Tuesday, April 13, 2010

Hippies in San Francisco, no way!?

Lauren (Apricots) and I arrived in San Francisco late in the evening. Due to a quick exchange on the freeway, we errored, and took 101 north, instead of 101 south. The highway died in some downtown section that was obviously not where we meant to be. Oh well, it was a little side trip that took us past Haight street, of the famed Haight-Ashbury intersection. Naturally I was filled with a teaspoon of euphoria, thinking I would be able to see a real life hippie in their natural habitat.

The excitement quickly died when I realized it was the 21st century, and not the 60's anymore. We circled around the block to get back on the highway. But, lo and behold, I spied a hippie, just before getting back on 101 southbound. I suspect she was performing some seldom seen mating ritual, because as I peered out the window, I caught a quick glimpse of the girl pulling down her shirt and exposing her breast to a wildlife photographer. What a rare treat to see these creatures in the wild.

Anyway, we continued onward, reveling in our unanticipated experience, until we arrived at our destination; Lauren's brothers place. Paul and his wife Kelly greeted us kindly, with welcome arms.

The following day was spent downtown by the San Francisco Ferry Terminal. After enjoying tasty pastries at a Boulangerie (next to the sculpture pictured below), we took a walking tour for a couple hours. We learned about Labor Strikes leading up to gun fights, earthquakes tearing down ugly downtown freeways, and mormons trying to establish their foothold in San Francisco through nefarious acts of business deceit.

After the walking tour we had happy hour appetizers at the Hyatt Regency Hotel (which I wanted to see to feed that inner architect). It was a pretty massive lobby, the likes of which were just beyond my comprehension of feasibility. Post happy hour we wandered home for a cat nap, before heading to "Pi" a pizza joint that opens daily at 3:14, and sells pizza by the slice for $3.14 (which I wanted to see to feed my inner math dork, and pizza consumption beast).

Post dinner, we spent the evening lounging at home, watching movies. In the morning Paul and Kelly treated us to another tasty meal at a small hole-in-the-wall diner called "toast". It was delicious, and helped Lauren and I load up on the pre-hike carbohydrates reserves. But naturally, big meals lead to sleepy heads. We all returned and lounged about at home.

It was windy and rainy in San Francisco, so we weren't missing much by staying in. Besides, Apricots and I had to pack up for our afternoon flight.

On the drive to the airport, we stopped at Target... a favorite of Kelly's, but we went to grab a cheap watch. I tried to convince Lauren that we should go with the butterfly watch (which has a butterfly for a second hand), but reason prevailed, and we got a digital watch, so that we could have an alarm on the trail.

Shortly after being dropped at the airport, the flight was delayed one hour... And after we passed through security, the flight was delayed indefinitely. Ultimately, our flight departed 2.75 hours later than expected. It left me wondering how San Francisco airport handles all the wind and rain that accompanies winter.

Thank you Paul and Kelly. :)

Stay tuned for our San Diego adventure... And while you wait, drop a lovely comment, or make a caring donation at our blog
http://northboundheartsong.blogspot.com

Happy Trails, Inner Love, and Harmony
Roger+Lauren

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3 comments:

  1. hehehe...the old 101 interchange. Noobs ;) Fabulous food in The City though. Totally worth navigating the crazy Bay Area freeway system.

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  2. Paul and Kelly are gracious hosts, making one feel comfortable and at home. Generous with their attention and attending to your comforts. Glad you had a good time.

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