San Francisco - Day 3

Saturday, October 22, 2011

(For Day 1, click here)

(For Day 2, click here)

There is a reason it's taken me a long time to write about this day.  Let me preface this by saying we loved San Francisco.  Loved the people.  Loved the sites.  

However.

We were told we needed to pack for cool, chilly weather.  We happily obliged. (Have I discussed the  Hotter Than Hell Summer of 2011?  I have?  Well then.)  We woke up early and I put on a long tank and leggings.  Covered said leggings with leg warmers and boots.  Covered said tank with a cute blazer and scarf.  Michael bundled up in jeans and a sweater.  

We walked outside.  And nearly died.

I said something along the lines of, "Oh we'll be fine.  Let's keep walking."  Famous last words.  It was SO HOT.  Let's also keep in mind the topography of San Francisco.  Hill after hill after gosh darn hill.  By the time we got where we were going, I was a wreck.  There are two things in life I absolutely hate and both immediately turn me into a 13-year-old brat:

1.  Being extremely cold.

2.  Being extremely hot.

Michael once said my comfortable temperature range is 77-82 degrees.  This?  Did not fall in that wide spectrum of comfort.  I wore my ensemble for approximately one hour and then removed the blazer and draped it over my purse.  Removed the scarf and draped it over my blazer.  As I was walking I saw my reflection and stopped cold.  I looked like Vivienne in Pretty Woman.  And not "Big Mistake. Big..." Vivienne.  Oh no.

Enough about that.  Saturday morning was spent in the Mission District!  We were told we must try Tartine Bakery so that was our first stop.  This place was amazing.  We had to wait in a short line but the food was completely worth it.  I haven't met a chocolate croissant I didn't love, but this guy put every other one to shame.  SHAME.  Let me make sure I also include my husband's tiny order: 2 Mexican wedding cookies, 2 shortbread cookies, and one gigantic orange roll.  They didn't even bat an eye.

Dolores Mission

Only picture of me in complete outfit.  Would not be worn in its entirety again.

 

After breakfast we toured the Mission District.   We were told it was "Hipster Central" so we knew what to expect.  Except we didn't.  This area was definitely rough around the edges.  It was a bit strange because a very nice building would be right next to something that was begging to be burned down.  And then, BAM! Tiny park in the middle of it all.

We walked by Dolores Park (large park) and took several pictures.  It was there I encountered my first rude homeless person.  As I was putting my camera back in its case I heard, "Hey take a picture of me and send it to my mom so she knows I'm not dead."  Uhhhh....

Took a break for iced coffee and tea

We ate a very late brunch at Foreign Cinema.  Very cool place.  Michael accidentally ordered an appetizer, which was enough food for a tiny kitten.  It was pretty funny.  My meal was much larger so we were able to split it.  And then I saw him.  Michael and (my friend) Kreston's love child.  It was spooky.  I spent the rest of the time trying to take pictures of this poor waiter (without him knowing) so I could send them to Kreston.  I'm not sure it was well-received by either parent but for those of you who know both, throw me a bone here.  Love child, am I right?

I ordered a coke.  This was the closest thing they had. Very cool.  (And delicious!)

'

As we left the Mission, a homeless guy walked next to me and said something in my ear.  I (obviously) jumped a bit.  As he walked past he looked back and started YELLING at me.  It was so bizarre.  People all around us turned to look at the receiver of wrath so I looked at Michael and said, "Man, that guy HATES me."  Got a few laughs from the group.  Thanks guys.

Next was one of my favorite areas in San Fran: Hayes Valley.  Loved this area.  It was quite eclectic and still had the hipster vibe of the Mission but it didn't make me nervous.   I was just happy not to have random people yelling at me.  We got some made-to-order ice cream from Smitten and people-watched for a bit.  

 

Afterward we browsed several of the boutiques in Hayes Valley before we continued walking to Haight-Ashbury.  This is one of those areas you just need to see for its history.  And then you need to leave.

At this point we headed back to our hotel to freshen up for dinner.  We'd taken the BART (subway system) a few times so we were feeling pretty confident.  When it was time to go to dinner at Blue Plate we hopped on the BART... and ended up in Oakland.  Not good.  If you're not familiar with the Bay area, grab a map.  Once we got to Oakland we immediately got on the next available BART to head back.  We were 30 minutes late and were a sweaty mess once we arrived.  Luckily, the restaurant was the size of our bathroom, had no air conditioning and an open kitchen.  There are few places in San Francisco that have air conditioning because it's (usually) so pleasant.  They set a carafe of water on our table and we went through three.  The food was absolutely delicious but it was a little tough to enjoy due to our ridiculously high body temperatures.

This was one of those days we will never forget.  Will I remember it as one of the best days of my life?  Absolutely not.  Will I laugh anytime I think of being screamed at by two homeless dudes, sweating through a gourmet dinner, all while looking like a prostitute?  Absolutely.