City by the Bay 3

Today was our last day in the City, but we continued our routine of seeing a lot in little time.

We walked to the Marina District for breakfast and Irish coffee(s).

Buena Vista Cafe has been making Irish coffee since 1952, but it was not as easy as it sounds.  Originally, they couldn't get the recipe right.  The cream wouldn't float.  At first, the restaurant owner took a trip to Ireland to find the answer, but this was fruitless.  Surprisingly, the answer to their query lay in the mayor's office. With the help from the mayor of San Francisco, who was a dairy farmer, they were able to perfect the recipe, and people, such as myself, have been enjoying them ever since.  Maybe even too much... the man who was sitting at the bar, who moved so I could take my pictures, had a Irish coffee bar set up at this house, and has been drinking Irish coffee at the Cafe for the past 30 years.

The Cafe, which is more like a bar, is seat yourself, so don't just stand there waiting to be seated.  Also, expect to share a table with strangers if there is room at your table.  We got lucky and had a window seat in the back dining room, where it was quieter, and we didn't have to share.

First you pour coffee into hot glasses.  Then you add two cubes of sugar and vigorously stir.

Make sure you leave enough room for the Irish whiskey.  

The last step is the fresh whipped whipping cream.  

(You can gets these in to-go cups as well.)

I had so much fun watching the process that I had to get another, you know, because I could really appreciate it.  

The food was pretty amazing too.  

Crab cake benedict with Chiron sauce.

Come on Eric, don't be koi.

It wouldn't be San Francisco without the cable cars.  This is a fact- San Francisco is the only place in the world utilizes them.

The gripman spent most of his time yelling at people, concerned for their safety, and his job, I am sure.  Of course I didn't know this until we stopped into the Cable Car Museum.  Quite possibly the coolest museum in San Francisco.  The gripman is essential to the Cable Car.  The cable car's grip is like giant pliers that attach to the cable, below the city streets.  The harder he pulls the more it grips the cable, the faster the car goes (with a maximum speed of 9.5 miles per hour).  He needs to watch carefully for hills, turns, lights, and people, and adjust the grip accordingly.

We got dropped off at the Washington Mason Powerhouse, where the free museum is located, and where all four cables around the city converge.

The whizzing of the cables as they go through the sheaves (the large pulleys), cable car employees hard at work, the smells of the lubricants, all make for an incredible experience as you learn about the history of cable cars in San Francisco and how they work.

We walked through China Town to Lombard Street and then back to the Marina District, covering 5 miles and climbing an equivalent of 30 flights of stairs.  

This was all before our 5pm flight back to San Diego, which was delayed at just an hour due to looming weather conditions.

Lombard Street, the crookedest street in the world.

And this concludes our 2.2 days in San Francisco trip.

Brought to you by me.

City by the Bay 2

What is not to like about San Francisco?  

There is so much to look at.

After breakfast in the morning, we headed straight to the Tanner house.  

🎜What ever happened to predictability?  The milkman, the paperboy, the evening TV... 🎝

There is a sign outside explaining how to be a good Full House Fan, something about no loitering, and... 

Next on the Full House agenda, the Painted Ladies at Alamo Square.

The Tanners picnic right in this very spot.  That fun loving family sure lived life to the fullest!

Bi-Rite creamery was not part of the show, they just have amazing ice cream flavors, and they give samples, with metal spoons that they wash.  I love San Francisco!

It is guilt free, as long as you don't think about calories.

This is where Michelle Tanner bought her first joint!  

Kidding.

We know she had to buy two, one for both twins...

When in San Francisco, walk on Haight Street.  It has not changed one bit since I was here for the first time in college.

People say things like, "I am just going to pop into the piercing shop."  

Reduce, reuse, recycle.  

Reuse.

Eric found an amazing sign.

We so lucked out with the weather.  It didn't rain until our visit to the Golden Gate Bridge, allowing us to walk 6 miles and climb an equivalent to 27 flights of stairs.

Not bad for one day!

City by the Bay 1

Heavy rain, fog, 25 mph wind, an hour long flight delay, extreme road rage, and we still made it!  SAN to SFO should be easier...

I think we were lucky.  The freeway was completely backed up going north on the 5, and the flight that was supposed to leave 3 hours before us was waiting in the same terminal as us at the airport (that is never a good sign).  Surprisingly, the delay was just an hour.

It wasn't too late to hit the ground running.

We met up with my friend, Brittany, at 1st Amendment Brewery.  

(I got to sample this beer on the airplane... purely research...)

I tried Brew Free or Die IPA earlier (it is always good to think about death on airplanes), so both Eric and I got the Blood Orange IPA.  

We have 2 nights and 2.2 days, so we are making the most of it.  

Six 💗's Tahoe

We said our early morning goodbyes and polite thank yous to the Haerrs and then took on the nine hour drive home.  Embarking into and then under the clouds, you can't help but appreciate that the 395 never looks quite the same.