San Fran...Day Two (Part Two)

Walking Tour (Part Two)

"When you get tired of walking around in San Francisco, you can always lean against it."

~Unknown 

It's been a while since I last blogged. It's been a busy and extremely hectic week, but I'm attempting to finish my San Fran blogs (day two was split into two posts) and start on my Maine posts soon - as soon as possible.

After hiking it up Telegraph Hill and reaching Coit Tower, which we decided not to climb because of the long line, we continued our walking tour to Fisherman's Wharf. But, not before walking down the narrow Montgomery Street to see some houses atop the hill. 

 Our walk back was filled with glimpses of "the crookedest street" - Lombard Street - and the Golden Gate Bridge from afar. We also passed some beautifully flowered houses - see below.  

At Taylor and Bay streets, we stopped to take a picture of the end of the Powell-Mason cable car line before they were manually turned around at the corner. This was the last thing we saw before entering Fisherman's Wharf.



Fisherman's WHARF

(Taylor and Jefferson streets)

Since it was past lunch time, we stopped in Boudin at the Wharf and savored the famous clam chowder in a sourdough bowl (a San Franciscan culinary treat). After doing so, the stores, people and sights of Fisherman's WHARF  - home of the city's fishing fleet - definitely served as our next entertainment.

Side note: Watch for the man in the bushes! Although we didn't come across him - thank goodness - we were warned about him...so BEWARE! =)

Walking along Jefferson street toward the Embarcadero, we landed at Pier 39, which if you've ever been to San Fran - you basically can't miss it. Amidst breathtaking views of the bay, the pier is also jammed packed with shops, shops and more shops. Filled with tons of shops and restaurants, one of the side highlights were the hundreds of sea lions lining and sleeping on the adjacent docks. According to a Fisherman's Wharf brochure, the animals "started arriving in droves in 1990 shortly after the Loma Prieta earthquake."

They were cracking Jenn and I up. One would jump out of the water literally right on top of another. And, then they would all get mad and some even started fighting. I captured some swimming pictures below - I took a TON! It was even so cute when a couple wiggled out of the water onto ample space on the dock and just bent back as if they were basking in the sun - even though there wasn't much that day. 

I have a small confession - I LOVED the sea lions as did the dozens of people that formed a crowd along the barriers to watch them interact. It must have been nap time because the majority of them slept on top of each other while some dipped in the water to cool off for a minute.

Too cute!

Take a look...

  



Basking in the sun?!

PIER 39

Notice the boats AND the cloudy skies in the background!

Jenn has some shots of Ghirardelli Square - I only took a couple of shots, but took more a couple of days later. I don't have a picture of it, but we passed the original Del Monte Cannery and the Maritime National Historic Park on the way to the chocolatey square of goodness! At the park, which was partially on a beach, I was tempted to hop in a stationary row boat, but I think Jenn told me I wasn't allowed! lol...kidding. 

GHIRARDELLI SQUARE 

The 19th century buildings were used to make the delicious sweets until the 1960s. There are still a few shops where they give out free samples and you can enjoy a hot fudge sundae - Jenn did (yum, yum)!

And here comes the yumminess! Yes, I'm not sure this is a word, but it went well with the "timeless pleasure."

A long day of sightseeing was followed up with a stop at the wine bar - Rouge Blanc. We sampled some local wine and cheese.

I wanted to finish each San Fran post with a quote about the city. Since I forgot to post one last time, this post has two. 

"I don't know of any other city where you can walk through so many culturally diverse neighborhoods, and you're never out of sight of the wild hills. Nature is very close here."

~ Gary Snyder,Pulitzer prize-winning poet and essayist

Onto Day Three...stay tuned!