San Francisco 2014. Day 1.

If you're going to San Francisco
Be sure to wear some flowers in your hair
If you're going to San Francisco
You're gonna meet some gentle people there

And yes. I did. One little flower which soon fell out. But, I finally did it! The vacation was amazing. I have a gazillion pictures. (No surprise to anyone that knows me.) I will post by day. And this is Day 1.

My timing was completely off while I was there. I just couldn't get into the swing of west coast time, but on the other hand, I wasn't in central time either. I made up my own time and went to my own biorhythm.

So. Day 1. We got up. What time? I have no clue. But the sun was barely up and so were we.

This was our hotel. Beautiful inside and out. It was originally a Del Monte cannery. Think old worn brick, massive wooden beams. Across the street was Fisherman's Wharf. It was convenient to everything. Places to eat. Transportation. Perhaps a bit touristy by the wharf, but there were still interesting, historical things to see. You just had to dig. And the Blue Mermaid was the restaurant attached to the hotel. I had an attraction to it's sign.



The walk then began. We started down the street, making our way to the bus, which we purchased a ticket. It was a 48 hour ticket. We were married to that damn bus. Kind of a love hate relationship. I loved that we got to see so much of the city, but I hated to be on a schedule. It was a double decker bus, and we traveled on the upper deck. So most pictures from the next 2 days are from the top of a moving bus. (My disclaimer.)





Breakfast our first morning. It was organic. Everything in San Francisco is organic. And earthy.















This may have been our favorite building in the city. Columbus Tower, also known as the Sentinel Building.















The bus went through many unique neighborhoods. And finally brought us to Haight/Ashbury. Much to my delight! But, once again...all from the top of that darn bus.







I was mildly surprised by the green spaces through out the city. The houses and building were on top of each other...no yards. To compensate for that, there were many lush green parks. All were being enjoyed by tourists and locals.



The bus made a turn around a corner and the angels sang! It was the Golden Gate Bridge!! I had feared I would not be able to see it. (As it turns out, I was on that bridge more than I care to remember. And I took pictures each and every time.)









This was a particularly beautiful view taken from the bridge going back into San Francisco. The fog faded into the Pacific Ocean.









This one is for Drew and Nikki. He loved that car. The scooter is just like Nikki's. And I held my breath through each and every tunnel. So all is well with the world due to my lung capacity.



Our first glimpse of Chinatown. This is the gate marking this neighborhood. The bridge in this section is the Bay Bridge.



There were many, many piers. And each one had a number.



And this brings us back to our hotel at sunset. I told you I loved the Blue Mermaid sign.