To ensure I didn't miss out on any typical tourist traps, Kate brought me to Fisherman's Wharf to see the sea lions sunning themselves on Pier 39. This group of sea lions mysteriously appeared in the area about 20 years ago, and unfortunately, just as mysteriously, groups began leaving the area a couple years ago. Sadly, there aren't nearly as many of the barking bunch left on the wharf today, but there has been a resurgence of lions coming back to the pier recently.
For two sarcastic Midwest girls, kitsch was a must see, and Fisherman's Wharf left nothing to be desired. There were crystal shops; souvenir shops displaying walls and walls of magnetic bottle openers; a wine shop with clever signs like "Friends, like wine, get better with age" and bedazzled wine glass shirts; and a store featuring all types of alpaca attire. We were also lucky enough to encounter a chocolate shop with chocolates molded into asprin tablets, the Golden Gate bridge and miniature chocolates filled with liquors.
A short drive from Fisherman's Warf, with the guidance of the kind of temperamental GPS Mandy, is the Golden Gate bridge. This might be blasphemy, but I was a bit underwhelmed. I understand the great engineering feat, and the hard work that goes into continually repainting the structure orange, but really, it's just a bridge. I saw the Mackinac bridge earlier this summer, which surpassed the length of the Golden Gate in the 50s, and had the same feeling. I never liked bridges especially the kind you have to drive over, and even worse, the ones over water (something about the possibility of falling, far). The good thing, though, is that bridges are always connecting two beautiful pieces of land, and San Fransisco is no exception. To me, nature will always be more awe-inspiring than modern architecture.
My first evening in San Fransisco was less tourist, more local. It's always better to take the culinary advice of locals, especially when the advice of a fellow vegetarian. Kate's friend Catherine suggested Burma Superstar, and even texted us her favorite menu items. While we waited about an hour for our table we hoped across the street to a cafe for a beer to get out of the chilly night air. San Fransisco had "record lows" during my trip, it was about 55 degrees that night. From the outside, Burma Superstar didn't look like much, but inside it was a cute, traditionally decorated space with extra friendly wait staff and the best food I've had the entire trip so far. On Catherine's recommendation, we had a green tea salad to start. The server assembled the salad in front of us, explaining that the tea leaves were picked in Burma and the dressing was a house specialty. My entree was fiery vegetables with coconut rice paired with a Burma Cooler (beer, ginger and lemon over ice). We savored every bite, and didn't get back to Catherine's place until about 11:30. Rather than go to the Mission, which would have been a bit of a drive, we went to a towny bar close by with amazing people watching. Riptide could have been any towny bar in Wisconsin, it even had taxidermy on the wall, but the people were an eclectic group of Californians including a randy chef working his moves on two middle aged ladies, a couple seemingly out of place emo kids and a possible pimp.
We drove back to Kate's after breakfast (a small Mexican restaurant with distant views of the ocean down the road) the next day to pick up Jon and head to wine county. Atop a winding road in the Santa Cruz mountains was our first stop, the Ridge. In addition to having tasty, tasty wine, the Ridge was absolutely beautiful. The vines we lush green, they had a wildflower garden path leading to the highest point of their property, and charming picnic tables throughout the area. I hugged a grape vine and saw a man inadvertently step on a snake. From the Ridge we drove to David Bruce, another Santa Cruz winery known for pinot noirs, then to Byington and finally Regale. While I'm not a wine expert, I would say I am an enthusiast, and, after this trip, contemplating becoming a sommelier, or finding some other job that gives me the opportunity to enjoy amazing vistas daily and share my admiration for wine with others.
My last day in San Fransisco I drove Kate to work and made my way back into the city, utilizing my former FIB driving abilities to cross three lanes of traffic when Mandy suggested I exit with no warning. I started my adventure at the Ferry Building. Unfortunately I wasn't there on a Saturday when they have a large scale local farmers market, but I did get to explore an artisan cheese shop, a mushroom shop (I'm still regretting not buying any of their dried products), chocolatiers, a used book store, and Farm Fresh to You, where I bought my seasonal veggie sandwich, a locally grown pear and pickles from their olive bar. I ate half my sandwich looking out into the bay, and saved the other half to eat at the Golden Gate bridge since I decided to give it another chance. I was hoping to find a bike to rent to ride across it, but timing and location altered my plan, also the wind chill. Lesson learned: always wear layers in San Fransisco. But, the next find was a happy accident. I was looking for a park when I stumbled upon a beach with views of the bridge, and vibrantly green trees towering above the beach. I took my shoes off to feel the grains of sand between my feet, and since I saw people in the water I got close enough to let the tidewater wash over my feet. Since one of the swimmers I had seen run into the water completely naked (That's right, I stumbled upon a nude beach in San Fransisco, what were the chances?!), I hadn't imagined it would be as cold as Lake Michigan in April, but I was wrong. Cold. Cold, but refreshing. I climbed the cliff to walk through the trees back to the car and headed back to Mountain View to pick up Kate and Jon for my last dinner in San Fransisco.
We drove out to Palo Alto to check out where Sanford undergrads hang out. What a completely different college experience than the small town, Main street college experience I had in Whitewater, Wisconsin. I did feel oddly at home, feeling as though I knew what it was like to go to an Ivy League school based on all of the Gilmore Girls I've watched. We had dinner at Thaiphoon (I love clever names like that). It was a great place for my last meal in San Fransisco. Outdoor seating, laid back atmosphere, delicious food and fantastic company. It made it hard to leave the next morning, and obvious that I was falling in love with the west coast. This love would continue to blossom in the next city. Portland.
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