San Francisco - Part 2

Next up we headed down to Chinatown. We hopped on a cable car and took the relatively short trip. Now lots of people say they LOVE Chinatown and that it is something that you just HAVE to do while you are in San Fran... honestly, I didn't love it. Maybe it had something to do with the fact that the entire city is extremely hilly and hard on the feet or that I had to use the restroom and had to wander aimlessly to find someone who spoke English to direct me to the nearest bathroom. Maybe I didn't go the right places but I felt that all the little shops (mostly junky souvenirs) were all the same. I mean... I really only need one set of silk slippers and kimono and Chad would have killed me if I asked him to carry around a cast iron tea pot no matter how cute it was.
In any case, it was very interesting to walk around in almost an entire other world with almost all signage in at least dual Chinese/English and all the Dim Sum and delicious food you could ask for!

On with the pictures:

Entrance


Cable Car in Chinatown - ours had a sticky clutch and made me sick to my stomach with all the jerkiness and I NEVER get motion sickness!


Chad posing with his cousins


I LOVE the blown glass chandelier


These old ladies were playing MahJong in the park and I don't speak the language but I promise you they were cussing like sailors. I think one of them lost and I swear I saw her kick a pigeon!


Loved all the lanterns!


I walked in this place briefly (thats my fuzzy head at the bottom) and then realized that A) it was pricey and B) I had no idea what I would really be drinking...what kind of herbs exactly I couldn't tell!


Saw this cool plant while we were walking. Called a "Pitcher Plant" and collects water in the flowers.


Next we made our way to Lombard Street - the zig zag street.
Beautiful view of the homes and bay.


Awww... hilarious that I needed a sweater and scarf in August!


View of Alcatraz from Lombard.


Believe it or not, people live along Lombard and this street leads to their driveway - only about 20 foot long. I think the houses start about $850,000!


Beautiful bougainvillea growing up the side of a house.


Chad likes to get a little artistic with the rose and bougainvillea in the same shot!


I wonder what it is like to live in those flats in the middle of everything?


Another great shot of The Rock!


And now onto Ghiradelli Square
I would like to say that we stopped in the store and factory but the line was out the door for chocolate shakes and ice cream so we passed it up.


This little place was adorable! Perfect for a ladies who lunch event or a bite with your best (or prissiest) girlfriend!


Boudin Bakery - Don't even get me started - the place that brought sourdough to America. Get their to die for bread bowl soup!


View of the Golden Gate with the evening fog rolling it. Got quite chilly at this point. We waited for the cable car back to our hotel for an hour but luckily there was a pan handler playing guitar and singing Frank Sinatra to keep spirits up.


Cable Car Museum. I was worn out by this point so this is what a fake smile looks like.


Wheelhouse that manages all the cables


Workers splicing an old cable.


Randomly witnessed repair on the street. Replacing the clutch. Apparently Mr. Miyagi isn't teaching karate anymore.


It was SF Chef and Restaurant week and we got to attend a cooking demonstration by the head chef of Americano Restaurant.
He made fresh ricotta and then ricotta stuffed zucchini flowers fried.


As uncool as it may have looked - I was glad I brought one pair of walking shoes. Look at that incline!


Love hate relationship between me and the cable car for sure! It's okay if you are sitting but not great for standing and being swung around!


Up next: Napa and Sonoma wineries plus the beautiful countryside!

Cold... but not that cold

Random Thought:
It has gotten colder here which means harder to tear myself away from the soft sheets and comforter every morning. I lay there dreading the cold air that is waiting to hit me and then I remember... it will NEVER be as cold in the morning as the winter we lived in Omaha. I would stumble out of bed, fumble with the remote to turn on the morning news and weather and wait for the sentencing of more super cold temps. Twenty degrees, Nine degrees, NEGATIVE ten or how about my all-time favorite... wind chill of NEGATIVE TWENTY FIVE!

So... Forty degrees, thirty five - even twenty five degrees I think it'll be okay.