Sunday, June 17, 2012

Day 17: San Francisco Dreamin'

Today, we decided, was Invasion Day. After so many days of stagnation in Monterey, we were itching to move, itching for a fight. LT2, drawing on her extensive military training, selected the target: San Francisco. The Captain, drawing on his extensive experience with Google maps, selected the invasion route: (whatever road we came in on). The Ocho identified the key players: The Garrigues. The Fourth Amigo agreed to be the spiritual figurehead and dashing spokesperson for the invasion fleet. And so the Invasion of San Francisco began. It was an historic day. A day that will live in infamy.

We entered the city on the east side to avoid any traffic associated with the opening day of the U.S. Open of golf. Wasting no time, we immediately set our GPS destination to the Philz Coffee in Nob Hill. We then headed up Twin Peaks with fresh and delicious pour-over. The view was not the clearest for us, but that could have just as easily been due to the steam coming off our Philz. It also cleared up a bit as we surveyed the city. 

Freshly fired up about all we had to explore, the Lokos headed down the hill and meandered through Golden Gate Park for the views and a visit with the bison. Man are they huge! And furry! 

Wasting no time, we left the park on the west side and hit the coast to tour the Ocean Beach/Land's End side of town. We took in some sights, The Historian read lots of informational signs, and we were back in the car, disappointed that we didn't have more time to hike around. 

The Ocho missed a few turns on her driving tour, including a close-up view of the golden gate and a drive through the Presidio and the Marina, so we landed at Fisherman's Wharf a little early. After we circled the area a few times like a team of voracious sharks, we found a reasonably priced parking lot and we were off to the races! (And by races I mean Pier 39).


We had a great day for Alcatraz - sunny and warm with a healthy wind. The island was even better than expected. Alcatraz is one of those cool tourist attractions that locals can enjoy just as much. The history of the place keeps you on your toes with the tantalizing mixture of creepy prison and exciting escape attempts. The Historian decided to welcome extra excitement and opted for a Spanish audio tour. ¡Que aventurero! Visit our picture album for the day for nice views of the city and sad-looking amigos in prison cells.

Thankfully we made our ferry back and were not stuck on the island for the night. This also meant we got to meet up with The Ocho's big sister, Siete, at her apartment. (You can read Siete's side of this whirlwind adventure at californiacomeback.blogspot.com) We were kindly received with IPAs for happy hour and took another on the road for a tour of the neighborhood, including a pass by the house featured in Mrs. Doubtfire on Steiner street!

Back to the apartment for some grub, Siete whipped up a magical feast of fajitas and salad while The Ocho tried her hand at some grapefruit margaritas. Siete finished it all off with unbelievable individual molten chocolate cakes a la mode! In case you were wondering, yes, The Lokos do realize just how spoiled we are!

Soon after dinner, Siete's husband came home from being away for work, and all rejoiced at the addition. The rest of the night was a super fun session of Would You Rather, riotous laughter, The Historian falling asleep on the couch, and more laughter. Though the day in the city was exciting and action-packed, this was our favorite part of San Francisco. Adventures on the road are awesome, but our hosts have really made the trip what it is. We didn't get to spend nearly enough time in San Francisco, so we'll be back! And with hosts like Mr. and Mrs. Siete, we'll be back soon! But first, we continue our journey north... The Invasion Fleet's next stop is Tacoma, WA. We will show no mercy.

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