Up to now I have only posted trips that I have taken. This post will be by my partner’s niece, Joi Prud’homme. She and her husband (Scott) spent a few days in San Francisco and the surrounding area. It was their first time there.
I, of course, have spent so much time in the Bay Area. I love it there, but it is very nice to see a newbie’s take on the area. So here is her description of her time in Northern California:
Scott and Joi on their first day in San Francisco
Our trip to Northern California took some planning but was undoubtedly one of the most amazing trips we have ever had. We took an early flight out of Newark, NJ direct to San Francisco on Saturday, April 11th and arrived before noon on a picture perfect sunny day. My childhood friend who is lucky enough to live in San Francisco picked us up at the airport and we immediately took in the sights. I knew within fifteen minutes that San Francisco would become one of my favorite places on earth. It is truly the most beautiful of all the cities I’ve traveled to. Here are some of the highlights from our first day…
Golden Gate Bridge
Golden Gate Bridge…we photographed the bridge from below and above. My friend drove us to two parks that gave us amazing views of the bridge. We stopped for lunch at Cavallo Point, which is a bunch of beautifully restored military buildings and is now a resort nestled outside the Golden Gate Bridge. We ate our lunch outside facing the water and the bridge and the food and drink was amazing. I had 2 deliciously spicy Bloody Marys and a grain fed beef burger with French fries cooked in duck fat. Yum, yum. Scott had a Dungeness crab BLT that was to die for. That sandwich set the bar for the remainder of the trip. We knew right away that good, fresh food was going to be part of our daily itinerary. We took some great pictures from our lunch spot of the bridge and Alcatraz. After some more sightseeing we went to check into our hotel, the Hilton at Union Square to unpack and get a quick nap before dinner. We hopped in a cab and headed to A16, a wonderful Italian bistro to have dinner with my friend and her fiancé. The atmosphere was amazing as was the food and the wine. We ate house cured salamis, house made mozzarella, brick oven Neapolitan style pizza and homemade gnocchi paired with D Cubed Zinfandel 2005 Napa. We spent several hours talking, laughing, and sharing good food, wine and company. Perfect ending to a perfect first day of vacation.
Golden Gate Bridge
Day #2-Sunday, April 12th…
Today was one of the best days of my life. I literally fell in love, with San Francisco. Scott and I began the day sleeping in, getting on West Coast time, nothing fancy for breakfast, just some Starbucks which was conveniently located in the lobby of our hotel. We were blessed with another picture perfect day, sunny and 70’s so we decided to make the most of it. We took a cable car to the Castro District and walked around a bit before stumbling upon this beautiful neighborhood. Lo and behold on the corner of Castro and Beaver there was a sign in front of this 19th century Victorian for sale for an open house. So of course we had to check that out! Words cannot describe how gorgeous this house was and for only $1.8 million you too can own a three bedroom historic home with in-law suite, outside gardens, deck, 12-foot ceilings, marble fireplaces, chandeliers, Victorian accents and incredible views of the city. Hey, one can dream! Maybe someday. We then walked to Haight-Ashbury and managed to find an old speakeasy-type bar where you can make your own Bloody Marys! I was in heaven. You pick your vodka, the bartender pours ice and the vodka of your choice in a glass and then you mosey on over to the bloody mix bar where all the fixings you can ever want are! We enjoyed our spicy Bloody Marys and met some interesting characters, including a dog that was happy to spend the day sitting in the bar with her humans. We met an older gay gentleman who gave us some great tips for free fun in the city and another kind gentlemen nicely offered to share his pot with me. I of course refused, especially since he didn’t really offer it to my husband, just me. After he burned one down, he came back to his seat by us at the bar and recommended that we take the ferry to Sausalito around sunset. We tried but the ferry schedule didn’t work for us that particular day.
Bloody Mary
After 3 Bloody Marys we decided to walk down to Golden Gate Park and this is where I officially fell in love and decided, some how, some way, some day, we are going to live in this city! We entered the park, which was beautiful blooming with every imaginable flower and tree and then we heard drumming. We followed the music until we happened upon a drum session and an open field revealing at least 50 drummers. The coolest hippies – black, white, young, old – all dancing and drumming together. There was even a man dressed in a very dirty Easter bunny costume dancing with a naked 2 or 3 year old little black boy. What a way to spend an Easter afternoon! We got lost in the music for quite a while, taking in all of the sights, sounds and smells. Once we left the drum session we walked a little further and stumbled upon the National AIDS Memorial Grove. This was a sad but beautifully humbling place. We took the peaceful walk through the woods and gardens that honored all who have lost their lives to this devastating virus. We continued to tour the park but got hungry so we hopped in a cab and headed to China Town and ate at the classic Empress of China. The food was great but the coolest thing was taking the elevator up to the garden rooftop level restaurant. Great views, highly recommended.
After we ate we walked our meal off by walking down to Fisherman’s Wharf. This was a bit too touristy for our taste but it was great to check out the boats, the waterfront and all of the view from that part of the city. The best part was finding a bunch of protected docks covered with sleeping sea lions all curled up like puppies in a pack. We watched them for quite a while and then hopped in a cab to head back to our hotel for a little siesta. We took the advice of the older gay gentlemen and walked over to check out the St. Francis hotel “special” glass elevators. The St. Francis is a gorgeous, historic, pricey hotel and it is one of the taller hotels in Union Square. The trick is to walk in there like you belong there and head straight to the elevators. Once inside the elevator, you press the button for the highest floor and enjoy the amazing views of the city. Go all the way up and then back down and feel free to repeat as many times as you wish! Free fun! Later in the evening we walked over to enjoy some live Irish music and the hospitality that only authentic Irish bartenders can deliver at Foley’s Pub. They had some great stuff on tap including my favorite Irish cider.
To be continued….
