Day 2

On day 2 in the city by the bay, we awoke to drizzle and gray skies. We were not deterred. We knew we had a lot of ground to cover in a few short days, so off we set. I would like to mention I am a little obsessed with the weather, the w.eather c.hannel, w.eather.com and so on (i feel your laughter, my friend who calls me to ask about the weather. yes, I'm talking about you). So, I might have checked the potential forecast twenty or three hundred times before we left and knew there was rain in the forecast. Now, normally that's where my forgetfulness would have fallen in and I would have forgotten the umbrella, but alas, my slightly less than full functioning brain remembered, so long story short, we had an umbrella for the trip. And, yes, I realize they probably sell them there. Anyway. I digress.



Day 2. I happened to read about this market that is open just Tuesdays and Saturdays at the Port building, and thought it looked fun. No one we talked to mentioned it from their previous travels and said "yes, you have to go there", but we are so glad we did. We rode the trolley cars down to the bay and walked through the market, buying yummy cherries, tasting different cheeses, and of course, coffee. The market indoors is available everyday - it's a little more posh, but the outdoor market is fresh fruits, vegetables, flowers, etc from the surrounding areas...

HELLO CHERRIES!!

The Bay Bridge from the pier outside the Port Building

Our next stop took us to Pier 39 - quite the tourist area, and we didn't stay long, but we did check out the seals that live there

This is a friend of the seals. Really, just a cool picture with no zoom that Emily took of the bird next to us on the pier. It's obviously disturbed by us...

The Rock

Further down our adventure by the bay was the Boudin Bakery - a fun and delicious place my sister-in-law recommended. It was a nice place to rest the tired feet and people watch too. San Francisco tourists seem to be quite the melting pot of people and nationalities. Anyway, at this bakery, they make amazing sourdough bread and sourdough bread novelties. There is a wine bar, deli, restaurant, and tour - where you can see everything from start to finish of the bread business. I was quite the fan of all the animals they made out of the bread - lobsters, turtles, alligators, crabs, bears, etc.

Ghiradelli Square - some tasty chocolate treats and a small reprieve from the rain

Em and I - the Golden Gate behind us in the fog.

So, after a really long day thus far - off on our time change, meal times, walking a lot, and dealing with drizzle, we decide to go drop our souvenir purchases and sourdough turtle at our hotel room before dinner. So, we get back on the trolley and head up the hill towards our hotel when it stops abruptly and says that is as far as it can go at this time due the fact that the president's motorcade is expected and security is EVERYWHERE. So, they direct us to walk the rest of the way. Well, it happens that the president is going to the F.airmont - directly across from our hotel, so there is no in or out of that particular area and we are barricaded. Exhausted, we decide to wait and see the motorcade and pomp and circumstance. I mean, political opinions aside, how often does this happen? So, we stand there, and the president and his entourage drive right past us, and we see the president about 6 ft from us through the window of his car. It was insane - the armored cars, secret service (not so secret), the guns, the press, the police; I can't even tell you how many came zooming past us. We are then told by the officer standing next to us that the blockade will be in effect until he leaves - in a few hours. So, with no hope of getting to our hotel anytime soon, we decide to head back to the bay for some grub.

What seemed really frustrating turned in to being one of the funnest parts of the trip. A trolley car ride with Lance. Lance was hilarious with a capital H. He told us all about the trolley car history and system, he pointed out interesting parts of the city and became our little tour guide. Emily and I both got to ring the bell on the trolley car and were given some really good laughs. Lance was eager to pose for pictures

Day two was fantastic. Exhausting, educational and soooo much fun!! We ate at the In-and-Out Burger back at the bay, walked along the pier, and shopped before heading back to the now open streets up the hill to our hotel and fall asleep to get ready for Day 3.