Thursday and Friday

Thursday was somewhat of a long day. Brandon left around 7:00, and I had rest of the day in the hotel by myself. I had really enjoyed my hours yesterday, so I tried to do the same today. However, I will admit it got a little long. I think part of me was getting a little discouraged that I wouldn't get to do the things I wanted. Sounds selfish doesn't it? I felt so close to San Francisco, yet so far.

I enjoyed reading on my new e-reader, I caught up on blogging, ate my leftovers for lunch, took a walk, and did some talking on the phone.
Brandon ended up getting back to the hotel around 7:30, and then we went to a local seafood place for dinner. Though it smelled like fish, the food was good!

Here is the hotel:

On Friday Brandon promised he would try and get off early so we could go sightseeing. He was hoping for lunch time, but it was after 1:30 when he got the hotel. We quickly packed the things we needed and ran out the door. We had a few hours of daylight. We took the BART transportation, and we didn't get lost. Since I was the one who had done all the research on what to do, I was in charge. Brandon was a dear and let me do what I wanted. It helped that he had no idea what was down there. :)

We got off the Bart and walked a couple of blocks to catch a trolley. This little station was next to palm trees - my favorite. It has been several years since I've seen one.

We rode the trolley (which was like an old bus) down to Pier 39. I needed to walk the shops to get souvenirs for the girls. And I had no idea what to get them...but I went into a shop and was quickly inspired. While I shopped, Brandon was on the boardwalk talking on the phone doing work things...Anyway, I got the girls their gifts and a shirt for myself. I was finished in the first stop!

 

We ended up walking to the end of the pier, and I am so glad we did. This is probably what I wanted to see the most (and Analise had told me to take a picture) - the sea lions! We stood and watched them awhile, and I loved it. They were quite noisy.

 We left Pier 39 and walked along the other touristy road. And this is just one of the several random things we saw...

I told Brandon I really wanted to see the road everyone talks about in SF. Instead of taking the trolley like 99% of the people, we walked uphill the whole way there. I knew SF was known for hills, but until I saw them I had no idea how steep they were. It was tiring but actually fun walking off the beaten path a little.

And wouldn't you know it, we got to the street and discovered we were at the bottom...Again we walked UP the many steps...(and we were the only ones going that direction. :))

Flowers in January? Yes please.

I took this for my bro-in-law who likes to pull a long camper.

Thankfully we walked down this hill.

I had a friend tell me to walk around here, so we did.

We found a little beach on the bay. There was someone swimming in the cold water. Brr.

Brandon remembered as a kid he would see how close he could get to the water before it would come back up the shore. He wasn't quite fast enough this time.

We found these along the shore and assume they are baby jellyfish...

After the beach we walked back towards the restaurants and decided on a place where I could get clam chowder in a fresh sourdough bread bowl. We were on the second floor looking out over the bay; it was nice and cozy. The food was yummy, and I was glad I got this SF food experience many had told me about.
After dinner Brandon asked if I wanted to walk around downtown some more, but I was ready to be finished. I enjoyed being down there and would do it again. However, by that time I was done being around lots of people. To be honest, I found myself missing Mackinac Island. I enjoyed the hustle and bustle for a while, but I was ready for some solitude after those few hours.

We rode the busy Bart back to Berkeley and relaxed in our room. Actually, Brandon worked and I read a book on my nook.

Thanks, babe, for taking the afternoon off for some fun in San Francisco!