Jet lag got to some of us and we woke up quite late at 10am. Aunty Oi Lin made us scrambled eggs, sausages and toast with strawberry jam for breakfast! What a treat! The day was a touristy one. Uncle Jim took us on a car ride (mum went with him and Aunty Oi Lin in his car and I followed them in ours, a Rav4) along The Embarcadero which runs along the waterfront, passing the many piers including the famous fisherman's wharf which was overflowing with people. The traffic along the road was bumper to bumper and it was a start-stop situation all the way. I wasn't complaining because it gave me a chance to soak in the people and views on an afternoon basked in glorious light and clear blue sky. We didn't have time to stop along the piers though I would've liked to have shown mum the ferry terminal which has many nice shops and restaurants. It's almost winter time and night falls at around 1730hrs so we were trying to get to our destinations before we lost the light.
A rotating piece of art and sculpture featuring swinging monkeys by the pier.
The clear blue skies and rich reds...
Permanently slanted trees frozen by the constant windy conditions?
This bronzed man caught our eye. He was just standing there displaying himself, trying to tan himself even more!
The orange trolley along the Embarcadero.
A lovely brick building that houses the Blue Mermaid Chowder House and Bar.
I've always been impressed by the Palace of Fine Arts at the Marina district of San Francisco. It's a monumental structure built for the 1915 Panama-Pacific exposition which SF hosted. It's still so pretty today and well maintained. According to wiki, it underwent a 'seismic retrofit' in 2009. It's a favourite spot for wedding pictures and just a nice quiet place to hang out and watch the ducks and swans going back and forth, depending on who had food for them. We spent about half and hour there (wish we had more time so I could get more shots) but we wanted to see the Golden Gate Bridge too so we had to hurry.
The Palace of Fine Arts Theatre at 3301 Lyon Street, San Francisco.
Playtime for father and daughter.
The palace is very pretty, especially when basked in evening light...and is a popular spot for groups who want to hang out and take pictures, especially wedding photos!
Designed by Bernard Maybeck, who took his inspiration from Roman and Greek architecture. Maybeck was an American architect in the Arts and Crafts Movement of the early 20th century. He was a professor at University of California, Berkeley. Many of his major buildings were in the San Francisco Bay Area. (Source: Wikipedia)
A beautiful, awesome structure...
Shutterbugs photographing with their smartphones instead of actual cameras these days...
Ceiling detail of the rotunda.
Feeding the ducks and swans. We were watching an old man feed them. He didn't seem too friendly to have us around watching so we just stood there for a bit and moved on.
A popular location for wedding couples.
Their first exposure to the cold even though it wasn't that cold...just slightly chilly.
The light in countries further from the equator are always gentler and rich. Beautiful for pictures.
She looked pretty cute in the LL Bean sweater I got for her. First time she's dressed like that!
Meg pointing to the car we had rented, a Toyota Rav 4, which handled very well and was a joy to drive. I wanna get me one of that!
You wonder why people turn up in droves to see someone that's often seen in photos, movies, travel guides etc but there's really nothing like seeing the real deal for yourself. It is quite beautiful and since we were there just before dusk, the lights came on and the evening fog enveloped the top of the bridge, giving us different perspectives of the bridge within a short few minutes. Parking at the small carpark by the visitors' centre was a hassle. I circled it about 10 times without much luck. Finally uncle Jim managed to find another free open carpark further down the road and eureka we struck gold because the view from there was so much nicer and cleaner.
You can't tell from this pix but it was freezing cold at this point of time. Night was falling and the wind was piercingly cold.
I just watched the movie "The Internship" starring Vince Vaughn and Owen Wilson and it featured a scene at the golden gate bridge too. Such an iconic structure that appeals to the world.
As night fell we took our time to get to our 7pm dinner reservation at The Stinking Rose, where almost every dish is prepared with garlic. My boss, Zuraidah, took me there back in 2007 and I told myself that I would take my family there if I ever got the chance. I did, 6 years later. The meal was very enjoyable and the place was lively and noisy, making it difficult to have a decent conversation without the effort of raising one's voice.
Riding the Segway on the streets, something that hasn't happened yet in Singapore...not sure if it will ever be allowed.
On our way to The Stinking Rose, we happened to hit Lombard Street. It's an extremely steep road, made ever more popular because it has one of America's "crookedest streets", with 8 sharp "Z" like turns. Traffic backed up to the bottom of the street and I can tell you that it's a challenge trying not to let your car slide backwards (yes, even for an auto car) for such a long stretch. After awhile, I decided to get off Lombard and took a parallel road, Greenwich Street instead.
Even though I'd made advance reservations, we had to wait for about ten minutes for a table. The restaurant was packed that Saturday evening.
My mum's old friends, Aunty Oi Lin and Uncle Jim, who hosted us during our stay in San Francisco. They live in San Jose.
MJ's and my favourite, garlic steamed clams...deelish!
MJ and I shared a large cut of the garlic roasted prime rib. We couldn't finish it of course... so we tar pau-ed.
Look at the amount of food on the table. Welcome to America where portions are so huge, it's to our advantage cos the five of us can share two portions.
Their famous Bagna Calda, "garlic soaked in a hot tub". Melts in the mouth!
The poster on the wall features a woman who has "great bulbs"!
This is a noisy place, not one where you can have a decent conversation without shouting.
Garlic, garlic, everywhere...
We passed by an Italian grocer whose window display warranted a stop.
After dinner desserts at a cafe just down the street from Stinking Rose.
Cafe Greco, a simple unassuming dessert and coffee place.
Night scene from the garage where we had parked, on the rooftop of probably one of the safest place in the area, the Central Police Station. Parking was reasonable at 12 bucks for about 2.5 hours. In the middle is one of San Francisco's iconic buildings, the Transamerica Pyramid Center.
 Moisturising to end the day... an absolute must or the skin will itch terribly! |
  Applying chapstick for the lips and having some fun with the girls. |
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