Woke this morning to birthday emails. Most of them arrived yesterday (as it was the 20th in Australia yesterday) but I saved them to read till this morning. There are also over 50-odd Facebook messages - which is lovely cos I'm not one to send them so I don't expect to get many.
So today's birthday is a drive into San Francisco. Have to say, it did feel like my birthday yesterday in Yosemite - maybe it's a body clock thing. Anyway, both days are pretty good days to have for celebrations.
On the bus there was an announcement of someone's wedding anniversary but no birthday message for me. I had congratulated the 56-year wedding anniversary couple yesterday (lovely British couple) and they said someone had dobbed them in to Joan so that's why they were announced. Obviously I'm not going to tell anyone so I'll be celebrating on the inside!
And I'm at the bus at 7:09 for a 7:30 departure.
It's not a long drive and we're coming into San Francisco. The fog is amazing. This is on the new Bay Bridge. The old Bay Bridge is alongside...
And then the fog lifts and here's the city, in all its glory.
We go past the Moscone Convention Center (named after the mayor who was shot with Harvey Milk) and stop briefly at the Civic Center. And I discover that the shirt I'm wearing has pockets - sadly, I'm pretty excited about that.
I'm not sure if Joan is informative or maybe a little racist. She says things like "there are lots of blacks here. There's a lot of crime here." It might just be her turn of phrase. She's European, not sure where from but does live in San Francisco.
Stopped at the Holiday Inn - can't believe I'm actually going to be staying at a Holiday Inn - to unload the cases. I go into the coffee shop but the queue is longer than my desire for coffee.
Go to get a public transport pass for tomorrow and there's one person behind the souvenir shop/concierge desk. That's a bad combination of things cos a couple of people had questions needing a concierge-type answer and the rest of us wanted to make a quick purchase. Took forever. The line basically didn't move for a good ten minutes while she answered someone's many questions about car hire. Then she chatted to each person in line. Shut up already! Spoke to the guy in front of me about how the Americans saved them (the English) in the war. I got the weapons of mass destruction speech.
Went to the loo and that queue was out the door and I couldn't be bothered waiting.
On the bus and now for a city tour. We drive through the town, down Fulton Street, passed the old Victorian houses.
San Fran is one of the most expensive places to live, due to Silicon Valley. Everything built after a certain time has to be earthquake-proof. Along Haight Street, Ashbury corner, where a lot of the flower power culture began.
Up to Twin Peaks for a great view of the town...
You can just see the towers of the Golden Gate Bridge.
And there's tourists...
We passed a pumpkin patch where they're driving the little kids around on an old tractor before dropping them off for pumpkin fun and games. I got the pumpkins, not the kids...
Down and into Golden Gate Park, which is bigger than Central Park, where we spend most of the allocated time in the line for the restroom. At least it's a prettier line to stand in than the line at the hotel. I have time to look at the open air concert area and look at the bikes that you can hire to ride around the park and look like great fun.
Random note - The power lines in the streets are overhead cos they're easier to fix after an earthquake.
Next, we go through The Presidio - which used to be military housing but is no longer military, it's open to be purchased. Need lots of money, though.
There's a cemetery here with around 50,000 military buried here. There's also a big warehouse that George Lucas built to film stuff - he had to construct it in keeping with the surrounds. On the way out, went past Gracie Fields - a beach area.
And then on to a boat for a narrated cruise around the Bay. As you board the boat (with the photo shoot as you enter - I again walked right past this, much to the chagrin of the photographers) they hand you a little tape player and headphones. You dial up the channel you want and off you go.
They point out all the areas of interest as we cruise along - that there are 43 hills, Ghiradellis chocolate, the Presidio, etc. The fog is still very heavy so the shot we get of the Golden Gate Bridge is this...
It's quite funny when the tape says, "look at the top of the bridge, you can see..." And we can't see a thing. The bridge disappears like Brigadoon once you're a couple of feet past it. See lots of seals and dolphins as we sail along so that's fabulous.
Past Telegraph Hill with Coit Tower. (On the left - looks like a thermos).
We arrive back at the pier, return our headsets and then off to find some lunch. I go to Boudin Bakery, it's famous for its sourdough bread, so I get the butternut squash served in a sourdough roll. Had a moment with the server when I asked for pumpkin soup and she said they didn't serve that. I said it was on the menu, then realised it was butternut squash, not pumpkin. Looks great...
..that's raisins and walnuts with the top of the roll to dip into the soup. And it's yummy!
I have just enough time to pop up to Pier 39 to see the sea lions on their pontoons, basking in the sun.
Very cute.
Then back and through Chinatown. We go past the church where Joe DiMaggio married Marilyn Monroe and where he is now buried.
And then to the hotel. I had booked to go on the dinner tour thing tonight but had discovered a show that I really wanted to see. So I get a taxi and head on diwn tomthisninstead.
It's Beach Blanket Babylon and it's meant to be quintessential San Francisco - a musical review that's described as Snow White travelling around the world looking for Prince Charming. Along the way she meets Barack and Michelle, Oprah, Lady Gaga, Tom Cruise, Beyonce, Elvis, the Clintons, and so on - there are so many costumes changes and different characters, it's amazing! They are very up to date - there's Wills and Kate and baby George. And Miley twerking on Prince Harry. And the shutdown.
One of the first places Snow White goes is Italy so the lady comes out and sings Be Italian from Nine with a massive pizza slice hat on. This is the show that's famous for the incredibly elaborate headpieces. It's an amazing show and I loved it heaps,
The statue is of the guy who created the show. He died in the '90s but his show goes on.
Here's the flier.
The two finale hats are amazing - there's this one, which has to be six feet long with a model of the city on it. Then Snow White comes out in a wedding dress (she's going to marry Elvis - don't ask...) but her headpiece is a huuuuuuuuuge wedding cake. There's lots of singing and clapping and then the lights go out and the lights on the hats come on. San Fran is all lit up and gorgeous and there's even a cable car driving along. Snow White's hat open up to reveal the seven dwarf puppets and there's lights all over it. The whole thing is amazing!
After the show (it's only 6:30), I walk up to the right street and then get on a cable car back to the hotel. Pretty good birthday, I'm thinking.
Sounds like you had a great birthday, Sarah. :-)
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