San Francisco in the Sunshine...and a Surprise!

Monday, March 14

Hallelujah! I looked out the window first thing in the morning and was excited about what I didn't see. No rain!

Early morning view of Coit Tower from our hotel window.

Another morning of oatmeal packets and fruit and we were ready to start the day. Bob's backpack was loaded with extra jackets, water bottles, my camera, and some snacks (but NO umbrella!) Once we left the hotel, we knew it would be later in the day before we returned.

With our one-day MUNI pass we headed a few blocks to where the Powell-Hyde cable car route begins. The lines can get ridiculously long at the cable car stops, but with our early start, we were able to get on the first car that came.

I grabbed a seat and Bob stood on the running board and hung on to the side. I was a little nervous about doing that. I guess growing up in the U.S. you learn that anything fun must not be safe OR legal and why in the world do they let you ride like that anyway??

Every time you board one of the cable cars the fee is $7 UNLESS you have a pass. For $20 we were free to jump on and off as often as we liked all day long. I had debated about getting a 3 day pass, but wasn't sure we would use it enough to justify the higher cost of $31. (If I had only known what the future held!)

With our first ride only lasting 3 or 4 blocks, I was already glad we had bought the pass. When the cable car stopped at Lombard Street we got off. Lombard Street has a one block section on a steep hill with eight hairpin turns and is known as the world's crookedest street. The cable car had let us off at the top of this hill looking down the twists and turns of the street.

To get a good photo of the street would require an aerial view or a drone. I was happy enough to just take a photograph looking down the steep hill. Bob is always looking for opportunities to get just a "little more" exercise so he grabbed the camera and headed down the hill to get a photograph looking "up".

Looking down Lombard Street

Looking up the hill on Lombard Street

Looking the opposite direction on Lombard Street

Sidewalk

The entrance to one of the homes on Lombard Street. 

Once Bob was back up the hill, we waited for a few minutes until another cable car came along and we were able to continue our journey. Our destination was Chinatown.

I had read about a fortune cookie factory in Chinatown that was open to visitors for free. The entrance to the factory was in an alley...56 Ross Alley to be exact. Using a paper map AND Google Maps AND an app called Citymapper on my iPhone we still managed to get confused and take a few wrong turns. I swear every time we went the wrong direction it involved climbing a hill to get back on course! 

Eventually we found the place and it was nothing like I had imagined. 

The entrance off the alley led into a tight little space where a couple of women were sitting at a contraption that resembled tiny little waffle irons on a circular conveyor belt. I had flashbacks to an "I Love Lucy" episode as I watched the lady trying to keep up with the process AND jump up to handle customers and visitors that walked through the door.

The little slips of paper with fortunes written on them had to be placed inside the warm cookie immediately after the she removed it from the conveyor belt using an ice pick-type tool. At that point the lady folded the sides of the cookie to the middle and then bent the cookie into the familiar shape over a metal bar. If she got behind in the process then the flat cookies were discarded into a barrel sitting next to her. If a cookie was not hot off the iron it would break into pieces when she tried to fold it. I guess that's where the phrase "That's how the fortune cookie crumbles" came from! :) 

Some of these flat, fortune-less cookies were also set out in a pan for visitors to sample. Bags of fortune cookies (both white and chocolate) and almond cookies were available in small bags for purchase. (Disclaimer...I did not take these photos...I found them online. At the factory there was a jar with a sign above that said "50 cents to take picture". I didn't have any change so I just watched.) Bob did purchase a small bag of the almond cookies that were delicious!

San Francisco's Chinatown is the largest Chinatown outside of Asia and the oldest in North America. The streets were bustling with people as they visited the local markets.

Being a paramedic, the sign for the Chinese Hospital caught Bob's eye. We also saw more than one clinic offering acupuncture!

Chinatown was such a short distance from our hotel but yet we felt like we had been transported to another country and culture.

There were many eating establishments with signs for "Dim Sum" which was something new to us. Bob loves Asian food so he went into one place and ordered dim sum. When the lady behind the counter asked him "what kind?"...Bob was clueless. 

A lady standing next to him explained that dim sum was small dumplings and there were many types. He asked her to order for him and this is what he got. (We didn't know WHAT we were eating, but we both like it!)

Once again we pulled out the maps and zigged and zagged our way to the California line cable car stop. Going east, we went as far as we could and then walked the last little bit to the Ferry Building. 

I had asked to use the restroom back at the Dim Sum restaurant (interesting in itself!) but Bob hadn't and now was starting to get desperate. Across the street from the Ferry Building was this unique public restroom with an automatic door. Problem solved!

Inside the Ferry Building was a marketplace featuring food related shops of all sorts...cheeses, coffee & tea, cookware & dishes, meats, etc. One stand even specialized in all kinds of mushrooms!

As we were browsing through the Ferry Building I happened to notice that I had a missed call and a voicemail on my phone. Seeing it was from an 800 number, I figured it wasn't important and didn't bother to listen to the message.  

After walking all morning long (much of it up and down hills!), I needed to rest. Bob and I walked out behind the Ferry Building and found a bench overlooking the Bay Bridge. I was having fun photographing the seagulls when I heard my phone ding. It was a text message that said "Norwegian Cruise Line has an important message for you. Please call us at xxx-xxx-xxxx." 

Before I even attempted to call, I went back and listened to my voicemail. It was also a message from Norwegian telling us that "in order to give the best guest experience, the cruise was being delayed by a day."  Immediately I called the Columbus Motor Inn and asked to extend our stay another night...and also to reserve an additional night for our friends, Kent & Laurel, who were due to arrive within an hour. We were able to keep our room for one more night, but the hotel was totally sold out and nothing was available for our friends.

At that point we decided the best plan of action would be to go back to the hotel so we would be there when Kent & Laurel arrived. We got on one of the F Line vintage street cars that stop right in front of the Ferry Building and rode back to Fisherman's Wharf. From there we walked back to the hotel. 

There were two couples in the lobby when we arrived and they were both very upset. They were also going to be on our cruise and had just gotten the news about the delay. Neither one could get an additional night at the Columbus Motor Inn and were trying to figure out what to do. One lady insisted she was going to sleep on the couch! I talked to the front desk manager and asked for suggestions for Kent & Laurel and got the name of one of their sister hotels that wasn't too far away. I texted this info to Laurel.

Back in the room, I got online to check what was being reported on our cruise roll call on Cruise Critic message boards. Someone had posted that due to all of the rain the day before the ship was just going to be taken out for sea trials that afternoon. At the same time I was reading this, I looked up and in the distance saw the ship sailing out of the harbor!! I grabbed my camera and zoomed my lens as far as it would go and started taking photos...

In the middle of the excitement of seeing the ship, Laurel called that they had landed and were on their way to the hotel. She had called the hotel number I had texted her and although it meant transferring to another hotel, they had a reservation for the next night.

Their room at the Columbus Motor Inn wasn't ready yet when they arrived so they brought all of their luggage to our room. It had been about a year since we had last seen them so it was fun catching up...although we were all a little stressed thinking about the change in our plans.

Stay tuned for Part 2!

Soggy San Francisco

Sunday, March 13

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.

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...

Traveling to San Francisco

I am convinced that airline routes are determined by throwing darts at a map. Although we prefer Southwest Airlines (because of the low cost, no luggage fees and ease in changing reservations) there are no direct SWA flights out of Minneapolis. But why, oh why do they send us east to Milwaukee when our destination is California?

I shouldn't complain. Our son dropped us off at the smaller terminal at MSP and the place was empty. Our check in took 10 minutes from the time we walked through the door until we were sitting at the gate. 

The flight left right on time and only took 40 minutes, but no beverage service since the pilot announced that he anticipated a lot of turbulence. Fortunately he was wrong.

Our long three hour layover in Milwaukee stretched even a bit longer when they announced that the flight was delayed due to strong winds in the San Francisco area. SWA doesn't assign seats, but because I checked in online for the flight at EXACTLY 24 hours prior to our flight, we were assigned the end of boarding group A. Being ahead of most of the crowd, we were able to snag exit row seats with all of the luxurious leg room. 

As Amazon Prime members, I had downloaded a few movies onto my iPad. Using a headset splitter, the two of us watched "I'll See You in My Dreams" starring Blythe Danner and Sam Elliott. I enjoyed the movie...Bob hated every minute of it. He endured the movie to the end and then used the SWA app to watch one of his favorite TV shows...Naked and Afraid...and was happy.

At one point, water started dripping on Bob from above. He called the stewardess who, upon a little investigation, determined that some one's water bottle had come open in the overhead luggage compartment. The guy's backpack was totally drenched and it took quite a bit of mopping to clean up the mess. 

Besides TV shows, the SWA online app also features a map showing the flight progress. So...to answer the famous question, "Are we there yet?"...there's an app for that!

The pilot was able to make up most of the time lost to the flight delay and we arrived only slightly later than scheduled.

I had investigated several transportation options to get us to our hotel near Fisherman's Wharf. A taxi was going to be fairly expensive so I narrowed our choices to a shared shuttle or Uber. Having never used Uber before I was a little apprehensive, but I had downloaded the app and decided to give it a try. The estimated cost was about the same as a shuttle so I clicked "request" and started watching the little car on the GPS map get closer and closer to the airport. 

Eventually the map showed the car arrived, but where was he? After fiddling with the app, I figured out how to call the driver and discovered he was waiting one level UP from baggage claim! Joseph, the driver, was a very friendly guy and managed to cram our excessive amount of luggage into his small car and we were off in the pouring rain to our hotel. Traffic was very heavy and I think Joseph must have hit every red light. The ride seemed to take forever!  

When we arrived at our hotel, the Columbus Motor Inn, Bob tried to tip but Joseph refused to take the money and just said "May God Bless!" With a first time user discount of $22 the fare was $14.76.

Our friends, Kent & Laurel, had spent time in San Francisco last summer and we booked this hotel based on their recommendation. The price was very reasonable compared to other hotels in the area and was only a couple of blocks away from Fisherman's Wharf. (Although we didn't need it, the hotel is also one of the only ones in SF that provides free parking.)

I had requested a king bed room with a view and room 314 satisfied both requests. 

The tiny balcony provided us a view of Coit Tower and surrounding area. This photo was taken from the balcony a couple of days later when the weather improved.

With the long day and rainy weather we opted to eat a few snacks that we brought, get organized for the next day, shower and just go to bed. The time change was a bit confusing. We gained two hours with the time zone difference, but lost one of the hours back because of the switch to Daylight Savings Time that night. With my foggy, travel-weary brain, I crossed my fingers that I was getting the correct time set on the alarm clock.

Tomorrow...a damp (but great) tour of San Francisco.

Vacation Eve

Friday, March 11

Flying out of a nearby regional airport would certainly be more convenient...but definitely more expensive as well. I am all about getting a good value when I travel, or as most people would say...I am cheap. That means we book our flights out of the Minneapolis/St. Paul airport (MSP) even though it is a 3 1/2 hour drive for us. It also allows us to book flights on Southwest Airlines...our carrier of choice!

Two of our sons live in the Twin Cities area so sometimes we are able to stay with them the night before a flight. I figure we provided housing for them for the first two decades of their lives...certainly they can put us up for one night ever so often. 

Our oldest lives the closest to the airport so that is where we ended up. We arrived around 5:00 pm and he and his girlfriend had plans for us all to go out to dinner together. Our destination for the evening was Betty Danger's Country Club...a rather interesting and eclectic place.

The weather was extremely warm (think upper 60's) for Minnesota in March and we were seated in the open air garden room...very, very rare for this time of year but also very enjoyable! 

The walls of the restaurant are covered with tacky wallpaper and go along with the theme of a "country club for the non-elite". The menus are inserted into old etiquette books and range from Mexican entrees to basic comfort food. Everything that we ordered was delicious! The crazy attire of the staff and kitschy decor all added to the fun. 

The best part of the evening came once we finished our meal. The restaurant has a full-sized ferris wheel and tickets are free with any purchase. Although the night was still relatively warm, we were given blankets to cover our laps as we made several rotations...about a 15 minute ride. The moon was shining bright and off in the distance was the skyline of Minneapolis.

Although our son owns his own home, he lacks a formal guest room. He was gracious enough to let us have his bed for the night and being an adventurous type guy, he slept in a hammock in the back yard. (Mind you it did drop down into the 40's!) For him this was really no hardship. I have seen him pitch a tent in the middle of our frozen lake on a night with sub-zero temps!

Next...traveling to San Francisco!

Aloha Hawaii...the Back Story.

This trip to Hawaii has been in the planning stages for almost a year...and discussed for even longer with our friends, Kent & Laurel. Our friendship goes back 40 years to our college days in Illinois when Laurel was my roommate and Kent and Bob were roommates. After graduation we moved to Minnesota...they stayed in Illinois...but the friendship survived. Our travels together started in 2004 when we took a cruise to the western Caribbean. Since that time we have also cruised to the southern Caribbean and Alaska together.  

Last spring we decided it was finally time to plan a vacation to Hawaii...something that we had been talking about for some time. We debated about a land-only trip, but eventually decided on a cruise on Norwegian's Pride of America (POA) that visits four islands during seven days. The cruise was booked for mid-November and we also found a VRBO condo in Waikiki where we would spend a few days prior to the cruise.

As summer rolled around, various issues caused us to re-think the plans and we decided November just wasn't going to work. About the same time, I discovered that the POA would be going into drydock in San Francisco in February and there would be a one-time 11-day cruise as the ship sailed back to the islands.

For the November cruise we had each booked connecting obstructed view cabins. (The windows were blocked by a lifeboat.) For several hundred dollars LESS, we were able to re-book on the longer cruise out of SF in March AND get a free upgrade to a balcony cabin! Surprising to us, we were also able to keep the senior discount and free gratuities that had been included on the first booking. What a deal on a cruise that is notoriously expensive! 

Here is the itinerary for our cruise which was scheduled to sail on Tuesday, March 15:

Laurel and I usually co-plan our trips, spending hours and hours on the phone discussing every possible detail. However, this time she had family obligations that kept her occupied so I took care of most of the planning myself. Since we were leaving from San Francisco, the plans to spend a few days in Honolulu were moved to the back end of the cruise. The condo that we had reserved in November was not available for March but we were able to find affordable (for Hawaii!) hotel rooms with kitchenettes instead. 

Hopefully the posts that follow will be helpful to anyone planning a similar trip...or at the very least somewhat entertaining and enjoyable to read!

Please leave any comments or questions and I will be happy to respond. If you like, you can also sign up to receive email notifications whenever this blog is updated.

Mahalo! (Hawaiian thank-you!)