San Francisco

MM and I had a FABULOUS weekend in San Francisco! Near-perfect weather, and we did so many fun things. If all the scenes from Saturday alone could be put in a montage, it would almost be fodder for some cheesy romantic comedy where the couple enjoys a "perfect day" together.

We stayed at the Hotel Metropolis, which was quaint and comfortable, even though it is situated just on the edge of the Tenderloin District a few blocks from Union Square. Witness some of the lovely homemade artwork across the street from the entrance:

With all the homeless and drug addicts wandering about, it was a bit of a scary location after dark, but our room was comfy, the place was really cute, and it even had a Zen mediation room:

Both MM and I had visited San Francisco before, so we had seen all of the major attractions. The first thing I wanted to do on Saturday morning was climb Telegraph Hill to Coit Tower. We hailed a cab and set out. Our driver seemed lost at first, but because he didn't initially know which way to go, we got to drive down world-famous Lombard Street (no photo, sorry). We did eventually make it to Coit Tower in one piece:

After taking photos and enjoying the view, we walked through the nearby neighborhoods on our way to Fisherman's Wharf. We enjoyed people-watching and a leisurely lunch (chowder & sourdough bread for me) before taking a cruise around the San Francisco Bay. I must include at least one obligatory photo of the Golden Gate Bridge here, though I will omit the photos of seagulls, sea lions, Alcatraz, and the rest:

After our hour-long cruise, we were hot and tired and decided to head back to the hotel for some R & R. We rode the cable car back (along with a very nice gay couple from Dallas, among others):

Saturday evening found us back on the water for a delicious seafood dinner. We opted for an early night in so that we could sight-see more on Sunday after a good night's rest.

We decided that our trip to San Francisco would not be complete without a visit to Haight Ashbury. Although neither MM nor I is a hippie--or lives any kind of alternative lifestyle--we do enjoy the shops and people there.

As luck would have it, our visit coincided with the neighborhood's annual street fair. So in addition to the usual ambience and quirky happenings, we got to enjoy live music and street vendors as well.

We really enjoyed our little getaway! Not only did we get to do and see lots of fun stuff, enjoy some great weather, and eat delicious food, we got along famously.

I hope this trip will replenish me for the week of work ahead. . . .