April 11th: Day 3..San Fransico!

Wednesday morning Laura dropped mom and I off at the station to catch the CalTrain into San Fran. We were now on our own! It was my job to get us to San Fran and back before the last train left us! The morning was a bit dreary, but we had high hopes of some sun; which luckily we found upon arrival in the city! Not knowing exactly how far the train station was from our destination, we jumped into a taxi that delivered us to Union Square. We eventually found the ticket booth (we were searching for a much bigger stand), and waited in line for the cable car.

Our next stop was Chinatown. Lucky for us, if you miss one street, chances are the next one will take you to the same place! We walked down to the streets of Chinatown. We ventured into several stores, each of us making a few small purchases. Our stomachs were telling us it was time go, so we made our steep walk back up to catch the cable car.

It was on to Hyde Park and Fisherman's Wharf. We walked around Fisherman's Wharf until we found a restaurant that overlooked the bay. We enjoyed a nice lunch of salad and crab cakes, then headed back down to the streets. Once again we ventured into a few stores and each found a magnet and christmas ornament to remind of us our trip. You'll notice in the picture mom standing beside a sign. There were lots of people trying to get you to take their water taxi out to the bridge and Alcatrez. Mom just happened to look down and see the name of the boat: Lovely Martha. We decided the picture would be enough! I really wanted to get a closer look at the bridge, so we walked out on the Hyde Park Pier. The wind was so strong we had to push through the force to walk out farther, and I could hardly see through my hair! The view was worth the wind though! In these pictures you can see Alcatrez, the bridge, and the wind. As we walked back to the street, we also saw Ghirardelli Square..makes you want chocolate huh?!

Another site we both wanted to see was Lombard Street: the crookedest street in the world. After looking at the map, I convinced mom that it was only five blocks from Hyde Park. We were so close to not go see it. However, I had not remembered such a steep downhill ride on the cable car on our way in. So, we set off on the steepest climb I have ever been on! I have climbed many steep trails with Travis, but NEVER have I climbed something so steep. We both got a little worried when there were grooves in the sidewalks...so we couldn't fall backwards!!! We rejoiced each block we reached and celebrated even more when the light for walking was red! The quick rest was great! The walk was worth the site though! I'm glad I was just walking on that road, not driving! We made it back to the cable car, in a cab, and onto the right train to head back to Los Altos for dinner. There are still areas in the city I want to see, so I'll just have to plan another trip!

Next stop...Muir Woods and Stanfod