What was that?
Drive on the California Freeway to the bart station to get into the city?
Heck yes! Never did I imagine that my first time driving on a highway would take place in San Francisco. Nonetheless could I imagine doing it by myself! It was so easy and it came so naturally for me. I bumped up the music and rolled the window down because I was cruisin' on the highway now, oh yyyyea!
The bart was very convenient and dropped me off in Union Square near the Trolly Car station. I know it is a common tourist experience, but why not? I am a tourist aren't I? Well I waited in line for an hour and ended up hopping on the wrong trolley car! I got on the Powell- Mason Line but I wanted the Powell- Hyde Line, so I hopped off on top of a hill and slipped onto the back of the next Powell- Hyde Line car that came my way. I made some friends on the way, especially with the trolly conductor of who I asked questions about the Alcatraz Tour and other options.
I got to Fisherman's Wharf and headed straight to the Cruise and Bay Tours ticket booth to find out that the conductor was right and the Alcatraz tours book up far in advance, so I used my better judgement and bought a ticket to the next Sea Bay Adventure Tour. I paid an extra $3 for an extra half hour on the tour, which I recommend avoiding because there isn't anything extra that is worth paying more for and staying longer on the boat.
I nearly got blown off into the San Francisco bay! The winds were fierce and whipping across my face. I got excited once we reached the Golden Gate Bridge and went right under it.
The Sea Tour was a great opporunity to take pictures and to meet some other tourists.
THe next thing on my agenda was lunch. I wandered up and down Fisherman's Wharf in search of just the right place, with the right price. There are a lot of expensive restaurants because of the touristy area, but I stopped and asked a few locals and with some more searching I came across Buena Vista Cafe(http://events.contracostatimes.com/san-francisco-ca/venues/show/5891-buena-vista-cafe)
near Ghiradelli Square (http://www.ghirardellisq.com/ghirardellisq/events.php?id=6). I checked out the menu and saw that they had a Veggie burger with sweet potatoe fries meal for less than $10! I was sold, so I went in and sat by the bar. Service was very slow and it was unfortunate because the food was great. I had to wait 25 minutes for my veggie burger and though the waitress would remind the chefs about my order, it didn't seem to get it to me any faster. I was in no rush though. I was by myself and taking every moment in. It felt great to not have to worry about someone else and ask them what they felt like eating or what they wanted to do next. I just did my own thing. Traveling alone gets a big A + from me and everyone should try it.
After a hearty and tasty lunch, I headed back down toward the piers because I wanted to still do the Blazing Saddles bike tour (www.blazingsaddles.com). There were many locations along the Wharf. I went in and rented a bike for about 2 hours, just enough time to bike the bridge and head back. The employees were young and very friendly! Very attractive too if I may say so myself ;) I was good to go and off I was once the cute Irishman went through all the instructions with me.
I started peddling up and down hills and alongside the bay and stopped to take pictures just about every 10 minutes. If you want great exercise, great pictures, and a great story I suggest biking the bridge. To have done that 7 mile stretch alone made me feel incredibly independent and brand new! Granted my legs were jello and I was sweating up a storm, but it was the one thing during my time in San Fran that actually gave me the feeling that I was leaving things behind in my life and out searching and finding new things to live for.
I met a lot of riders along the way, mostly families. I didn't expect to have to ride up so many hills! WOW- I made it though and I zoomed by the cars waiting to get onto the bridge. I made my way onto the bridge in its grandiose, burnt orange beauty. Oh how breathtaking the view was!
I rode on the bridge for quite a bit, but started feeling a bit queasy. I knew I had to hop off and walk the rest of the way across. It was a bit scary being up so high and walking alongside hundreds of cars that were flying by. I kept looking out for the famous red convertible, but no show- I couldn't believe Danny, Jessie, and Joey let me down :( It's OK I got over it haha. I was on the Golden Gate Bridge, I managed to get there by myself, and I was in the midst of San Francisco fog!
The ride back was a breeze, I flew down hills and breathed in the fresh air along the Pacific Coast before heading back toward the Wharf. Upon my return to the bike shop, I found myself in a conversation with the cute Irishman who helped me earlier. There was no one around and we had the chance to introduce ourselves and talk about our stay in San Fran. We planned on meeting up again very soon actually...hmm- how exciting! :)
I had to head back home though and the trolley car wait was not that fun. It took about 2 hours to get on the train and get back down to the bart station. I made a phone call home and told my family about my day in the city. They were in amazement and I was really proud of myself!
Off to the bart station and time to head home. I still couldn't believe how natural it felt for me to drive on the highway and know exactly where and when to get off! The fun continued with a nice dinner with my new adopted family ;) and it was followed by dessert at Yogurtouille(http://www.yelp.com/biz/yogurtouille-san-mateo-4). It is the hottest new trend in the city where people go to get frozen yogurt and dairy free frozen yogurt and dress it with all sorts of toppings. I went a little crazy and paid about $6 for my mound of dairy free strawberry yogurt and toppings, but I was taking advantage of it!
The night ended with a get together with my new group of friends. Everyone mentioned that I belong on the West Coast and that I was such a laid back kind of person who would be perfect here! After today's adventures, I was actually starting to believe that myself...
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