Saturday, July 18
Well, flew home today. United leg of trip definitely not as smooth as Air Canada portion, but we made it home in one piece so that’s the most important thing. Got to the airport at an ungodly hour (ha! Why do I always pick itineraries I end up regretting?!) and decided to have breaky there. Found a good restaurant and ordered the full breakfast. We asked for dry scrambled eggs but when they got to the table they were running all over the plate – ick. Skipped that part.
There are lots of shops to keep you busy, especially with typical San Fran stuff to take home like Ghirardelli and See’s candies, salt water taffy and everything you can possibly imagine putting a bridge on – shirts, bags, mugs, hats, jackets, chocolates, pictures, postcards and on, and on, and on. Naturally I now have a reusable shopping bag with SAN FRANCISCO blazened all across it in varying colours!
Snoozed the whole way to Denver, pretty typical for me on a plane; sometimes I don’t even make it to the end of the runway. Once we got to Denver I was so excited. I’ve been trying to route trips through Denver for a few years now after seeing a show about the fabric roof they were installing over the terminal. At one point (and it probably still is) it was the largest fabric roof in North America (or was it the Northern Hemisphere?....) Anyway, we step off the plane, look up… and it’s a solid roof. So we start moving (away from the gate we need for our connecting flight) thinking each new area is going to be “the one”. Then I spotted it outside a window – and it’s about a mile away. Denver is the 3rd largest airport by land area in the world. Hubby reluctantly agrees to check it out after I tell him he has no choice. We start truckin’ over there because it’s FAAAAR and we only have an hour. Manage to find a train to the other terminals, so we hop on and get off at the next stop…. and the roof is solid here too. So, we’re going to get back on the train to try another terminal but we just happen to catch sight of an information booth where the guy proceeds to tell us that it’s actually outside of security and if we’re going to see it we need at least a 2 hour stopover. All these years, so close and yet so far. Darn.
No TV or movies on the return since it was a little Canadair Regional jet, but such a great look at the mountains. I can't imagine being stuck in an aisle seat, there's always something amazing to see outside!
All in all, a really great trip. Something we had never considered before, and yet had an amazing time.
Some final tips:
Well, flew home today. United leg of trip definitely not as smooth as Air Canada portion, but we made it home in one piece so that’s the most important thing. Got to the airport at an ungodly hour (ha! Why do I always pick itineraries I end up regretting?!) and decided to have breaky there. Found a good restaurant and ordered the full breakfast. We asked for dry scrambled eggs but when they got to the table they were running all over the plate – ick. Skipped that part.
There are lots of shops to keep you busy, especially with typical San Fran stuff to take home like Ghirardelli and See’s candies, salt water taffy and everything you can possibly imagine putting a bridge on – shirts, bags, mugs, hats, jackets, chocolates, pictures, postcards and on, and on, and on. Naturally I now have a reusable shopping bag with SAN FRANCISCO blazened all across it in varying colours!
Snoozed the whole way to Denver, pretty typical for me on a plane; sometimes I don’t even make it to the end of the runway. Once we got to Denver I was so excited. I’ve been trying to route trips through Denver for a few years now after seeing a show about the fabric roof they were installing over the terminal. At one point (and it probably still is) it was the largest fabric roof in North America (or was it the Northern Hemisphere?....) Anyway, we step off the plane, look up… and it’s a solid roof. So we start moving (away from the gate we need for our connecting flight) thinking each new area is going to be “the one”. Then I spotted it outside a window – and it’s about a mile away. Denver is the 3rd largest airport by land area in the world. Hubby reluctantly agrees to check it out after I tell him he has no choice. We start truckin’ over there because it’s FAAAAR and we only have an hour. Manage to find a train to the other terminals, so we hop on and get off at the next stop…. and the roof is solid here too. So, we’re going to get back on the train to try another terminal but we just happen to catch sight of an information booth where the guy proceeds to tell us that it’s actually outside of security and if we’re going to see it we need at least a 2 hour stopover. All these years, so close and yet so far. Darn.
No TV or movies on the return since it was a little Canadair Regional jet, but such a great look at the mountains. I can't imagine being stuck in an aisle seat, there's always something amazing to see outside!
All in all, a really great trip. Something we had never considered before, and yet had an amazing time.
Some final tips:
You’ll be pretty sore the first day as your legs get used to climbing hills. But you do get used to it very quickly; at least the regular stuff. The CRAZY steep hills still take a lot of energy.
There is a flock of wild parrots at the Filbert Street Steps, which lead to the Coit tower and offer really great views. Although we never made it to the tower, we were lucky enough to see them across from the Ferry Building, in the park at Embarcadero Plaza. Heard a great big birdy racket and there they were, swooping overhead. Pretty fast little guys!
San Francisco isn’t afraid of its history. They’ll talk about the dirty days of the gold rush. They don’t hide the ugly truth about what happened to Chinese immigrants in the 1800s and the Japanese in the 1900s. They embrace Alcatraz’s past including military prison, federal penitentiary, and native occupation.
Depending where you’re going to be staying and where you’ll be visiting, you might seriously consider a MUNI pass. They’re good for buses, trams and cable cars. Individual rides can be a couple dollars each, but an unlimited pass is only $18 for 3 days or $24 for a week. They also have one day passes available. The passes were a lifesaver for us. Because we were visiting quite a few different locations and we weren’t staying at the water it really helped us get around easily and cheaply.
If you want to catch a cable car, early morning is best and the turnaround near The Cannery at the wharf is the busiest. We were there one afternoon and even though there were three cars to be loaded, the lineup was still going to take an hour for us to get our turn. Instead we ended up catching the California Line at Market and riding all the way to Van Ness which is only a few blocks from our hotel. But, if you don’t want to just ride, if you also want to see the turnaround (where the conductor gets out, grabs hold and gives a heave to physically turn it around on the track) try the other Powell-Hyde turnaround at Taylor and Bay or the Powell-Mason at Powell and Ellis.
Because our trip to the zoo took longer than we planned we never made it to Golden Gate Park, but I feel pretty confident in saying that it would be a worthwhile trip. There’s a lot to see and do, so check it out before you go and decide which section of the park suits you best.
We were there Tuesday to Friday and the crowds were great. But Friday starts to pick up and we heard that Saturday is absolutely crazy at the piers. Keep that in mind if you don’t like waiting or being jostled. But, there’s a lot more going on those days too with street performers out in full swing including a tightrope juggler, dancers and airbrush painters.
There are coupons available, in print and online, for food and attractions.
Print: Bay City Guide and the Rental Guide are both free on the street. There are also maps all over the place – handed out at hotels, restaurants and attractions, and they usually have coupons all over them.
Online: http://www.sfguide.com/ and http://www.baycityguide.com/.
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