The Cities By The Bay

Our first day in San Francisco was full of science and nature. The Conservatory of Flowers situated inside the Golden Gate Park includes four permanent exhibits showcasing plants and flowering plants from tropical and subtropical regions. It was, in parts, a bit like walking around a Bradenton, FL neighborhood.

We walked over to the Academy of Sciences. A five story rainforest is the leading attraction at this museum of sorts.

Without intending to, we spent the entire day contemplating the variety of animals and our own carbon emissions.

The top of the building is a 17,000 square foot greenroof on which small plants and flowers are grown.

Jared and I split up for the evening. I was treated to a fabulous dinner at E & O Trading Company while Jared caught a Giants game. Distance and my own laziness caused me to fall out of touch with my dear friend Jen, and I was glad to spend an evening catching up while walking the rising streets of her Nob Hill neighborhood. Jared found free parking 100 yards from AT&T Park and picked up a great ticket for $15.00. It was a phenomenal stadium with views of the bay from every seat in the park.

The next morning we walked up and down Haight-Ashbury as any first time visitor to San Francisco is required to do. Jared busied himself trying to snap pictures of "hippies" as we ducked into the colorful shops that lined the street. This bright neighborhood has had a number of famous residents, and we drove about locating their former homes.

We stopped in Chinatown for lunch, afterwards spending the afternoon upon the piers that jut out into San Francisco Bay at Fishermen’s Wharf. Although certainly touristy, we enjoyed gazing at the lines of fishing boats, playing in a museum that showcased arcade games from the last several decades and stepping into a few of the art galleries that dotted the other side of the street.

We weren’t relegated to the back corner of the area’s least sketchy Wal-Mart while in San Francisco as my friend Sara (who was in China and Vietnam for work during our visit) quite generously offered to have us at her house in Alameda, just west of the city. While I would have preferred to see Sara and her super-cute apartment, staying at her place while in San Francisco was easily one of the best treats of the trip. I wish I would have thought to get a picture of the outside of her apartment, which is nestled onto a sunny street and surrounded by flowering, rose-like bushes. I did, however, get pictures of the inside and publish these with her express permission. They make it easy to see why we spent nearly a week in San Francisco.

We were enamored with Alameda immediately upon leaving the interstate for the city’s diverse and quaint downtown. Sara also had provided us with a few outings that piqued our interest, so we decided to dedicate a day to Alameda. We ate the best sushi of our lives in a bay-side restaurant that afforded expansive views of the San Francisco skyline, but the highlight was the spirits tasting at Saint George’s Spirits. This distillery, most famous for their Hangar 1 Vodkas, is located on an old air force base directly on the bay. They serve up a variety of infused vodkas, a whiskey and several specialty liqueurs. My favorite was the citrusy Buddha’s Hand Vodka; Jared liked the whiskey, and I managed to procure a bottle without his noticing for his upcoming birthday.

Our last day in San Francisco was a catch-all: one last look at Alcatraz, we had forgotten to visit the sea lions on Pier 39, walking down the famously curvy Lombard Street was a priority and we needed to stop at the Golden Gate Bridge before we crossed it on our way out of town.