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Sun. & Mon. in San Fran

As fun as Saturday was, I think Sunday might have come close to topping it. At the very least, it was a draw.

breakfast HD

Photo

Marissa and Jeff came up to the Hotel Drisco for breakfast. There is French brie, smoked salmon, and all the fixings added to the breakfast buffet on weekends! After breakfast, Marissa and I went to her neighborhood nail salon, just 2 blocks down the hill from her house, to get a mani/pedi. Once our fingers and toes were as gorgeous as could be, we did what any glamour girls would do…

go car ready to go

… we climbed onto a motorcycle! It’s called a GoCar, but it is technically a motorcycle. And it is the most fun, ever! We only nearly crashed it into a ditch once and then nearly killed ourselves one other time. Other than those two tiny moments … so much fun!

speed racer

Oh, and I might as well tell you this part now before Marissa adds it in the comments – I was at the throttle both of those “life flashing before your eyes” moments! (I would say “at the wheel” but there is no wheel, just handlebars with a throttle.)

approaching the GGB

No foot peddles for stop and or go either, just the handlebars with the brakes. Oh, and the GoCar does not go in reverse. Do you need to back up? One of you gets out and pushes it backward. We each had to do that once. I pushed it back to get out of a parking space and Marissa pushed it back away from the previously mentioned ditch. I also managed to run over my own foot with the front tire while pushing it backward – luckily GoCars have sought their frames from somewhere like this fiberglass manufacturing company and therefore are quite light and not toe-crushing.

GGB

We picked up our GoCar in Fisherman’s Wharf and drove toward the Golden Gate Bridge, along Crissy Field, and then along the Pacific Ocean and through the Presidio.

arch

Under the bridge, we stopped at Fort Point. Neither of us had been there before. It is so cool!

Fort Point was constructed just before the outbreak of the Civil War.

alcatraz

Military officials declared its position at the Golden Gate as the “key to the whole Pacific Coast.”

stairwell

Fort Point never saw action, its massive brick walls look to be impenetrable.

sailboat

Original plans for the Golden Gate Bridge in the 1930’s called for the fort’s removal. Chief Engineer Joseph Strauss redesigned the bridge, adding an arch over the fort, saving it from demolition.

mossy bricks

Be sure to visit Fort Point the next time you’re in the city. I promise that you’ll be as glad as we are that Mr. Strauss saved the fort.

On the way back to the Wharf, you drive by the boutique shopping districts of Chestnut and Union Streets. Be prepared, tourists will snap your photo as you drive by and kids will wave. The GoCars are a sight!

lombard street

We also went down Lombard Street which is famous for having a steep, one-block section that consists of eight tight hairpin turns. Although not difficult to maneuver, expect your hands to get sore from holding the brakes tightly all the way down!

I saw that Barcelona has GoCars too. Peggy, her sister-in-law Lorraine, and I will be going there in March. Hoping I can talk them into it!

Marissa and I were on our own for dinner that night because Jeff was at a friend’s house watching the 49ers vs Seahawks game -once again, sorry 49ers fans!

forgeincinema

We went to the most awesome and fun restaurant called foreigncinema.

forgeincinemapatio

There is inside seating and outside seating, be sure to request outside so you can watch the movie of the night while you dine.

the movie

The movie on Sunday night was Moonrise Kingdom, a quirky movie with Bill Murray, Bruce Willis, Edward Norton, Frances McDormand, and Tilda Swinton.

my girl

I’d seen it before, but Marissa hadn’t. Not that it mattered, you don’t actually watch the movie while you eat, it’s more ambiance than actually movie-going.

speaker

There are old drive-in movie theater speakers on the walls behind the tables. You can adjust the volume yourself, to hear some of the audio, or not. It made me feel very old when Marissa didn’t even know what they were and claimed to have never seen them before.

Marissa photobomb

That’s our waiter, photo-bombing Marissa! As an added bonus, the food is terrific! Marissa had a delicious Mahi-mahi with steamed couscous, chickpeas, currants, braised greens, and pistachio pesto. I was a little jealous when I tasted it.

oriccetti

Although my Orecchiette with Brussels sprouts, squash, and wild mushrooms was outstanding too. I’ve recreated it at home already and will post the recipe tomorrow.

inside Ferry

On Monday, Martin Luther King, Jr. Day, we laid pretty low. Just ran a bunch of errands and spent the afternoon in the Ferry Building.

acme

We shopped a little and then spent the rest of our time leisurely eating cheese and bread while …

vignette

…sipping wine.

Cliff House

That evening, we took a Sidecar out to the Cliff House.

the bar

It’s a beautiful place and we had a wonderful dinner, but it was melancholy since it was my last night there and I didn’t want to leave my girl in the morning.

So, there you have it. My most recent trip to San Francisco. Thanks for letting me share it with you.

Back to recipe blogging tomorrow.


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5 comments

1 Patti Pullen { 01.23.14 at 7:43 AM }

Love reading about your adventures in san fran with Marissa. Beautiful, fun city with your beautiful fun daughter. You guys are very brave to tackle driving the GoCars! Yikes! xoxo

2 Kim Salmans { 01.23.14 at 9:56 AM }

Linda what an amazing trip! Thank you for sharing! Building amazing memories is always so much fun.

3 Marissa { 01.23.14 at 10:13 AM }

Always so much fun! I’m glad you noted that you were the one who almost crashed twice, not me!

4 Peggy { 01.23.14 at 10:53 AM }

Those GoCars sound like a blast!!

5 Tram Mai { 01.24.14 at 11:07 AM }

Ok, those GoCars sound like Herbie the Love Bug’s cousin- so cool!! I commend you for taking it down Lombard Street- scary!! The Foreign Cinema restaurant was on our list of places to hit the last time we were in SF, but never made it- next time, it will be a must! (And yes, I’m with Linda- Marissa makes me feel old too!!) So sad the SF adventures came to an end- I will now have withdrawals 🙁

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