California Dreaming

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How cool is it that I'm in the airport, and able to log on to the internet (for free, PS) and write my final blog from California? Man, I love technology. Hopefully the battery on my laptop won't die now!

Normally on travel day, I don't have much to report, but since I am taking the red eye tonight (and have about two and a half hours before my flight), I was in and around San Francisco for most of the day. I woke up early in my hotel room, and my tousled sheets told me that I hadn't slept as soundly last night as I had the previous nights. After a breakfast meeting at the hotel in which our firm's marketing director gave me some good tips for more local places, I was ready for the day. First, I hung around my room a little bit, enjoying my final hours in this lovely, huge suite. I knew I was planning to walk down to the Ferry Building and take the ferry to Sausalito, so I checked the internet for times and other information, and decided that I would take the 12:55 ferry. I checked out, dropped my bags off to be held until my return, and started walking down Market Street to the Ferry Building.

The walk from the hotel is quite a pleasant one, through the downtown/financial district part of town. The Ferry Building is about a mile walk from the hotel, and I had plans to check out a space on the second floor that one of the lawyer's spouses had suggested for a gala dinner location. Yesterday, I had been feeling so down when I found out that so many of the interesting options we had seen for the dinner were already booked, and the hotel was booked for every other weekend but the one we had initially talked about. So I was happy to get some more suggestions and chat a little to our events planner about some other options. The sunny, but cool, day also brightened my mood, so I was feeling very optimistic by the time I found the Ferry Building.

I passed by a couple of stalls outside, watched a man play drums on garbage cans and a cymbal, and headed up the "historic steps" as they're called to the second floor of the Ferry Building. I was excited to see that it's actually a very cool space, certainly big enough for our group, and would be a very neat location for our Gala Dinner. I was keeping my fingers crossed that it would turn out to be both available and inexpensive, and I later found out that it's definitely available - cost I've still got to wait on. After snapping a few pictures, I headed downstairs to wander around the stalls inside the Ferry Building. Along with being recommended by my local host of the last few days, I had seen the building and some of the food stalls on one of Giada Delaurentis' food getaways - she had tried out some cheese at the Cowgirl Creamery, which I recognized as I passed by, among others. I didn't try any food, but I did pick up some chocolates and a tee shirt that says (semi)sweet at a chocolate stall. If I lived in San Francisco near to the Ferry Building, I would definitely go there periodically to buy some of the meats and local produce that is offered - it really was a very cool place!

I was nervous to miss my ferry though, so I headed out back to find the ticket booth and get ready for the trip. I had planned to go right to Sausalito, so I bought my little blue ticket and immediately handed it over to the ticket taker to get through to the dock. It was much breezier over there, so I knew I would be in for a brisk boat ride - my favorite kind. I was surprised to find that there was no smell of the salt air, or feeling of salt residue in my hair, even after sitting there for a while and on the ferry ride. Since that's one of my favorite things about being at sea, I was a little disappointed, but it was nice not to have the gritty film in my hair all day! I enjoyed my little rest in the sun, listening to the Dutch tourists chatter away next to me, and watching the big clock on the tower move towards one o'clock. I snapped some pictures of the ferry as it came in, and the "Port of San Francisco" sign above the Ferry Building. Soon, it was time to board the ferry, and I headed right to the front row of the boat when I got on. I know it was touristy of me, but I was very excited to see both the Golden Gate Bridge and Alcatraz a little closer up!

The kids behind me on the boat were very funny, getting blown everywhere as they tried to get up and snap some pictures in the stiff sea breeze. The water wasn't too choppy, but between the wind and the cooler bay air, it was definitely a little bit cold out there! I got my chance to take pictures of the Bay Bridge, San Francisco from a distance, Alcatraz, and the barest hint of the Golden Gate, which was again shrouded in fog. I would be disappointed, but it would turn out that I could see it even closer later in the day!

We made it to Sausalito in about a half hour, and it was definitely a pleasant way to travel. I think sending our group on a ferry ride to lunch would be a great activity. I met up with my hostess (just as a reminder to new readers, I never mention my lawyers or their spouses by name - always good to protect the innocent 😉), and we wandered down a few blocks to take a quick look in Ondine's, the suggested lunch spot for the group. We realized that on one side, there is a restaurant open to the public, with a different name, and on the other side is Ondine's, reserved for special events. No one was inside, but the door was open, so we headed up the stairs, and peeked around. The view was spectacular, showcasing the bridge and the city right over the water, so we thought it would be a lovely choice for a lunch spot. The town was very cute as well, and would be a lovely place to walk around and shop for a little while after lunch. After we checked out the town a little, my hostess drove me around the surrounding areas to get a sense of some of the other towns, including Tiburon, which would be another suggested lunch location. We checked out Guaymas from a distance, a cool-looking Mexican restaurant, which would be a more casual lunch destination, but also another option for the group. Tiburon was also a very cute little town, but is less known and less touristy, so we will take that into consideration when making the final decisions.

After relaxing for a little while at her house and getting to see a little of the Corte Madera area (a very nice place to live, it looks like!), she drove me back towards the city. As we got closer to the Golden Gate Bridge, I was very excited to see the orange suspension bridge in person! We parked at Vista Point, which opens up to a biking path along the bridge. It's only an okay place to take pictures, so my hostess found the stairs to the underpass, and we walked UNDER the Golden Gate Bridge to get to the Vista Point on the other side. It was cool to see signs for the Avon Walk for Breast Cancer, which goes over the bridge - just like the NY one goes over the GWB! I took some photos of the bridge, which I could finally see up close - yay! - and my hostess took some of me with the bridge in the background before we headed back to the car and actually drove over the span. It was really wonderful to see the ocean to the right, with container ships coming into port, and the bay to the left. After seeing the Golden Gate Bridge in pictures for so many years, it was almost surreal to finally see it in person!

I feel like I've learned a lot more about San Francisco in the past few days as well. Like, for instance, I always thought that Sausalito was a neighborhood actually in San Francisco, and I didn't know it was a town outside of the city. And I didn't realize how big the city is and how many different parts and styles it has. Driving in, we took a shortcut through the Presidio, which I had never heard of. My hostess was telling me that the Presidio used to be an army base, and then after the war was over (WWII), the army realized that they had no need for this prime piece of real estate. They eventually sold a lot of it to George Lucas, who built a compound of office buildings on it, overlooking the Bridge in many areas - what a neat place to work! The rest is mostly housing, but a lot of it remains unchanged, and it still had the feel of a military base. I even saw a marine corps flag, and the irony of seeing a marine corps flag on an army base made me laugh. We drove up into the hills and saw a very interesting grouping of trees, whose bark was shedding. They offered a strange canopy over the road, and soon we were through them to the hills of the city. I recognized our route as being similar to the one we had taken the day before on our return from Cliff House, and I enjoyed seeing the city again and realizing the sheer size of it. My hostess mentioned that there was still a lot of the city that I hadn't seen, including Fisherman's Wharf, Ghiradelli Square and other parts, so I think that just means I'll have to come back and wander around a little bit more!

Finally, we were back at the hotel, and we said our goodbyes before I hopped out and headed inside in search of my bags and transportation to the airport. I am now here in the terminal and looking forward to being back in my own bed soon! But I really liked San Francisco, and I can't wait to come back and spend some more time exploring it!

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Photos

San Fran from the water
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The Bridge - see how foggy it was?
It was actually SUNNY today, not that you can tell