We planned today as a walking day. We wanted to get to Chinatown, Fisherman's Wharf, and whatever else struck our fancy.
With a late start to a leisurely morning, we walked from our hotel and headed for the famous Cafe Trieste. Along the way we passed an iconic landmark of the San Francisco skyline, the Transamerica Life building:
Then to Cafe Trieste for a couple lattes and pastries.
As we left there, this chap spotted Brian wearing his Winnipeg Jets golf shirt. Turns out this guy - Tony - is from Winnipeg and is now working in the financial services industry in San Francisco. He grew up in River Heights, and began a series of consulting gigs a dozen years ago. To no one's surprise, he does not miss the cold winters at all.
We then decided to walk through the North Beach neighbourhood toward Telegraph Hill. There are some really nice houses and apartments here.
The view from Telegraph Hill is spectacular:
Down the hill toward Fisherman's Wharf. Hopefully this picture gives you an idea just how steep these hills are:
Once on Fisherman's Wharf, as usual I got scared again by the Bushman. This guy has been scaring people for 35 years. He's even mentioned in the CAA/AAA travel guide:
Lunch was clam and crab chowder in a sourdough breadbowl. And yes, authentic San Francisco sourdough bread cannot be beat.
Following lunch we jumped on a cable car to take the Powell-Hyde line up to California Street.
And little cable cars
Climb halfway to the stars.
- Tony Bennett
The clatter of the wheels, the clicking of the cables beneath the streets, the sound of the bell, all these are unforgettable sounds of San Francisco. It really is a most beautiful city. Yes, we once again left our hearts in San Francisco.
Got off the cable car and walked down California to Chinatown for some shopping:
Anyone recognize the brown building on the right of this picture?
It's the Bank of America building, better known as The Towering Inferno. Yep, this is the building used in that 1970s disaster movie.
Chinatown:
Back at our hotel, we asked the concierge for a recommendation for seafood. We ended up at George's two blocks away. Some scrumptious oysters for an appetizer:
Crab season opened just over a week ago, so we each had a Dungeness crab:
Paired with a great California Savignon Blanc, it made a truly memorable evening for our last dinner in San Francisco.
Tomorrow: check out of our hotel then head to the airport for our flight home.
It was +15C and sunny for our entire stay in San Francisco. We certainly are not looking forward to -27C in Winnipeg, but it will be good to be home.
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