The City by the Bay

On Monday, July 25 we took Toby to a vet to get a Bordetella vaccination (required for all doggy day cares and kennels in California). Then we checked out a dog kennel recommended by the vet. It was a really nice place, but the next morning it was almost like leaving the kids at kindergarten the first day. We dropped her off at 8 AM and drove to San Francisco. We missed most of the early morning SF traffic and got to the Embarcadero about 10 AM. They have restored the Ferry Building and there were lots of different shops inside and a farmers market outside that we visited while we waited for the tour that began at 11:15. The tour started with a ferry ride across the bay to Sausalito. We had a great lunch and walked around the town for a little while. Beautiful flowers, statues, and a fountain. Afterwards we got on a little shuttle (there were only 18 people on our tour) that drove us from that point.

We had a great tour guide – she knew lots about the city and had some interesting stories. We made a number of stops where we got out and walked around – Golden Gate Bridge, Golden Gate Park, Alamo Square-7 Sisters Houses, Grace Church, Palace of Fine Arts, Chinatown, and Lombard Street among them.

One story she told was at the Palace of Fine Arts, built for the 1915 Panama-Pacific Exhibition. Part of the exhibition was a group of huge columns with naked women facing the column on each corner of it and plantings in the center. One modern legend of why the women are facing the column is that they are watering the flowers by crying because all the eligible men in San Francisco are gay :)

There was a lot of walking on this tour, especially down Lombard Street. It is billed as the crookedest street in America. It is at a 24% grade, and we walked down it for about four blocks. It was better than walking up it, but still very strenuous. I really noticed it in my calves two day later!

Grace Church was very beautiful, especially the doors to the church. They were cast using the lost wax process from a mold made in the 14th century. The doors depict scenes from the Bible.

The 7 Sisters are seven Victorian-style houses that have been restored. Very pretty.

They have a beautiful park called the Golden Gate Park. This is the amphitheater at the park.

Chinatown was a very crowded, fun place. Not much English on those streets.