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Published: August 15th 2014
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The next day we check out of our cabin after a surprisingly good night's sleep and a bracing walk on the beach. We head back cross country to the I -101 through Petaluma (home to the filming in 1973 of American Graffiti, an early George Lucas film that gave Harrison Ford his first break) and head south to Berkeley. We are going to for Sara's birthday lunch to Chez Panisse, where all the cool people dine in Berkeley. This is preceded by a stop at Safeway to buy more beer, just in case we get thirsty that afternoon.
Very nice lunch waited on my effortlessly cool staff, all very Berkeley, we fit in effortlessly – yeah, right.
Time to go into San Francisco, over the Oakland Bay bridge. We hit a mega queue for the toll booth but eventually get to SF and negotiate the warren of streets to eventually find the apartment where we are staying. We unload and then David and James take the car downtown to the rental return garage. A brisk walk back up and down the hills and back for tea.
In the evening James has booked for us to go to a
jazz club for Sara’s birthday. He ssures it is perfectly walkable – but 45 minutes for him is an hour for mere mortals, and at least half the route is ither up ro down a steep hill. We enjoy our evening at Yoshi’s listening to the John Pizzarelli Quartet. We seem to be the only people who had not heard of the quartet before, as everyone there seems to be aficionados. We get a taxi back though, too far to walk a second time in one evening.
The next day, we set off for our boat trip and tour of Alcatraz, the notorious prison in San Francisco bay closed in 1963. Sara is feeling sick with stomach cramps, and gets worse during the tour. She stumbles around while the rest of us clearly get a lot more out of the visit. It is a fascinating, eerie place, much aided by the audio tour. Views all around the bay to remind the baddies what they were missing as a result of their felonious behaviour.
Back on the boat and David takes Sara back to the apartment while Hannah and James go off downtown for some lunch and shopping.
They eventually return and we get some food for dinner and eat in (well three of us do, Sara cannot face food).
Thursday. Sara is still ill, and stays in all day, mostly in bed. This is not how she planned to spend her time in SF, but if you have to be ill, much better in a nice apartment on a non travelling day. David, James and Hannah go out for brunch, at a local restaurant serving massive portions which (almost) defeat them. A walk through Chinatown, some light shopping, and then David returns home via Chinatown, while Hannah and James look for some more shops. Eventually they return from a very hot walk and take a shower. Off then to climb the hill to visit Coit Tower for the views over SF. Unfortunately the ghostly fog is rolling in and there is little to be seen, just the lower stanchion of one of the Golden Gate bridge towers. Alcatraz floats in and out of the fog.
Back to the house, Sara feels strong enough to venture out, so we set off to Chinatown. We buy a $3 bag to carry back some of our
US purchases. Back home, James has ordered Japanese food for dinner, inevitably we have over ordered, so we sit stuffed on the sofa and watch some TV.
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