Day Numero Dos en San Francisco

Yeah not sure if that title is right, See how much good high school spanish class does?

Much better day today. Turns out we accidentally walked through the heart of the Tenderloin yesterday. Oops. It really gave me a false impression of the city. I shouldn't have doubted it so quickly.

We headed out in the late morning to a brunch at Cafe de la Presse and then we hit Chinatown. So much nicer and less sketchy than Montreal's Chinatown. We shopped at the cute (most of them ripoff) stores and we finally went down the gross, smelly alleyway to where my Dad assigned us to find out how fortune cookies were made. Golden Gate Fortune Cookies was a narrow hole-in-the-wall tourist trap, but that's what gave it it's charm. there was me, Michelle and a family of four and that is all that could fit into the store at once. The manager stood by one of the workers while she pulled hot, flat cookies off of the plates and folded them into the right shape. A cup of quarters stood by him and a sign that said "50 cent if you take pictures"

So I paid my two quarters, took a picture of the lady folding cookies as a souvineer for my dad and we bought our bag of cookies. before we left, the cute old asian man gave us both a smile, a pat on the shoulder and a warm, fresh frotune cookie. It was the best fortune cookie I've ever had. It sure beat those marshmallow tasting ones at the Panda Express I always rave about. My fortune cookie said "Your tallent will proove to be useful this week."

We wouldn't even be here if not for my tallent, as Michelle said. :3

After I got lured into many stores to buy lots of bootlegs of things I could have bought authentically at other tourist stores, we caught the California St Cable Car to take us to Van Ness Ave so we could walk over to Japantown.

I have fallen deeply in love with those adorable, worn, creeky and charming trolley cars.

Me and Michelle jumped on it as it stopped in Chinatown and I held onto the pole next to me for dear life as I stood on it's side and it took off with a jolt up the hill. They say that the California St route is the least scenic route out of all 3 Cable Car lines. I'd love to see what Powell-Hyde and Powell-Mason look like, because the scenery speeding up and down Nob Hill was breathtaking. From the top, I could see the downtown skyline to the east and the victorian houses on their hills to the west. The breeze was amazing too as I leaned out of the car to get a better look infront of us (while dodging cars and other Cable Cars to avoid my arm getting taken off) and our gripman was funny and nice too. Even as I sit here in the basement computer room of our dormatory, I can hear the bells of the cable cars a couple of blocks away.

I'm completely in love with this city and I haven't even seen the Golden Gate Bridge yet.

We got off at Van Ness and hiked a hill to get to Japantown then headed over to the Japanese Culture Market after resting our crying hamstrngs by the Peace Pagoda. I satisfied my Otakuness after a shopping spree at Kinokunya (where I bought all Hetalia: Axis Powers stuff. Ahaha.) and then went to a store full of adorable, bug-eyed sibilings, friends and roomates of Hello Kitty and bought a callendar by Tomoko Maruyama from her Colors of San Francisco collection. It's always nice to see local artists being sold in large stores like that. I support them whenever I get the chance.

After taking a cab back to the dorm room for an hour of R&R, we headed to Home at long last. We indulged in sourdough bread, macaroni and cheese that could make you cry, meatloaf, chicken fried chicken, mashed potatoes and cornbread with honey butter. No matter how much we wanted to eat every single last crumb on our plates, we finally had to throw in the towel (napkin) for fear we would explode if we didn't.

And so that's where the day leaves me now, back at the Commadore Dorms in the basement computer room with students hopping in and out to use the Macs or the microwave. Or both. Michelle is upstairs and has already been asleep for a few hours, lucky ducky. I snuck out to go buy a copy of the Chronicle but got too chicken to venture out onto Sutter St by myself to find a hard copy so I cane down here and read a few articled for free here on the computer.

Well, it's 9:10 and I'm sleepy, I think. Time to hit "Publish Post" and hit the hay, I think. We need to be checked out of the dorms by noon tomorrow and check in at the hotel on Fisherman's Wharf is at 3. I'll be excited to be in a room where they not only provide towels but PILLOWS too! Hella!

Goodnight, all. If anyone has read this whole thing, I love you dearly.