San Francisco

July 29 ~ August 1

Have not "played" in San Francisco for over 20 years! Only business trips in and out. This will be a real treat.

Driving Gigantor across the Bay Bridge gave us quite a reintroduction to the city. The sun was out; the town sparkled. As we headed a bit south to Pacifica where we’ve booked a spot on the beach, the fog rolled in and the temperature dropped drastically.

The only saving grace of San Francisco RV Resort (sanfranciscorvresort.com) is the view. Smack dab on the ocean. And the ocean is getting closer all the time! They lost 10 feet of ground to erosion last winter and had to move the path back a considerably. The erosion is so bad, the beach is unreachable. But we’re perched high on a cliff and love the sights and sounds. Visitors even popped over to say hi.

We packed a lot in the first day. Golden Gate Park (golden-gate-park.com) first. Visited the conservatory, which was pretty, but not what we expected from a world class city.

These huge lilly pads, each about four feet across, were the stars. 

And loved the small outdoor dahlia garden…never knew there could possibly be so many picture perfect varieties.

Then to the Golden Gate Bridge; appropriately covered in fog.

The Presidio and socked-in beaches looking out towards Alcatraz gave us an opportunity for a brisk walk.

Then to areas we’ve never been….Haight Asbury and the Mission District. The Haight is a eclectic combination of beautifully restored Victorian homes, funky stores and a village still stuck in the Sixties.

The Mission District’s claim to fame is more than 600 street murals that cover its buildings and alleys. The short block, Clarion Alley, between 16th and 17th Streets off Mission Street is a great representation of the art form.....and they warn you everywhere...do not call it graffiti! 

The sun was bright and the temperatures perfect when we left town. Back at the ranch, a mere 15 minutes away, it’s still foggy and cold. We’re told they don’t see the sun again until September. Tres depressing!

Saturday mornings, area farmer’s tote their crops to the Ferry Building (ferrybuildingmarketplace.com) for a very vibrant market. Inside, permanent vendors sell wonderful, though very expensive, foodstuffs and other wares. The best part, though, was having brunch at the Market Cafe with a dear friend of mine from college. It’s been at least 10 years since I’ve seen Tom and loved catching up.

After brunch, Rick and I walked from the Ferry Building all the way to Ghirardelli Square, (ghirardellisq.com)  stopping everywhere in between. Went down the pier to see the sea lions piled on a dock in a group sun bathing.

To Pier 39 to take in all the honky tonk and cool double deck carousel.








I really don’t remember Fisherman’sWharf being so tacky. And we found it very odd that while there are many working boats, there is not a seafood market anywhere in sight. Sit a bit in Girardelli Square and watch the water, then catch a cab back to where we parked the car as we don’t think we have another 5 or 6 miles left in our feet.

We are finding these little microclimates so interesting. Perfectly lovely in town again….20 degrees cooler and fog in Pacifica.

Chinatown is still fun. We walked the hugely steep hills and stopped in many stores to pick up the requisite souvenir finding a great deal of variation in quality and merchandise. Am already regretting not buying one of the beautifully tailored silk jackets that were on “special sale”!

Enjoyed some street musicians then on to dinner.


R & G Lounge (rnglounge.com)  had been praised in several books as the best place to eat. It was packed with locals which we thought was a really good sign. Don’t know if they treated us differently than them, but our food was totally bland. What a disappointment.

Could spend weeks in San Francisco, but we are tiring of the travel and are on scenic-overload! We've made the decision to begin the long trip east....after one more important stop....Peeble Beach.