San Francisco

We had a wonderful trip to San Francisco. We were there from Saturday to Wednesday. The day we hopped on a plane to go home, was Kelly's moving day (She is moving to Wichita, KS where her boyfriend will be doing his residency in Orthopedic Surgery at KU satellite campus). I was glad we got to get a trip organized before she left. We hit a ton of the tourist sites for the first few days and spent a day in Northern Sonoma during our last day there. We ate great meals and gained a few pounds while we were there.

Our first breakfast in SF was at the Crepevine where we all ate Crab Cakes Benedict.


After breakfast, we went to Golden Gate Park. We went to the conservatory where we saw beautiful flowers, plants, and butterflies. Also within the park, we went to the AIDS memorial and a restaurant called the Beach Chalet. This is a picture of Dom and I near the conservatory.


And mom and I smelling a beautiful flower.


We went the the Haight Street Festival that afternoon, where were saw tons of tie-died clothing, drug paraphernalia, and brain-fried 60 year olds that still think they are living in the 60's. It was an interesting experience. Here is a pic of mom and Stav trying "get the feeling"...


The next day started at the USS Pampanito, which is a WWII submarine that is open for tours. We were able to go into the submarine and tour the main level where the engine controls, bunks, torpedoes, and captain's quarters where housed. It is amazing to think that 80 men spent 8 months at a time on that submarine. They basically lived on top of each other because space was so limited. I would go crazy!!!!

Here we are on top of the submarine with Alcatraz and the bay in the background.


Next, we took the cable car/trolley to Chinatown.


Chinatown was full of junky gift shops and grocers that had ducks hanging in the windows from the ceiling (not refrigerated). Here is a picture of the street front at Chinatown.


We took cabs back to Fisherman's Wharf so we could eat clam chowder in a sourdough bread bowls.


Finally, we went to Alcatraz. I enjoyed Alcatraz. I'm sure our audio tour didn't depict real life in the prison but the stories that are shared, show us what a different life prisoners have. It's disturbing to think about.

Here is Dom in front of a cell.


And the view of the city from Alcatraz.


And mom and dad with their my-feet-are-hurting-and-I-am-tired-of-walking faces.


On the last day, we went to Russian River Valley to tour some wineries and do some wine tasting. This is also the day we found out I was pregnant.


Here we are in front of the Jordan winery with a shot of the rental van included.