed.  I'm not sure where they relocated them all, but now people can play golf!  We proceeded to Lincoln Park and drove past the Legion of Honor Museum.  One of the 5 originals of "The Thinker" statues is here.

A short drive to another lookout of the coast, where we had 10 minutes to walk down and return from The Seal Rocks.

The waves that were crashing were large, and I can only imagine how big the waves would be if the day was not as still as it was.  Large eucalyptus trees live here, even these trees are huge.  We drove along the coast beside the beach.  There were some brave surfers that were out there.

Passing the zoo, which I hope to visit tomorrow, and on to Twin Peaks.  Another quick stop for pictures of the Bay City.  Stunning views of the City from here.  On through Haight Ashbury district or as our driver called it, the Hippie district.  Alot of Victorian homes in this area, and of course the Painted Ladies, right by Alamo Square.  These 7 Victorian Homes are worth at least 1 million each.

Daylight started to fade as drove through Japan Town and past St. Mary's Cathedral, shaped like the inside of a washing machine (the agitator section).  We passed some more cable cars, which the City collects old cars from around the country, and Mexico, and runs them on these lines.  Some pretty nice looking, vintage streetcars that's for sure.  A brief tour through China Town, although the area is absolutely massive.  I was dropped off at my hotel shortly thereafter.  Convinced I had seen enough for the night, I grabbed a quick meal and a beer (Anchor Steam, two of them in fact because it was pretty decent) and off to bed.

I really feel like I don't need to cover much else here.  Fishermans Wharf is a complete tourist grab although I would like to see the stinky seals taking over the docks!  There is also an old submarine docked here I might venture over to tomorrow.  The zoo is on my list for tomorrow too, and apparently I can take a cable car direct for $2.  These two things are at opposite ends, so I'll need to plan accordingly.  I will be back in the area of the zoo the next day, exploring the Academy and Golden Gate park.  More planning necessary.

It's Christmas Eve but you wouldn't really know it.  Some streets are lined with lights on trees, but the lack of cold and snow just feels weird.  We'll see if Christmas Day feels any different!