Exploring SF

Coit Hill

Today (and yesterday evening) we explored San Francisco.  For those of you that have never been, SF is famous for their weather, which changes frequently from sunny but cold, to cloudy but cold, to foggy and cold.  SF is also famous for a some iconic symbols - Alcatraz, the Golden Gate Bridge and steep hills.  And of course, we saw all of these.  But there is more to SF.  It is very, very clean.  And the population is friendly and quite willing to help a stranded vacationer - so long as his MasterCard is holding up, anyway :-)

SF is also home to some stunning architecture and some of the prettiest homes and buildings I have ever seen.   We got some nice pictures to show.

City Hall

Yesterday evening we walked around the fisherman’s wharf area, looked at the sea lions ��" which were amazing for the kids ��" and had dinner at the Hard Rock Café and Money Pit.  I bought a pair of Hard Rock drum sticks for the Rock Band system at home, and I am embarrassed at how much I actually agree to pay.

We took a double-decker bus tour of the city in the morning (and of course we had to sit on the top deck, at the front) which provided us with a fine narrative of the city and its history.  And the city is rich in history.  The city dates back to the 1700s (hardy worth mentioning as history to my Irish friends, I am sure) when it was settled by the Portuguese or the Spanish.  Since then it has had military significance until quite recently.

The day was cool, windy and sunny.  And we all got a little sun burnt during the trip.  After the bus tour, we were ready to head to Los Angeles.  But first, we need to tackle Lombard Street…