This is a lengthy title, but I have a lot to say. Our first sights and sounds of
San Francisco
were amazing.
Here we are leaving for Des Moines to go to the airport.
The song that came to mind was...
"Are you going to San Francisco?
Be sure to wear some flowers in your hair."
Here is a link: San Francisco- Flowers in Your Hair
John Phillips of the Mamas & the Papas,
reported writing the song in about 20 minutes.
It was sung by Scott McKenzie.
The song, which tells the listeners,
"If you're going to San Francisco,
be sure to wear some flowers in your hair",
is credited with bringing thousands of young people to San Francisco, California,
during the late 1960s.
One of our memories from the commercials we used to watch is...
Rice-A-Roni.
The San Francisco Treat.
And by the way, we did see the street where the commercial was made.
We flew from Des Moines...
...to Denver.
Then we took to the skies for our final destination, San Francisco.
Here are some views of the ever changing landscape below.
I couldn't resist taking a shot of the wind turbines below.
My son works on these, and I am always reminded of him when I see these
tall towering beauties.
The flight was on schedule, and we arrived at our hotel at approximately 10:45 AM.
Our room was ready, so we checked in and then went back out to explore the city.
We stayed at Inn of the Opera.
It was gorgeous and very comfortable.
This is the beautiful City Hall just down the street.
We first headed down the street and purchased a 7 day Muni transportation pass so we could
get around the city. We could hop on a bus, street car, trolley, or cable car.
As we soon discovered, we were glad we did not rent a car.
The traffic in the city is bustling, while impatient drivers try to get to work.
And, what you view on a flat map is often on a hill.
We had an idea of where we wanted to go today. We did not have a scheduled tour planned for the day, so we set our sights for for Haight-Ashbury.
Corner of Haight & Ashbury:
The neighborhood is known for its history of, and being the origin of hippie counterculture.
Back in the mid-1960s, this was perhaps the most famous intersection in the world,
a place where young people came to from all over the world in search of love and peace.
Some found it and some didn't,
but that was only one chapter in this neighborhood's long and colorful history.
Today it's worth a visit just to see the beautiful Victorians that surround the area.
This is the intersection of these two famous streets.
Everywhere you look there is color.
Whether it is a mural painted on the side of a building
or shops filled with tie-dye.
San Francisco is known for its murals.
They are painted all over the Haight.
This one is Jimi Hendrix.
Bands just like the Grateful Dead,
massive Brother and therefore the Holding Company (with Janis Joplin),
and Jefferson Airplane lived within the Haight.
http://haightashburysanfrancisco.com/haightashburysanfrancisco_summer_of_love.html
It evokes a 1960s nostalgia,
from the color, hippie culture, flower-power, & peace and love vibes.
But save for a few hippie relics,
the Haight today is a whole new scene.
Exclusive boutiques, high-end vintage-clothing shops, second-hand stores,
Internet cafés and hip restaurants have all settled in,
making the Haight one of San Francisco's commercial centers.
http://www.sfgate.com/neighborhoods/sf/haight/
Far Out.
We asked where a good place for lunch was,
and this is where we landed.
Doug had one of the signature dishes,
Hash on Haight.
Hash is a dish consisting of diced or chopped meat, potatoes, and spices
that are mixed together and then cooked either alone or with other ingredients such as onions.
The name is derived from the French verb hacher.
(When I looked up the definition, I had to make sure I looked up hash, the food,
in this case Corned Beef Hash.)
https://www.bing.com/search?q=hash+food&filters=ufn%3a%22hash+food%22+sid%3a%22ec39463c-49c9-a00e-dd36-ece988fdeac2%22&form=EDGNTC&qs=MB&cvid=d91a0982a75d480eb3c1d18eb6ed0a98&pq=corned+beef+hash&elv=AM5rXfGQcUV*xRNoGTdwbwTBzkwANgW4wpx8R%21PQPIQV
On to Pier 39
We rode the street car here, and stayed just a little while to check it out.
Boudin is famous for its Sourdough bread.
Clam Chowder served in the Boudin Sourdough Bread Bowl is a favorite here.
The Original San Francisco Sourdough™
In 1849, the Boudin family struck culinary gold.
Wild yeasts in the San Francisco air had imparted a unique tang to their traditional French bread, giving rise to “San Francisco sourdough French bread.”
Today, the Boudin family's initial recipe lives on in the hands and hearts of our expert bakers,
with a portion of the original mother dough still starting each and every sourdough loaf they make.
Pier 39 is most famous for its sea lions.
A few California sea lions began “hauling out” on PIER 39’s K-Dock
shortly after the Loma Prieta earthquake hit San Francisco in October 1989.
This is one of the most popular attractions in the bay.
Fun Facts About Sea Lions
⦁ California sea lions are known for their intelligence, playfulness and noisy barking.
⦁ Although they usually avoid humans, sea lions may bite if provoked.
⦁ Male sea lions reach 850 lbs (390 kg) and 7 ft (2.1 m) in length, while females can reach 220 lbs (110 kg) and up to 6 ft (1.8 m) in length.
⦁ You can distinguish males from females: males develop a bump or “crest” on their heads at four or five years of age. A majority of the sea lions at PIER 39 are male.
⦁ Sea lions have external ear flaps: seals do not.
⦁ Sea lions in the wild may live up to 25 years.
⦁ Sea lions migrate to areas across the Pacific Coast, from Vancouver to the southern tip of Baja. Most pups are born on the Channel Islands located off Southern California in June.
⦁ California sea lions are protected by the Marine Mammal Protection Act. It is unlawful for unauthorized persons to feed, handle or harass them.
⦁ One of the biggest dangers to sea lions today is becoming entangled in plastic pollution.
Dinner at The Grove
Here is a modified recipe from Betty Crocker web sight.
- 1 -2/3 cups frozen mixed vegetables
- 1 cup cut-up cooked chicken
- 1 can (10 3/4 ounces) condensed cream of chicken soup
- 1 refrigerated pie crust
Heat oven to 400°F. Mix vegetables, chicken and soup together.
In ungreased ceramic baking bowl add the vegetable mixture.
Place the bowl on a baking sheet.
Lay the pie crust over the top and sides of the bowl. Push the crust close to the sides
and trim around the bottom of the bowl
Bake uncovered for about 30 minutes or until the crust is brown.
http://www.bettycrocker.com/recipes/impossibly-easy-chicken-pot-pie/f56faec7-3303-4720-9e68-adbd534fb0f6?p=1
The presentation for this pot pie was spectacular!
This savory meal was like having a delicious dinner at home.
A nice end of our first day in San Francisco.
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