Iconic Day!

Last night after dinner with Dani, we headed to Baker Beach for a little sunset Zen.

Today we were total tourist.  We drove to Golden Gate Park then boarded a double decker bus for a “hop on-hop off” tour of the city.  We still managed to walk four miles, but the overview from the tour was enjoyable.  

 The Haight-Ashbury district was the center of the hippie movement and the birth of the San Francisco Sound.  This is the 50^th anniversary  of the “Summer of Love” and the city is celebrating the greats of Haight-Ashbury groups; The Grateful Dead, Otis Redding, Jimi Hendrix, Janis Joplin, etc.  This was our music!

Along Broadway St. some of the streets were so steep the sidewalks were concrete steps.

We did not make it back to Chinatown but wish we had passed through these gates.  

The newer buildings in the financial district have been built to earthquake codes.  They are designed to sway up to 21 feet from vertical – no thank you!  We passed the copper-clad building owned by Francis Ford Coppola in North Beach or Little Italy.  He wrote The Godfather while in San Francisco.  

Pier 39 was fun, lots of shops, good eats, people, but the sea lions stole the show. 

Pier 39 provided a good view of Alcatraz as well as the local art celebrating the crab. 

Next stop was Fisherman’s Wharf with the original  Del Monte Cannery,  old rickety working wharf buildings and the marina.

But lunch was on our mind as we peered in the windows of markets, restaurants and encountered tubs of crabs on ice.

Our mono-meal for the day was a cup of chowder and Cioppino with crab, mussels, fish, shrimp, octopus, and whatever else the chef threw in today.  Our only regret was that we had no desire to visit Ghiradelli Square.

 Back on the road again, we gained a new appreciation for graffiti, viewing "Tiger On The Wall."

More iconic views included crooked Lombard St., the Embarcadero Plaza, The Palace of Fine Arts, and of course The Painted Ladies at Alamo Square.

Last but certainly not least we made our way to South Vista Point at the base of Golden Gate Bridge for an amazing view of this gateway to San Francisco Bay. 

Great day in an iconic city!