Trip Index
- San Francisco Bay Area
- Alcatraz, Muir Woods, Napa and Gold Country
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Kaleb's mom Sue and her husband Gerry came out to visit us; it had been a long time since they were in California, so a-road-trippin' we went, on an itinerary similar to last year with Jarrett and Kate.
We drove down to the Bay Area and had dim sum lunch with my parents at Koi Palace. Kudos to Gerry for trying the "phoenix claws". (braised chicken feet)
After lunch, we visited the Intel Museum, covering the history of the company, how silicon chips are made and much more. (or should I say "Moore")
Then we drove to San Francisco and checked into the Holiday Inn Fisherman's Wharf hotel. I redeemed IHG Rewards Club points for two nights in two rooms, but self-parking cost $50/day plus tax. There were lower-priced parking garages available but I didn't feel that it was worth the hassle and worry about break-ins to save $10.
A few ways to easily amass IHG Rewards Club points: get the IHG credit card, purchase points at a discount during Daily Getaways in April, or the "points-and-cash trick" as documented by this and many other blog sites.
We walked around Fisherman's Wharf, had dinner at Pier Market, enjoyed dessert at Ghirardelli Square, and got drinks at Fiddler's Green.
The next day, we went to do more sightseeing via cable car. Each ride was $7, or you could buy an all-day pass for $21. Our first stop was Lombard Street.
On our second cable car ride, Gerry hung off the side and when another cable car passed, he and a passenger on the other car high-fived with such a loud slap that I was worried that one or the other would get a dislocated shoulder, but all was fine.
20-second video of cable car ride with view of the Transamerica building (ding ding!):
We got off at the Cable Car Museum and took a look around. It was very interesting to see the cables running, learn about the history and discover how much maintenance goes into running the system.
20-second video of the cables running the four lines around San Francisco:
We then walked down to Van Ness Street and visited the Tesla showroom, followed by a delicious cup of joe from Philz Coffee.
We hopped into an Uber to get to Golden Gate Park. The de Young Museum cafe serves up a great lunch.
We then visited the Japanese Tea Garden and other sights as we made our way to the Beach Chalet for a refreshing beverage.
We spent some time at Ocean Beach before our dinner reservations at Sutro's at the Cliff House. It was quite windy, but it did not stop Sue from dipping her feet in the frigid Pacific Ocean.
Sutro's was really busy, even though it was Thursday night. We got a table with a great view (until it got dark). Reservations were easily made on OpenTable.
After dinner, we caught an Uber back to the hotel. Tomorrow, we head to Muir Woods, then onward to Napa and eventually Gold Country...stay tuned!
We drove down to the Bay Area and had dim sum lunch with my parents at Koi Palace. Kudos to Gerry for trying the "phoenix claws". (braised chicken feet)
After lunch, we visited the Intel Museum, covering the history of the company, how silicon chips are made and much more. (or should I say "Moore")
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Then we drove to San Francisco and checked into the Holiday Inn Fisherman's Wharf hotel. I redeemed IHG Rewards Club points for two nights in two rooms, but self-parking cost $50/day plus tax. There were lower-priced parking garages available but I didn't feel that it was worth the hassle and worry about break-ins to save $10.
A few ways to easily amass IHG Rewards Club points: get the IHG credit card, purchase points at a discount during Daily Getaways in April, or the "points-and-cash trick" as documented by this and many other blog sites.
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We walked around Fisherman's Wharf, had dinner at Pier Market, enjoyed dessert at Ghirardelli Square, and got drinks at Fiddler's Green.
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| Pier Market menu |
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| at Fiddler's Green pub |
The next day, we went to do more sightseeing via cable car. Each ride was $7, or you could buy an all-day pass for $21. Our first stop was Lombard Street.
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|
|
|
|
|
On our second cable car ride, Gerry hung off the side and when another cable car passed, he and a passenger on the other car high-fived with such a loud slap that I was worried that one or the other would get a dislocated shoulder, but all was fine.
20-second video of cable car ride with view of the Transamerica building (ding ding!):
We got off at the Cable Car Museum and took a look around. It was very interesting to see the cables running, learn about the history and discover how much maintenance goes into running the system.
 |  |
20-second video of the cables running the four lines around San Francisco:
We then walked down to Van Ness Street and visited the Tesla showroom, followed by a delicious cup of joe from Philz Coffee.
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| Kaleb loved the coffee here |
We hopped into an Uber to get to Golden Gate Park. The de Young Museum cafe serves up a great lunch.
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| fresh, tasty offerings |
We then visited the Japanese Tea Garden and other sights as we made our way to the Beach Chalet for a refreshing beverage.
 |  |
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|
|
We spent some time at Ocean Beach before our dinner reservations at Sutro's at the Cliff House. It was quite windy, but it did not stop Sue from dipping her feet in the frigid Pacific Ocean.
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Sutro's was really busy, even though it was Thursday night. We got a table with a great view (until it got dark). Reservations were easily made on OpenTable.
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After dinner, we caught an Uber back to the hotel. Tomorrow, we head to Muir Woods, then onward to Napa and eventually Gold Country...stay tuned!
