Last Two Days in San Francisco

San Francisco
Let's see, where did I leave off? Oh yeah...now I remember.

Wednesday.
After having our In N Out burgers at Fisherman's Wharf we meandered down through Chinatown again and then to Grace Cathedral. What a beautiful cathedral, very impressive architecture.





From there we walked past what we thought was the Flood Mansion; turned out it wasn't the Flood Mansion at all and I still don't know what this big, brown, mansion is. We stopped at The Fairmont Hotel for a coffee/drink for a rest. Our feet/back were beginning to hurt. WE then took a cab from there to Telegraph Hill and Coit Tower. Legend has it that this monument is shaped like a fire-hose nozzle. It is not, at least not by design. The tower is the gift of Lilly Hitchcock Coit, an eccentric heiress who managed to stand out in a city full of them. Lilly's particular passion was for the San Francisco Fire Department. So when the money she left in her will for the city's beautification was used to construct the art deco tower on Telegraph Hill in 1932, people made assumptions. The view from here is amazing! I felt like I could see forever. And it was a perfectly clear day as well.



After the tower we headed to North Beach area for dinner. After checking out several restaurants, including Joe DiMaggio's, (which we couldn't afford) we settled on Caffe Delucchi -- an excellent Italian Restaurant. I finally realized that we have ate at an Italian Restaurant every night but one since we have been here. And all of them have been excellent.

Thursday
Jennifer left for home early this morning. After we had breakfast, Kathy and Janet headed out for a walking tour of Victorian homes. I elected to not aggravate my back any more. I headed for Chinatown and then walked back to the hotel...which I discovered was a 2 mile walk. However, it was down hill and since the weather has been so nice I really enjoyed it. I took my time and rested and walked at a slower pace than the girls do. I know I probably hold them up when we are going somewhere together...I just can't walk as fast as they can anymore. Guess age is really starting to creep up on me...at least I feel it this week as I can't keep up with the young crustaceans anymore--and yes, I am the old crab!

This evening we ventured out to a Brazilian Steakhouse! OH MY GOODNESS! I repeat, OH MY GOODNESS! If you have never been to one; GO! They are bit on the expensive side, but when you realize what all you get, the expense evens out. You start out at the salad bar; which is huge! All kinds of different salads, coucous, my favorite taboleh, and much more. Also there is hot dishes of beans, rice, paella, potatoes, etc. Back at your table you have a round disk that on one side is red and says STOP and the other side is Green and says GO. GO! Then the feast begins. First of all, most of the meat is served by waiters handling a huge skewer of meat and a very sharp knife! First one to our table had sausages, very tasty. Next came top sirloin, then chicken hearts (yes, you read that right), then beef chunks marinated in red wine (delicious), then pork roast, chicken legs, shrimp, and finally filet mignon. All were excellent, but the filet was the best I have ever had. We litterally waddled out of the place and waddled back to our hotel! We were stuffed but happy. Very different dining experience and I thought it was excellent!

FRIDAY
Good bye San Francisco, back to the real world. We hit the airport early and Kathy and Janet caught an early flight back to Seattle. I was on a different airline so I didn't leave until 1:00 p.m. and into Seattle by 3:00 p.m. Had to change airlines, so I got my luggage and drug the whole mess to Alaska Airlines for my flight to Spokane. I got up to the gate and had over an hour to wait, so I was chatting with the lady next to me when I looked up and there stood Al's niece Penny! We were sure surprised to see each other. She had been to Seattle for a conference and was on her way home to Spokane and we were on the same, very packed flight back to Spokane.

Jerry and AL picked me up and we stopped for dinner which was no comparison to the night before! Got home to some very happy to see me dogs and cats! Now the real work starts...getting the 5th wheel ready to leave for Tucson hopefully on Sunday. More from the road.