San Francisco

I’ve been obsessed with San Francisco for the past year or so. I’m not really sure where the obsession came from. It would maybe make sense if I had seen a special on the travel channel or read a great book set in San Francisco. I didn’t. I just love San Francisco. I’ve been telling people that I’m going to live there someday and I’ve pretty much got LindsayB convinced that she should move there with me.

I meant to go visit last year over the fourth of July. I didn’t. Pretty much saddest thing ever.

So, when LindsayB sent me an IM saying, “Three-day weekend = you and me in San Francisco,” I naturally responded with a “why yes, yes it does.”

Our weekend ended up being 1 part car ride and 2 parts San Francisco and it was amazing!

Not sure you believe 22 hours in the car for less than 48 hours in San Francisco is worth it?

Let me give a little glimpse of what happens when two crazy girls have 44 hours in the fabulous city of San Francisco.

• Valet parking at the Marriott downtown (yeah, that was totally a highlight; drive in downtown San Francisco and you’ll understand)
• Jaunt through Chinatown
• Stroll through Little Italy
• Some time in front of the window at the Boudin bakery (the cute baker was very obliging and waved and smiled like a champ after finishing her two crab loaves; do you think they rotate bakers in and out of the secret back room for when they get tired of smiling and waving at all the tourists breathing on their window?)
• Walk around Fisherman’s Wharf, enabling me to acquire a magnet memorializing my time there
• Amble through Pier 39
• Visit with the seals hanging out in the bay
• Sandwiches on super delicious Boudin sourdough bread
• Massive sundaes at the Ghirardelli shop in Ghiradelli square (mint and chocolate ice cream with piles and piles of Ghirardelli dark chocolate hot fudge)
• A drive down Lombard Street (courtesy of my best cuz Steph and her husband Jon)
• Walk around Union Square exploring the expensive shops with scores for each of us (J. Crew iPad case made in San Francisco for me; Kate Spade iPhone case for Lindsay; 50% off Vera Bradley bag for Steph, which she didn’t get—oh the disappointment)
• Ride on the famous cable cars
• Fantastic color changing nail polish from Del Sol
• Boat tour around the Bay, under the Golden Gate Bridge, and around Alcatraz
• Peek at Chinese New Year celebrations (second time through Chinatown)
• Lazy afternoon hours at the bookstore City Lights
• A cup of the best hot chocolate ever—really
• Adorable Jimmy Choo sandal wedges for only about $300, basically a steal (I wish I could say I purchased them or at least tried them on, but I didn’t)
• Acquisition of a real live Blommingdale’s Little Brown Bag
• Game of Cribbage (5-card)
• Three stops at the closest Walgreen’s (there were about eight around Union square, no lie) for cash back with our purchase, the limit being twenty dollars with each transaction
• Compliment from the Marriott bellman on the cleanliness of my trunk

Like I said, totally worth it.

And I’ve already got my list for the next time I visit San Francisco.

• Another cup of that amazing hot chocolate
• Ride on the cable cars (as many times as possible!)
• Bike ride across the Golden Gate Bridge (preferably on a tandem bike because that would just be awesome)
• Victorian House Tour
• A show at the Orpheum Theater (Mamma Mia is going to be there soon!)
• Some delicious San Francisco seafood right by the bay
• A visit to Golden Gate Park
• An Earthquake from the shop in Ghirardelli Square: eight scoops of ice cream, eight delicious toppings, with bananas, whipped cream, almonds, and Ghirardelli chocolate chips

I also intend to be far enough along in my basic drawing class to feel confident sketching some of the sites in San Francisco.