San Francisco

San Francisco was amazing!!  We had a great time and saw so much in the three full days that we were there.  We started the trip off with a Tower Tour.  The first stop was Muir Woods.  The redwood trees were breathtaking. The tallest tree was 258 feet high, with the oldest being 1200 years.  I couldn't believe this National Forest was so close to such a big city. 

 Next stop, Sausalito.  We only stopped here briefly, so we grabbed lunch (fish tacos for me, fish and chips for Allan- YUM!) and admired all of the boats on the bay. 

Then, it was on to the Golden Gate Bridge!  I was so excited that we actually got to see it up close.  It was massive.  I feel for the locals that have to drive across it everyday being that the toll to cross is $6.00!  Unbelievable!!

Next, was definitely one of the highlights of the trip.. Alcatraz!  The tour was really interesting.  It was home to some of the worst and most dangerous criminals.  It was built to be impenetrable, but there were many escape attempts.  Only one attempt may have been successful.  The three men that escaped were never found.  Some think they drowned and some think they could be living in South America (all three men had been learning Spanish before their escape).  The prison closed in 1963 and was occupied by American Indians a year later to get the government's attention in order to save their tribes.  Not only was the history and mystery of the island captivating, the island was absolutely beautiful and there could not have been a better view of the city's skyline, Golden Gate Bridge, and Bay Bridge anywhere else in the area.

  

Wednesday, we hiked the hills of San Francisco to find "the crookedest street" (Lombard Street).  They constructed the street to be almost impossible to drive down in order to decrease the amount of traffic in the area, but of course, the opposite occurred.  Everyone wants to be able to say they drove down the crookedest street, so there are constantly people braving the curves!  We couldn't get the best picture, but this is what it looks like.  We continued on to Fisherman's Wharf via the cable car (so cute and fun).  This is a very "touristy" area, but it is totally worth the trip just to get ice cream in Ghirardelli Square and watch the sea lions sunbathe at Pier 39.  At times, up to around 200 sea lions can be seen at the pier.  No one really knows why they choose to congregate at Pier 39, but the tourists (like us!) love it!  That night we explored the downtown (Union Square) area and did a little shopping (H&M!!).  

Thursday, we rode a bus to see the "Painted Ladies" or "Postcard Row".  I love these Victorian style houses and the view from Alamo Square was worth the slightly sketchy bus ride there. 

The rest of the afternoon was spent in Chinatown.  I love my new sushi plates ($1/plate!!), chopsticks, and Pashmina scarf.  I've never seen goods priced so cheap.  If you go to San Francisco and want to bring something home, go to Chinatown!  We stumbled upon the Golden Gate Fortune Cookie Factory.  Cool, but strange (sort of what I would picture a sweat shop to be like?!). 

Finally, the reason we went-- The 1st Annual Supersonic Electronic Invitational at Spoke Art!  The show was really cool.  There was a lot of illustrative work and it was very different than work that I've seen in galleries around MS.  I loved both pieces Allan submitted for the show.  He sold the lego piece which was really exciting! The show was definitely a great networking opportunity.  We met some really great people and everyone was so nice and welcoming.  Everyone seemed amused that we were from Mississippi.  It was almost as if Mississippi was this mystical land that everyone had heard of, but didn't think actually existed.  Hopefully we represented our state well.  We remembered to wear our shoes!  =)

Hopefully, many more trips like this one are in our future!