One Year Away

Penny

On our 2 day trips to San Francisco, we tried to see as much as possible and experience the West Coast lifestyle. San Fransisco is exactly like in the movies. It is really hilly and it has that distinctive west coast architecture. Driving in the city is treacherous as our friend (and driver) Alan experienced. You could hear screeching tires everywhere as people try to keep their cars from rolling backwards!

On our first visit, we crossed the Golden Gate Bridge which brought me back to my childhood – i.e. I remembered the countless episodes of Full House! The bridge was bustling with cars, pedestrians and cyclist. It was an impressive sight. The bridge that was opened in 1937, on schedule and under budget, is now being retrofitted to make it resistant to earthquakes. Unfortunately, we decided to go to the lookout on the way back but we soon discovered that the weather around the Bay can change in an instant… On the way back, the fog had come and you could no longer see the bridge. So much for pictures.

We spent most of the day at Fisherman’s Wharf. It is a very touristy area with lost of shops and restaurants. The breeze coming off the water made it very cold! We wore every layer that we had available in our small day-packs (I even used my sarong as a scarf)! As we visited the area we spent some time watching impressive street performers. There was a break-dancing group that was performing and a “comedian” (if you could call him that). Around town, he is known as the San Francisco Bushman and he sits with his branches ready to scare unsuspecting passers by. Take a look at the video and you will understand what I mean!

It seems that San Francisco is the home of sourdough and that it has the oldest continuously living starter dough. Of course, that meant that we had to have some sourdough for lunch. Alan recommended a great place for lunch. It was called Boudin (for all you Quebecers it is pronounced “bo-deen” here). Boudin is a local bakery that also serves meals. We got their house specialty, the clam chowder in a sourdough bowl. It was amazing and in the end you get to eat the bowl!

We also visited the sea lions that have been camped out at Pier 39 since the 1989 San Francisco earthquake. They originally numbered 10 to 15 but the colony quickly increased to over 300 within months. The populations now increases to about 900 sea lions every winter. At first, they are adorable but you soon start to realize that they are really noisy!

At night we headed to Haight and Ashbury which was the center of the hippie movement in San Francisco. It has still maintained its bohemian feel… Except of course for the large Gap clothing store on the main street corner!