We flew over to Mari’s favorite city this three-day weekend.

Passing through the terminal that are adorned with painted wild red-crowned parrots of Telegraph Hill.

Early bird gets the parking stall.

Starting our walk across the one mile suspension bridge that spans across San Francisco Bay.

Looking down at the safety netting that was installed in 2017 to cut down on people jumping four seconds to their death by trauma or hypothermia. Fort Point can also be seen sitting on the promontory overlooking the entrance to the bay.

Photo of the seacoast fortification circa 1891 taken by James Schepp. Plans for the bridge originally called for the fort’s removal in the 1930s but it was redesigned to save the now historic site.

Bug’s eye view of the South Tower.

Marked safe from getting a speeding ticket.

Looking down at The Needles, a rock formation primarily inhabited by seabirds.

End of the bridge walk for us.

North side views.

We crossed underneath the bridge to go back the other way. Or so we thought.

Nothing to see here. Move along. The other side was reserved for bicyclists only. Besides, the views were on the ocean side.

Bird’s eye view of the iconic bridge of San Francisco. If the US military had their druthers, the bridge would have been painted in yellow and black stripes instead of the now recognizable International Orange color.

Fun fact: There are 27,572 wires in each of the two main suspension cables that are roughly three feet in diameter and weigh 24,500 tons.

I thought there were only 128 light poles on the 4,200′ bridge. I guess we are off the bridge. End of the walk.

Wandering around the exhibits and shop before leaving so that the circling vultures could come home to roost.

Contributing our toll fee to the daily revenue generated which is around $440,000. By contrast, the neighboring Bay Bridge rakes in almost $2 million daily.

Driving our way down the eight sharp hairpin turns on a 27 degree grade down the crookedest street in the world. It’s actually Vermont Street, but Lombard Street has the better marketing machine.

Love is in the air, after all it’s Valentine’s Day.

Walking around the popular tourist attraction that was built in 1978, where we saw sea birds and lions, sampled chocolates and donuts, had clam chowder and crab sandwiches washed downed with the “better coffee” and ended with a magic act.

Drove around the residential park a few times before snagging a questionable parking spot.

Soaking in the views of the “Postcard Row” of colorful painted houses that were built in the Victorian and Edwardian style popular in the late 1800s to early 1900s.

Mari next to the tallest building in San Francisco, topping out at 61 stories which translates to a height of 1,070′.

Strolling in the public park that are home to 600 trees and 16,000 plants.

The skyscraper was originally known as Transbay Tower but was changed to its current name when Salesforce became the anchor tenant.

We took the short gondola ride down instead of the elevator. The wait was significantly longer than the ride itself.

Who’s driving?

The self-driving car navigated the congested streets of San Francisco with great aplomb. No worries whatsoever.

No trip to the Bay area is complete without a stop at the popular fast food restaurant, that is still family-owned to this day to ensure quality control.

Home Sweet Home for the night.

Day 2

What better way to celebrate the year of the Horse than in the oldest Chinatown in North America?

Mari against the backdrop of Transamerica Pyramid that is the second tallest building in the city topping out at 853′.

Not my year.

Multiple vendors were selling bunches and branches of the “queen of flowers,” plum flowers represent the five blessings of longevity, prosperity, happiness, peace, and good luck.

Taking my picture against Tin How Temple, which is one of the oldest still-operating Chinese temples in the United States. Closed for the holidays. Even Taoist monks need a vacation.

We caught the colorful lion dance parading through the streets. The lion is not native to China, so the dance is thought to have originated in Persia or India.

What fortunes await us at the Golden Gate Fortune Cookie Factory? The Chinese fortune cookie actually originated in Japan and spread to America in the 1900s. Don’t ask for them in China. No fortune cookies for you!

The iconic cable cars of San Francisco are the world’s last manually operated cable-car system.

Spending some time at the working museum that chronicles the history of the cable cars.

What?!?

Standing at the Southern entrance to Chinatown that is marked by the Dragon Gate that was built in 1969 as a gift from Taiwan.

Checked out two of the four Hearts in San Francisco sculptures at the public plaza that is at the hub of upscale stores, restaurants, art and entertainment bordered by the homeless.

Mari in front of the 85′ tall Dewey Monument that celebrates Admiral Dewey’s victory in the Battle of Manila Bay in 1898.

Better than Uber.

Of course we had to stop here. The square was originally the headquarters of Ghirardelli Chocolate Company in 1893, until they relocated to San Leandro in the early 1960s. In 1964, it was repurposed into a community of shops and restaurants.

Fed our savory and sweet tooth’s.

Shotgun!

Pit stop at the “neighborhood grocery store” that seems to be a magnet for Hawaii people.

Day 3
The forecasted rain finally showed up on our last day. What to do on a rainy day? We drove to Golden Gate Park to visit one of the largest natural history museums in the world.

We were greeted at the door by a replica fossil of a T-Rex with a Tiny Chef in its mouth.

Meandering our way through the over 400,000 square feet of over 46 million specimens. We were going to see a mere fraction of that.

Looking down at the Alligator Snapping Turtle, which are the largest freshwater turtles in North America.

Standing in simulated earthquakes that have rattled San Francisco in 1906 and 1989. We then walked over to the Morrison Planetarium to take in an immersive meteor crashing simulation.

Is that Tiny Chef dressed up in a wetsuit and ready to clean the stream?

Which watermarked photo shall we pick? We’ll take them all.

Judging by the long line, this must be the most popular exhibit.

Exploring the four-level dome that are home to over 1,600 live animals.

Passing by the aquarium teeming with marine life.

Probably a close runner up for the most popular exhibit, the African Penguins. Didn’t know they had penguins in Africa.

Checking for cavities or holes in my head.

Checking out. San Francisco, it was real. Until next time.

Photos taken by Mari Saito and yours truly. Not necessarily in order.

Note: I have been made aware that some hikers have been using my blog as a hiking guide and getting lost on the trails. Please note that this blog was made to document the hike for the crew(s) that did it. That is why some of my comments will seem to have no relevance or meaning to anybody outside of the crew(s) that hiked that trail. My blog was never meant as a hiking guide, so please do not treat it as such. If you find inspiration and entertainment from these hikes, that is more than enough. If you plan on replicating these hikes, do so in the knowledge that you should do your own research accordingly as trail conditions, access, legalities and so forth are constantly in flux. What was current today is most likely yesterdays news. Please be prepared to accept any risks and responsibilities on your own as you should know your own limitations, experience and abilities before you even set foot on a trail, as even the “simplest” or “easiest” of trails can present potential pitfalls for even the most “experienced” hikers. One should also always let somebody know of your hiking plans in case something doesn’t go as planned, better safe than sorry.

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