Day Three

Yeah. English. Woa.

But we had another amazing day.

We both started out with a shower and we packed our bags, then headed to the Cup-of-Joe on the corner of our block to buy some breakfast and a newspaper and use some free Wifi. That lasted for a good two hours before we had to head back across the street to the Commadore dorms, check out of our room and wait in the commons area for another few hours until we could check into the Holiday Inn at Fisherman's Wharf. We finally caught a cab with the nicest driver we've had yet (though all our cabbies have all been really friendly) who had fun taking the scenic route to the hotel for us two small town tourists. I love how the locals embrace tourists here. We have been asked where we are from more times than I can count this week.

He drove us right over the top of Russian Hill to our first views of the northern San Francisco Bay and Alcatraz Island. He also drove us past the bottom of Lombard Street (aka the Crooked Street) where he stopped and rolled down the window for me so I could snap a couple pictures. Needless to say, he got a huge tip after he dropped us off at our hotel and unloaded our bags out of the trunk.

Finally we got up to our room and we marveled at the fact we now had a TV, Wifi and PILLOWS. Amazing.

Our relaxation didn't last long. I was itching to get my first views of the bridge. We headed out with the throws of tourists to the wharf. We saw the old ships at Pier 49 and snapped some more awesome pictures of Alcatraz and Berkeley, but still no views of the bridge. We weaved through the crouds in line for Joe's Crab Shack and the arcades, and found Hyde St. Pier. I remembered an old friend of mine telling me it wad her favorite place in all of San Francisco, so I turned onto the pier, looked to the northwest and smiled. More like spazzed and went "Look, Michelle, look!" while running to the edge of the dock.

It was my first view of the Golden Gate Bridge.

It barely looked real out in the hazy distance, more grey than orange between Marin and San Francisco. It was beautiful. We stayed there for almost an hour drinking in the breathtaking bay views and chilly Pacific wind before the lines of tourist traps and our growling stomachs yearned for eachother, and we went on a search for the California fast food staple, In-N-Out. I was pleasantly surprised at the menu. You could order the number 1, 2 or 3. We both opted for the 2 (a cheeseburger, fries and a drink) to save room for Ghirardelli's ice cream afterwards. It was so simple and delicious.

On our way to Ghirardelli Square, we ran into the Powell and Hyde cable car turnaround and the tiny park and beach to the west of Hyde St Pier. We had absolutely perfect views of Angel Island, Marin County and the now orange tinted bridge. We sat forever watching the boats and swimmers in the sparkling water on our spot on the steps leading to the small, soft sanded beach. We were also entertained by a seagull weaffectionatly dubbed Scott who we watched fight over, win, choke on and wash down a huge piece of food he found in the sand. So funny.

Both of us ordered massive ice cream sundaes after we managed to tear ourselves away from the breathtaking bay, and after we were properly sent into sugar-induced comas, we dragged ourselves back to our hotel to enjoy some Stephen Colbert, South Park, Robot Chicken and now Futurama. The views outside our window are amazing too. I can see Coit Tower perfectly out towards the southeast. So pretty.

More San Franciscan adventures tomorrow! Thanks again for reading, guys. It makes me really happy.