Our Bnb would have been perfect save for 1 important thing, wala siyang washer & dryer. So either early mornings or late nights for the duration of our entire stay in Sanfo, my Bae & I had to walk a bit to wash & dry our clothes in the nearby Laundromat. Super lapit lang naman.
Buti nalang at maaga kami lahat nagising today, so we had time to do some chores before heading off for another day of discovery & adventure.There’s always a 30-minute wait minimum, so it was thoughtful & nice of Ate & Kap to volunteer with the breakfast run habang naglalabada kami ni Bae. On an average day, the bakery serves anywhere from 600 to 1,200 people. Weekends are the busiest.
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On the agenda today..
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Painted Ladies, Postcard Row. These are the Victorian and Edwardian houses and buildings repainted, starting in the 1960s, in three or more colors that embellish or enhance their architectural details.
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One of the most photographed locations in San Francisco is Alamo Square’s famous “postcard row” at Hayes and Steiner Streets. It features a row of beautiful Victorian houses with multiple balconies, large porches, and are usually two-and-a-half to three-and-a-half stories tall. These are actually residential homes with real people living inside. Pag tumama ako sa mega lotto bibili agad ako ng bahay dito! One house reportedly costs around US$ 3M! Sisiw.
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The Lyon Street Steps, also called the Lyon Street Stairs, is a 288 step hidden staircase in San Francisco. This impressive set of stairs is a favorite of fitness buffs and exercising locals.
The Lyon Street Steps is made up of three separate staircases:
- Two flights of very steep stairs from Green Street to Vallejo Street.
- A wide section of split stairs at Vallejo Street with flower beds and a Heart of San Francisco.
- Eight flights of stairs extending to Broadway Street.
As you might expect, this is an area where the seriously wealthy San Franciscans live.
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Just being at the summit of these steps is an experience truly difficult to describe. The feeling of the sky and air where you are standing is amazing. And, spread out before you are fabulous views of the Palace of Fine Arts Dome, the blue San Francisco Bay, and a fog-shrouded sky beyond. To the west is the Presidio forest and to the east are amazing old Pacific Heights mansions with their manicured lawns and many balconies! <3
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The SFO Golden Gate Bridge is a suspension bridge spanning the Golden Gate, the one-mile-wide strait connecting San Francisco Bay and the Pacific Ocean. It’s called the “golden” gate not because of the color, but because it spans what is called the Golden Gate Strait (the narrow entrance between the Pacific Ocean and the San Francisco Bay).
- Fort Point National Historic Site. Situated beneath the towering Golden Gate Bridge, this Civil War-era brick fortress offers a unique perspective on the Bridge, and is the perfect backdrop for a selfie.
- Baker Beach
- Fort Baker
- Crissy Field (where we went for a photoshoot)
- Battery East Vista
- Lands End
- Golden Gate Overlook
Once called “the bridge that couldn’t be built,” today it is one the seven wonders of the modern world. The Golden Gate Bridge, easily identified by its international orange color (which is similar to the color of red lead), is San Francisco’s most famous landmark which opened in 1937. Crossing the strait of the Golden Gate from San Francisco’s Presidio to the Marin headlands spans 1.7 miles. If you are crazy enough, the bridge is actually walkable.
#sealedwithakiss The Golden Gate Bridge is the quintessential landmark for planting an endearing smooch. What’s more, a kiss is said to bring good luck! This tradition was born from navy soldiers on long deployments -when they returned, they would see the beautiful landmark bridge and know they would soon be in the arms of their loved ones. Honey, ikaw din, saan ka man mapadpad, lagi kang babalik sa akin, owkaaay? 😉
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The Palace of Fine Arts in the Marina District of San Francisco, California, is a monumental structure originally constructed for the 1915 Panama-Pacific Exposition in order to exhibit works of art presented there. The Palace dominates a small neighborhood park that features lush, green lawns and a tranquil lagoon populated with fish, birds and turtles. Its Greek-style colonnades and soaring central rotunda make it one of the most singular and recognizable features of San Francisco’s northern skyline.
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You could easily lose half a day just staring into this tranquil man-made lagoon with ducks merrily, merrily, merrily swimming down the stream. Kulang nalang park benches, sarap siguro mag-picnic jan with cheese, crackers & wine! I wonder if they allow weddings here? Such a romantic place.
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All that sightseeing got us hungry. Time for a fish & chips lunch at the Woodhouse Fish Company para maiba naman sa lagi naming putahe mula ng dumating kami sa Amerika!
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The Woodhouse Fish Company is owned by 3 enterprising MacNiven brothers—Dylan, Rowan and Tyler who, from a young age, worked in their parents’ eatery down on the Peninsula. In 2006, they launched Woodhouse in San Francisco.
Eh itong 3 giblings kaya, kelan pa ako makaka-ROI? ;P Parang lugi na kami ni Kap ah, panay ang labas, walang pasok. Lol.
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Because San Francisco is right by the bay, seafood is a daily staple of the locals. I’m happy at pinagbigyan naman ako ng pamilya makakain ng local food! Fish & Chips is a hot dish of English origin consisting of fried fish in batter served with chips (potatoes). It was a most welcome change.
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Then dessert at Bi-Rite Creamery which features homemade organic ice cream in unique flavors like Babka (a glazed sweet bread made with dried fruit such as raisins), Eggnog with brandy, and Candy Cane -which is what I tried. All 3 scoops beybeeeh! \m/
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Thank you again & again Ate for always finding unique places for us to try! <3
Nothing, and I mean not even the biting cold, can dissuade me from having my 3 scoops of ice cream!
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The Giants Stadium AT&T Park, one of baseball’s best and most beautiful ballparks, has a new name (its 4th change). In partnership with technology giant Oracle, the stadium has been renamed to Oracle Park. Atm (as of January 2019), the old signs are being removed & changed with new ones.
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Oracle Park is a baseball park located in the South Beach neighborhood of San Francisco, California. Since 2000, it has served as the home of the San Francisco Giants, the city’s Major League Baseball (MLB) franchise. I encouraged the boys to watch a game, but baseball just isn’t their thing. Kaya hanging peehur-peechur nalang sa labas. At least we still caught it with its old sign. Sa susunod na bisita namin, bagong sign na! 🙂
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Pier 39, a popular tourist destination in San Francisco, is just one part of the much larger Fisherman’s Wharf, a year-round travel destination.
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Back to see the Sea Lions. With summer looming just a few months ahead, most of these Sea Lions will be leaving the pier in June/July & heading south to breeding grounds near the Channel Islands. A brief history of how the sea mammals came to Pier 39: After the 1989 Loma Prieta earthquake, hundreds of California sea lions began flocking to Pier 39’s K-Dock & they have stayed there ever since.
The last time we were here was 10 years ago, and my, how the tides have changed. Dati kami ni Kap ang in-charge. Ngayon, sa amin nalang naka-charge.. ang mga gastusin at sila na ang nagmamando sa mga lakad namin, hehe! #10yearchallenge
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Because half a day is too short to go around Fisherman’s Wharf, we just focused the remainder of our day Sea-Lion watching at the Pier.
- The sea lions.
- The views: Alcatraz, Golden Gate and bay.
- Bay cruises.
- Mazes, 7D rides, a carousel, bungee flying.
- The Flyer-San Francisco: the new 3D ride.
- The Aquarium of the Bay.
- Jugglers, magic shows.
- Wine and beer tasting.—
These 2 biologists had a fun time watching the sea creatures. With a plentiful supply of food from the Bay and an environment protected from predators, the PIER 39 Marina proved to be an ideal living situation for the sea lions.
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Boudin Bakery is a bakery based in San Francisco, California, known for its sourdough bread. It was established in 1849 by Isidore Boudin, son of a family of master bakers from Burgundy, France.
Although there are several Boudin branches in the California area, I think the best Boudin Cafe can be found at the Wharf because you can actually see the bakers hard at work, crafting batches of bread by hand through a 30-foot observation window right outside the building.
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As usual, the fam wanted chinese food for dinner, but they gave in to my request for a pre-dinner snack just so we can try the popular sourdough-bowl soup at Boudin Cafe. We tried both the Rustic Tomato & Clam Chowder. Equally good, but we all liked the tomato soup best. <3 Just a little trivia: the sourdough bread traces its origins to ancient Egypt and became a staple in San Francisco during the California Gold Rush of 1849. Gold miners valued it for their camps because of its durability, and the relative ease of obtaining yeast.
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Fisherman’s Wharf, located on the northern waterfront, is one of the city’s busiest tourist areas. It got its name from the city’s early days of the mid to later 1800s when Italian immigrant fishermen came to the city by the bay to take advantage of the influx of population due to the gold rush.
Fisherman’s Wharf is best known for being the location of Pier 39, the Cannery Shopping Center, Ghirardelli Square, a Ripley’s Believe it or Not museum, the Musée Mécanique, Wax Museum at Fishermans Wharf, and the San Francisco Maritime National Historical Park.
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Itong pamilya ko talaga, mga walanghiya. Ano ang ginawa ko sa inyo? Ha??
As you can see, souvenir shops and food stalls appear at every turn, as do postcard views of the wharfs many attractions.
Essentially, the wharf is a tourist trap. Ubos ang pera sa kabibili ng kung anu’t-anong walang katuturang bagay, hay!
And of course, where there are tourist attractions, HRC is never far behind. At syempre din naman, kung nasaan ang Hard Rock Cafe, doon si Kap matatagpuan! @_@
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Ghirardelli Square, formerly a chocolate factory, is a convenient stop for chocolate and ice cream. It’s located at the end of Fisherman’s Wharf so there’s quite a bit of a walk. When going to the Wharf, make sure you wear your comfiest shoes & bundle up tight during the winter. Malapit kasi sa tubig kaya mas malamig.
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The famous square is named after the chocolate company, Ghirardelli, now a United States division of Swiss confectioner Lindt & Sprüngli. The company was founded by and is named after Italian chocolatier Domenico Ghirardelli, who, after working in South America, moved to California. Today, it is still one of the most prominent chocolate companies in the United States. Ghirardelli operates 25 chocolate retail shops across the country, including its flagship Ice Cream & Chocolate Shop at Ghirardelli Square.
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Last stop of the day, dinner finally at Chef Hunan located near our bnb. I was so dazed & tired with everything we did the whole day that ANYTHING was a welcome relief at this point, lol. I just wanted food & warmth. And sleep for a month! ;P
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The place seems deserted but I think it’s only because we came around closing time. The food was actually quite good & the Chinese family was there, kindly attending to our needs & chatted up a storm with Kap while I silently devoured all the food laid out in front of me hehe.
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