Friday, November 1, 2013

11 San Francisco - Friday Oct 19 2007


Golden Gate, originally uploaded by wellingtonrabbit.

I get my bib and chip from the Expotique and also some breakfast for the guys before we head out to do our walking tour of the city. Fortified with a great egg bagel and good coffee, we walk the 1/2 block to the main entrance to Chinatown which is at the corner of Grant and Bush. First on our list is to find the fortune cookie factory located in Ross Alley located between Washington and Jackson which run parallel to Grant and Stockton. I have neglected to write down any of this so memory is put to the test. We stop off a the oldest cathedral in San Francisco.

Then as we do not locate the factory but do see Hoit Tower at the top of Telegraph Hill straight ahead several blocks away, we elect to go there first. It was second on our list anyway. We are again climbing up some of San Francisco's finest (read steep) hills to reach our destination. The sights from Telegraph Hill and the top of the tower are wonderful. The Golden Gate sparkles in the distance. Alcatraz is easy to see too.

Back down the hills we find the fortune cookie factory. A very interesting set up and for a few cents we can officially take pictures of the ladies at work making the cookies and putting the fortunes inside.

Now we are headed to Nob Hill where the rich used to hang out and some still do. Again we have an opportunity to climb up some of San Francisco's steepest hills. The area is now too populated to see anything but buildings but these are old and ornate.

Donny had mentioned seeing the exhibit at the Asian Museum a few days back and now I suggest that this spot is about a dozen blocks away. The guys are willing but also willing to go back to the apartment. It is still early afternoon and so they agree that we can get to the museum well before closing. We do but the walk is through some of the lesser parts of the city. We are getting the full spectrum.

The Asian Museum has one of the largest collections in this part of the world. The displays are well thought out and beautiful. We finish our tour about five minutes before closing. The walk back seems shorter and I take the guys past the Nike Store where all the runners names are posted on a display window. My name is in a good spot near the top and in the middle.

Back at the apartment we check mail and such and make a reservation for dinner at the Stinking Rose, the famous garlic restaurant not far from our apartment that we passed on our way to Nob Hill. We also stumbled upon a great organic grocery near there and plan to go back before dinner to get snack food for later.

Dinner is great. Roasted garlic as a spread on bread for an appetizer. And garlic ice cream for dessert. Really. The three of us shared a bowl as it was just too intriguing to pass up, but we were a bit leery. It tasted good, sweet but not too and it did have garlic because you could detect a slight garlic after taste.

Tomorrow we are doing a driving tour.

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