Friday
So, this is my chance to guide Jenny in and around San Francisco. I have stayed here a few times before and know parts of the city and its surroundings, but it's Jenny's first trip to the west coast. We have a few days before and in between the Google I/O and JavaOne conferences to get to know the area...
Spent the first day walking around in the city. Had to visit Lombard Street...
Found a few interesting pieces of vintage arcade gaming machines in the harbor area.
On the way back to the city center we went through Chinatown and its crowded shops, picked up a few bananas and cherries for the road. Ross was our next stop, me going through the size 13 shoe wall and male shirts, Jenny checking the female sections - shoes are a girls best friend...
We topped of the day with a visit to
Uncle Vito's Pizza, Powell St. This is one of my favorite pizza joints in San Francisco.
Sir Francis Drake, our hotel for the first four nights. The corner room has a nice view covering both Powell Street and Union Square.
Breakfast at Starbucks, Grant and Bush. Outside a man is trying to collect a few bucks from by-passers. A common sight in San Francisco. He and his appearance was a bit different though - this guy seemed genuinely happy with life, and approached people in a really nice way.
Time for a ride. We took the cable car from Powell Street to the Cable Car Museum, Washington and Mason.
It's an interesting stop with tech details on the inner workings of the cable car system. All cables from all the San Francisco cable car lines go through the building. Right next to the museum is a nice small local cafe with great broccoli pie...
We spent the afternoon / evening on Alcatraz Island with Alcatraz Cruises, touring and shooting pictures.
Visit it at least once if you get the chance - the audio tour is great.
