Not sure whether it’s climate change or not, but the week of summer we just spent in San Francisco hardly resembled Mark Twain’s famous quip about the coldest winter he’d ever spent. To the contrary, we were blessed with beautiful blue skies and warm temps practically the whole time we were there.
Our first day we urban hiked with daughter S through the financial district and on to the Ferry Building where we met T for lunch at Hog Island Oyster Co. S also managed to try on multiple pairs of sunglasses at the Sunglass Hut by Union Square (her birthday is coming up, after all), where the salesperson was so taken by J’s ancient Native sunglasses he asked where they were from and cleaned them for free. The financial district is much more bustling and youthful than it was our last visit – the move to RTW (return to work) certainly is reinvigorating the city.
After a day or two in SF, we headed south to Monterey to visit family. We drove Highway 1 all the way – I’m not sure I’ve ever been on that stretch. While it’s not as breathtaking as the Big Sur section, the steep cliffs down to the beaches, rolling hills and the wildflowers edging the road are much preferable to the bumper to bumper traffic on 101. We stopped for lunch in Half Moon Bay at The Barn – a fun little sandwich place just off the highway. The last time I remember being in Half Moon Bay was for a 4th of July event back in 1983 when J and I worked at his brother’s computer company for the summer. My main memory of that occasion was watching seemingly staid co-workers throw fireworks from the top of the cliffs down to the beach and crossing their fingers that no one down below ended up part of some spectacular explosion.
Normally Monterey and Pacific Grove are bathed in fog, but even that was not so on this trip. We were able to enjoy several sunny (or sunny-ish) walks and of course dinner at J’s favorite restaurant, Domenico’s. It’s become a family tradition to order sand dabs, which don’t seem to be served anywhere but Monterey. The fact our niece from Nice was also visiting made everything taste even better. Plus, oddly enough, an old friend of hers had come down for the weekend and was headed, of all places, off to Ladakh the next week, traveling to some of the exact spots we went to when we climbed Stok Kangri.
Here’s a throw back photo of Leh in Ladakh –
We journeyed back to SF during the finals of the World Cup. Somehow we stumbled on to the charming town of Rio Del Mar where we amazingly found an uncrowded, beach front bar/restaurant with a TV. Given that everywhere in Marina, where we had to charge the car (S and T of course have an electric car) had crowds spilling out of the doors, this was a very pleasant and unexpected surprise.
Highlights of the rest of our San Francisco trip –
The San Francisco Museum of Modern Art. It turns out one of the best things about being 65 is that we qualify for senior discounts everywhere. The SFMOMA is an extraordinary collection, and it was topped off by the special exhibition of Matisse’s Femme au chapeau: A Modern Scandal, largely based on the 1905 show in Paris where the painting of that name created such a stir. Beyond the special exhibition there’s a great collection of 20th Century art and beyond. I really liked the Gerard Richter below, a chart of 256 colors generated through random selection. I’m considering making a DIY version – after all, imitation is the highest form of flattery!
The Lands End hike and Sutro Baths. This area lies just to the west of the Golden Gate Bridge and below the Legion of Honor museum. In the 1890s Adolph Sutro built a huge salt water swimming pool right on the edge of the water, as well as a small train to transport city residents to his seaside wonders. Although it eventually burned, the stone ruins remain as a testament to what must have been a very impressive, if freezing cold, place to amuse oneself.
The trail itself hugs the edge of the cliffs and offers spectacular views of the Golden Gate Bridge. It’s an out and back but you can return along an upper trail by the El. Camino del Mar that rejoins the lower one near the trailhead. It also has the perk of providing a bathroom. The Lands End trial (also known as the Coastal Trail) ends in the Sea Cliff neighbood, and the multimillion dollar houses are definitely worth strolling by.
Urban Hiking. As many of you know, J and I are fans of lengthy urban hikes and SF is a great place to embark on them. In fact, the steepness of the hills gives mountain hiking a run for its money. Aside from several trips walking to the Ferry Building (with detours into Chinatown) from lower Pac Heights, we also walked all the way from the de Young Museum (enjoyed the American art collection as well as the cheap senior ticket) near the Presidio, down California Street back to Polk and Franklin. I’m struck by how residential San Francisco feels, and the pockets of neighborhoods make for interesting walks.
Restaurants. I’ll mention just one – Quince. T and S treated us to Quince’s incredible multi course tasting menu in honor of J’s retirement. Three Michelin stars says it all. As an example, a tomato salad served in a carved clear giant ice cube. All the servers wore matching olive green suits. Following a particularly amusing description of one of the dessert courses by T, S and I were almost overwhelmed by a fit of giggles but we persevered and managed to exert some vestige of control. And even though I said only one restaurant, I’d be remiss if I didn’t give a shout out to House of Prime Rib, possibly one of the best deals in SF.
Oracle Park and the Giants. J would refuse to read this post if I didn’t close with the extravaganza of the Giants versus the Angels game at Oracle Park. We were sitting only a few rows away from the field – in fact, we were so close that the balls hit in our direction flew way over us. But – what in the world is the deal with all the men talking off their shirts and twirling them around as if they are flapping scarves at the Running of the Bulls in Pamplona?
San Francisco isn’t a mountain summit, but it’s certainly a summit of a sort. Not a bad place for S to have taken up residence.
FromSwamptoSummit 