No change in weather overnight...the rain was still coming down when we woke up Sunday morning. Breakfast in our room consisted of oatmeal packets with water heated in the coffee pot plus some muffins I had brought from home. The front desk at the Columbus Inn always had a bowl of fresh fruit available so we grabbed a couple of oranges the night before to complete the meal.
With the time change we were up plenty early so when the rain let up some around 8:30 am we walked down to Fisherman's Wharf and looked around a bit. Eventually we made our way back to the Holiday Inn on Columbus Avenue where we were to be picked up for Dylan's Famous Tour at 9:40. The rain had returned again and we waited under the hotel awning with a few others taking the tour.
Right on time several vans showed up and the drivers each had a list of who was on their tour for the day. Our driver was Rolando and we happened to be the only ones getting in his van at this stop. He gave us a private tour as we drove to Union Square to pick up the other 10 folks in his group. (The rest of the group would see the same sites AFTER we got dropped off at the end of the tour.) Chinatown was one of the places we visited before picking up the rest of the group.
The tour took us through the unique neighborhoods of San Francisco, and then across the Golden Gate Bridge to Sausalito, Muir Woods, and the Marin Headlands. Here is a map of our route:
Number 1 on the map is the Mission District...an area where many of the buildings were decorated with elaborate murals. We made a short stop at the Women's Building and had time for a quick look inside.
I was in dire need of a bathroom, but quickly learned that public restrooms are not easily found. The restroom door in the Women's Building was locked via a keypad but fortunately for me another woman was equally "under pressure" and had found someone willing to divulge the code. She was gracious enough to let me in at the same time. Let's just say I enjoyed the tour quite a bit more after that stop!
San Francisco is a relatively compact city and it was surprising to see how the neighborhoods and culture could change so drastically within a block or two. The Castro was one of the first openly gay neighborhoods in the U.S. and the crosswalks were painted with rainbows...the symbol of the gay movement.
On a clear day the view from Twin Peaks would have been spectacular. On the day we were there...not so much. I kept telling myself that if we had to have rain, it was better on a day when we planned to be riding inside a van for several hours. My photos were certainly lacking, but at least for part of the day we were staying dry.
Growing up in the 60's, Haight-Ashbury was a familiar sounding name to us. The buildings showed influence from the hippie culture and we caught a glimpse of a few aging hippies in the area as well.
This was also a planned stop on the tour that gave us a chance to pick up some sandwiches at the Haight Street Market.
Pacific Heights is a very affluent neighborhood in San Francisco. We drove by the "painted ladies"...the row of elegant homes used in the opening scenes of the TV show "Full House." Unfortunately trying to photograph through the rain covered windows of a moving van did not yield a very good picture. The house used in the movie "Mrs. Doubtfire" was also in the this area but alas...no photo.
My photos from our stop at the base of the Golden Gate Bridge really show the fog and rain we were experiencing. The currents under the bridge were strong enough that a handful of surfers were braving the icy waters to ride the waves.
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| Me & Rolando! |
On the other side of the bridge we drove through Sausalito...passing by the house boats moored in the bay and then on to Muir Woods. My rain pants had been a last minute addition when I was packing, but at this point I knew the decision had been smart. With my waterproof shoes and jacket I decided to abandon the umbrella (which kept blowing inside-out anyway.)
The trails through the tall redwoods were puddle filled and at times completely flooded but we braved the elements and made the best of our time. I learned NOT to look up to see the trees...doing so resulted in a face full of rain.
One of our last stops on the tour was a scenic overlook of the Golden Gate Bridge from the Marin Headlands. Instead of improving as the day went on, the weather had continued to deteriorate to the point we could barely make out the bridge in the fog.
Rolando dropped us off at our hotel and it felt so good to get out of our wet clothes, take a hot shower and crawl under the covers for a nap.
When we woke up the rain had stopped and we were feeling the need to eat. The hotel had no restaurant so we set out on foot to explore. We walked down to Fisherman's Wharf and just continued to walk along the coast to see what we could find.
We made it as far as Pier 39 where we walked around looking at the many touristy shops. Eventually we made it down to the water and stood for some time watching the antics of the sea lions who call the Pier "home."
Being at Fisherman's Wharf, it seemed fitting to have some type of seafood for dinner. With the damp, windy evening we both agreed that a bowl of warm clam chowder served in a sour dough bread bowl sounded good. We bought the chowder from an outside vendor but were happy to find that he had a few picnic tables that were under cover with clear tarps blocking the wind from the sides.
We made a stop at a Walgreens on the way back to our hotel so we could buy a one-day MUNI pass. Tomorrow we would be exploring San Francisco on our own and were looking forward to using the cable cars and other public transportation to get around.
At night the number of homeless in San Francisco became more obvious. We passed by quite a few sleeping on the streets on our short walk back to the Columbus Motor Inn. Before going to bed, we spent some time planning out our next day. We went to bed dreaming of blue skies and sunshine...
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