Super Bowl Sunday in San Fran

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Geo: 37.7792, -122.42

In 1953, my mom took a teaching job in Hawaii, before it was even a state. On her way to Hawaii, she stayed in San Francisco and recalls having a drink at the "Top of the Mark". The Top of the Mark is a penthouse restaurant at the top of the Mark Hopkins Hotel. Located at the highest point of downtown San Francisco, on fog-free days, it has spectacular views of the financial district, Chinatown, North Beach, San Francisco Bay, and especially of Grace Cathedral and Huntington Park. It is has been a popular local destination since its opening in 1939, and has hosted World War II servicemen, along with numerous celebrities and dignitaries, including Doris McCalla. Well, 64 years later, we went by to check it out.

(Epilogue: my dad called my mom while she was in San Francisco before she left for Hawaii, and ask her to come back.....the rest is history.)

In the afternoon, we toured Alcatraz. It was still an active prison when my mom was in San Francisco in 1953, and remained in service until 1963. It is now part of the National Parks system.

We returned to San Francisco in time to find an Irish bar to watch the Super Bowl. What a game!

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