10 July 2016: Oh, how I wish you were here! I took this photo from the top of Lombard Street, famous for the way it zigzags down a steep 27% incline (there are eight hairpin turns in the one block). There are tourists everywhere! San Francisco is super hilly, and from the top of the street, you can see all the way out to the water.
Beautiful pink hydrangeas line the street, and there is an orderly queue of cars lined up, waiting for their turn to drive down. I can’t imagine what it must be like to live in one of the houses here – you’d have people in your front yard 24/7!
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4 July 2016: Miss Art Deco! We’ve found a spot to sit right at the start of the Piedmont Parade. There are vintage cars (proceeding from oldest to youngest), a horse drawn stagecoach, and marching bands of all kinds. The hilarious Balloon Platoon have just gone past – they’ve been taking part in this parade for more than 20 years!
It’s remarkably well-organised for a neighbourhood parade. Costumed characters (including Uncle Sam) are strolling down the street, handing candy out to the kids. We bought the most American tshirts we could find at Walmart, just to wear for the occasion!
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11 July 2016: I squealed and asked Dan to stop the car when we arrived here! The Palace of Fine Arts is a remnant of a bygone era. It was originally constructed for the 1915 Panama-Pacific Expo, and completely rebuilt in 1965.
It’s an amazing space – the water is teeming with life (swans, turtles, ducks, dragonflies and oodles more) and the grassy areas are full of joggers and families having picnics. It’s such a perfect day – the best one we’ve had since we arrived. The fog (so prevalent in San Francisco city) has lifted and allowed the sun to shine through. The temperature is a very comfortable 24ºC (75°F). Great day!
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14 July 2016: The only thing that could have made Mel’s Diner better would have been waitresses on roller skates! We’re having a proper Happy Days moment – the food was fine and exactly as we expected, except for my huevos rancheros which tasted ok but looked like slop. The staff are very friendly, and the manager just offered me a 10% discount if we eat here again during our stay. Love that about eateries here – nothing is ever too much trouble, and they’re always so keen to get return business!
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12 July 2016: This guy was hilarious – his pitch was “very bad advice for $1, money back if you don’t laugh!’ I asked him if I could take his photo for a dollar, and he was more than happy to oblige!
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12 July 2016: We’ve spent the morning at the San Francisco Exploratorium, at Pier 15 on the Embarcadero. It’s a wonderful place – two floors filled with interactive science exhibits.
Theo Jansen’s Strandbeests are on display at the moment, much to the excitement of Small Man who has watched several documentaries on them. These intriguing wind powered walking machines are made from piping, wood and fabric. They “live” on beaches and move across the sand in a very organic way. Both Benny and Small Man had a chance to “walk” them!
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13 July 2016: Oh Muir Woods, how we love you! It’s hard to believe such spectacular natural beauty exists less than an hour from the heart of the city. This 550 acre (224 hectare) reserve – half of which is old growth redwood forests – has some of the tallest trees in the world. Not just trees – we’ve seen deer, a red-tailed hawk, and a chipmunk today. Did you know that chipmunks are tiny? Or that a deer has the same face as a kangaroo? I didn’t!
Big Boy and Pete have just announced that this is their favourite place in San Francisco so far. We’re finding it hard to leave! It’s very well managed too – easy walking trails and lots of information signs.
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5 July 2016: We couldn’t come to America and not go to a baseball game! Giants vs Rockies – let’s go, Giants, let’s go!
We’re sitting up in nosebleed seats and freezing – the fog has just rolled in and it’s icy cold. Not at all what we expected from a SF summer…but sooo worth it, because it’s exactly like in the movies. There are guys walking through the stands selling cotton candy, they play the dum dum dum dum music after each hit, everyone sings “Take Me Out To The Ballgame” in between the 6th and 7th innings, and the electronic scoreboard has just flashed up “Judy, I’ll love you forever…Sam”. Next time though, I’m bringing blankets.
PS. Just noticed some locals wearing Giants (orange and black) polarfleece dressing gowns. It’s really cold!
PPS. The Giants lost 3-7. Poor Mitch was devastated!
Fig Jam and Lime Cordial 