San Fran...Day Two (Part One)

Walking Tour of San Francisco

The following day, Jenn and I thought it would be a good idea to tour the streets and quaint neighborhoods of the City by the Bay on foot. But before our walk began, we enjoyed breakfast - included in our nightly rate - on the 36th floor of our hotel in the Grandviews Restaurant, 345 Stockton Street. Stepping off the elevator and into the lounge's lobby, we had a perfect view of the entire city - on a clear day. On two of the five mornings we were there, the fog was so intense, we could barely see any buildings.  

After finishing our coffee and 'GRAND' buffet breakfast, we started our trek downtown, which was perfect since that's where we were staying! According to our AAA guide, this tour could take anywhere from four to six hours depending on the amount of stops. With this in mind, we decided to leave the entire day open just in case.

After trasping through Chinatown the day before, we didn't think it was necessary to stop too much along that part of the route on our second day - Sunday. One block down Sutter street, we came across teuscher - Chocolates of Switzerland. Known for their champagne truffles, we each bought one or two for later in the day. It was also a great shop for Jenn to gather ideas about what to buy her mom for her birthday, which was just a week later.

We soon arrived at Old St. Mary's Cathedral. I thought it would be a good idea to see the interior decor since it was the state's first cathedral and survived the 1906 earthquake. But we were in and out fast because of mass - I mean, it was Sunday. What was I thinking? Moving through Chinatown, we came across Jack Kerouac Alley and a prominent area for the 50s Beat poets. The pathway, named after the troubled author, also housed Vesuvio saloon on the corner of Columbus Avenue with City Lights Books across the way.

(Thanks Jenn for snapping a pic of the street sign!)

Vesuvio sign (I thought it was interesting) and the mural on the wall outside City Lights Books - the first all paperback bookstore. The small store was packed from floor to ceiling with books, books and more books. While Jenn made a purchase, I stepped outside to take a look at the Transamerica building (after the Vesuvio shots) and soak up some sun. Little did I know, it wouldn't be back soon.  

  

Notice the sun gleaming off of the car's window...ah!

North Beach - Little Italy

Heading north along Columbus Avenue, we soon found ourselves right at home. The street poles among the dozens of shops and cafes were each painted with an Italian flag. Jenn and I soon found ourselves regretting having just ate breakfast. But, we did stop for a snack at Cafe Trieste known to have one tasty cup of java. If you look below, a corner store, right before reaching Cafe Trieste served an 'original South Philly cheesesteak' - I would have LOVE to tested it to make sure even though I don't eat meat, but I doubt it.

Jenn's treat - I dropped half of mine on the floor!

The Stinking Rose - they serve food with their garlic!

Some more shops and then...look below!

Still on Columbus, we came across the National Shrine of St. Francis (the city's namesake) of Assisi, 610 Vallejo St., with its' gothic architecture.

Washington Square - shaped like a pentagon - was our next stop. The nice weather brought out handfuls of people.

Beyond the row houses and Washington Square stood Coit Tower and Telegraph Hill...we walked up an aptly described "scenic, yet demanding hill" to reach the top. Along the way to the peak, we caught some great shots of the Oakland Bay Bridge (I didn't realize how big it was until a couple of days later) as well as the waterfront. 

 

One of the hilly streets lined with the most perfect trees!

The last two pics are courtesy of Jenn - they look absolutely stunning! The colors are beautiful!

With so many pictures and so much to say, I decided to break Day Two apart into two posts...stay tuned!