Thread: San Francisco - Suggestions/Trip Report

but, Mig, if you count them the marine way...

Trust me Palms, considering the alternative, I would rather do sit ups and push ups. But, I've accepted that I am one of those people, like Julius Caesar, Admiral Nelson and Charles Darwin that are just prone to seasickness.

In fact when Julius Caesar "planned a military campaign that involved a sea voyage he allowed for recovery time after the troops and horses reached land."


I don't even want to think about seasick horses.

Note--Rather than start a new entry on my blog, thought I would just finish up my San Fancisco adventure here.

Sausilto -Day Trip

After the "unpleasantness" that was the bay cruise (see post #7), there was no way this "land ludder" was getting back on the water. As far as I was concerned, there was only one way to get to Sausilto and that was directly over the non pitching, rolling and heeling Golden Gate Bridge.
Sausilto is beautiful, offers great views of San Francisco, Alcatraz and the Bay. And I have to tell you it was just nice being able to look at the horizon without having to stifle nausea.
Which leads me to make this statement-
The trick of fixing your eyes on the horizon so your brain can orient itself ......DOES NOT WORK!
Trust me, your brain does not trick that easy.

We stayed mainly around the waterfront, lots of shops, art galleries, restaurants and people riding bikes; lots and lots of people riding bikes.
For lunch, friends had recommend a place called "Hamburgers". You can't miss it, it's on the main street (Bridgeway) and in the front window they're cooking burgers on a rotating charcoal fire grill - talk about a great burger, M'm, M'm good!
Because "Hamburgers" is a hole in the wall with maybe two tables inside, we planned on eating our burgers seated on the ground (or rock) in the waterfront park across the street. However, we were in for a nice surprise. The Italian restaurant "Piccolo Teatro" next door, will (for a small fee) let you eat your burger in their dining room or sidewalk cafe. It's a good deal, because not only do you get a comfy chair, but the added bonus of being able to order a nice glass of wine with your meal; now who could pass that up? I'm telling you I was one happy camper.
After lunch my traveling troupe split up, the "fitness fanatics" headed off on the bikes, while I went over to the park and picked out a nice reading spot. And I have to say, I enjoyed just watching the ferries load - lots of bikes and bikers- many of whom had their eyes fixed firmly on the horizon............the poor sensitive dears.

San Francisco- things not to miss

Cable Car ride (now who doesn't want to just hang off the outside of a cable car?)
Muir Woods (day trip)
Sausalito (day trip)
Chinatown (walk or take the bus - there is no parking in Chinatown)
Fisherman' Wharf (OK it's a tourist trap, but no trip to San francisco would be complete without a peek)

Edited to add-
I cannot in good conscience suggest that anyone take a ferry ride at any time to go anywhere.

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (Migflanker @ Jul 3 2009, 02:41 AM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}></div>

Sausalito (day trip)[/b]

A whole day in Sausalito? I got bored after a few hrs!

What about Napa???

Nick you&#39;re getting ahead of me. But yes, we did do a little wine tasting.

Nick, when I say "Sausalito day trip" I didn&#39;t mean to imply we were there from dawn till dusk. We spent maybe 4/5 hours total, long enough to walk around see the sights, eat lunch and for the "fitness fanatics" to tire themselves out peddling up and down those hills.

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (Migflanker @ Jul 3 2009, 10:00 AM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}></div>

Nick you&#39;re getting ahead of me. But yes, we did do a little wine tasting.[/b]

I get ahead of myself... a lot
<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (Migflanker @ Jul 3 2009, 10:00 AM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}></div>

Nick, when I say "Sausalito day trip" I didn&#39;t mean to imply we were there from dawn till dusk. We spent maybe 4/5 hours total, long enough to walk around see the sights, eat lunch and for the "fitness fanatics" to tire themselves out peddling up and down those hills.[/b]

Ahr now I get it.... yeah I think we spent 3-4hrs there. I got bored a little quick though, but I guess if you&#39;re a biker it&#39;d be interesting. As for walking across that bridge, I got about 20m out and freaked out. Heights are only OK if i&#39;m in a pressurised steel tube

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (Nick @ Jul 6 2009, 04:21 AM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}></div>

As for walking across that bridge, I got about 20m out and freaked out. Heights are only OK if i&#39;m in a pressurised steel tube [/b]

, no no no, we didn&#39;t walk across the bridge.

We thought about riding the bikes across, but eventually decided to drive with the bikes packed in the back. After all, our intent was to enjoy Sausalito, not to arrive totally wiped out.

Things To Do In San Franciso Before The Crack of Dawn

I don&#39;t know what it is about photographers and sunrise shots. It seems to me that you can get a similar shot in the evening and have the added advantage of being wide awake and well fed. But as it was repeated to me several times during our trip, "Mig, you don&#39; t understand."

The alarm went off at 4am, not bad unless you went to bed at 1am. But somehow I did manage to get down to the lobby and surprisingly enough everybody is there; although not a one, had even a cup of coffee. We jumped into the car and headed off on our crack of dawn adventure. I don&#39;t remember much about the ride, I kinda dozed off, but I do know we went across a bridge, bump! bump! bump!
I don&#39;t know how many of you have ever traveled with photography fanatics, but these people don&#39;t just happen upon a spot and start shooting the sunrise. Oh no, they have throughly scouted out locations beforehand, and have it down to the centimeter where they&#39;re going to set up the camera and tripod. Finally the sun peaked over the horizon, "Ansel Adams Jr", started taking shots, but something wasn&#39;t right----he didn&#39;t like it.
Personally I thought it was a beautiful sunrise over the Bay, just like the ones on the postcards, and I say that even though I was half asleep. (ZZZZZZZ)

Now it was time for breakfast, well for everyone except "Jr" and "D" who wanted to be dropped off in Chinatown.
"Jr" wanted to get shots of the city in the morning light and "D" went for his morning run. Now there&#39;s another thing I don&#39;t understand, running in the early morning on an empty stomach.
Seems to me running in the evening makes more sense. Just look at the advantages- you can de-stress from the day, burn off all those extra calories you get from eating and you get to sleep in - bonus, bonus, bonus.
What is it about getting up at the crack of dawn?

The rest of us "vacationers" headed back to the hotel. We passed a line of people waiting for the Apple store to open. Uh-huh, a bunch of people up at the crack of dawn so they can be among the first to buy a new phone. Just another thing I wouldn&#39;t roll out of the bed for. But I do have to admit, there is something about watching a city wake up. There&#39;s a breeze that says people and cars are coming, but for now, for right now.................you can cross the street against the light in the middle of the block and make it!
Sooooo we went for a walk. We ran across a fleet of catering and equipment trucks -a location shoot-and of course the people waiting for their "must have" new phone. But there is "something" about walking downtown with all the businesses and stores closed and the sidewalks deserted. There&#39;s just something about watching a really beautiful city wake up; something worth waking up at the crack of dawn for - and yes- Mig said that!