Where in the World Wednesday: San Francisco

It's Where in the World Wednesday!

The idea of WITWW is to post a picture of you in someplace in the world... it doesn't have to be somewhere foreign or tropical. Just a picture of you somewhere that you consider traveling. It might even be somewhere in your own hometown!

- Classy in Philadelphia

As I mentioned previously, my sister was in San Francisco last week being A Person Who Travels on Business. She's so important that her employer ensconced her in a frou-frou hotel where the valet-only parking costs $57 a night. I don't understand expensive hotels. You pay so much, only to have to pay even more for things that are free at cheaper hotels. At a place so expensive, shouldn't even more things be gratis? Not at this place. Internet access was $10 a day, and you can forget about continental breakfast in the morning. I'm surprised there were complimentary toiletries. To be fair, a Wall Street Journal was left at her door in the morning... but you can't eat that.

I work until 2:30 p.m. most days, so I was able to drive the 210 miles up to San Fran in time to meet her for dinner Friday evening. After some wandering, we settled on Taylor's Automatic Refresher, a diner-esque (nicer than) fast-food joint. We caught up over french fries and then headed back to her hotel, where we caught up some more. Never mind that we talk to each other every day--we always have something to talk about. With my Maryland-dwelling best friend only a few hours away, I couldn't pass up the opportunity to talk in person. (You guys, I love my sister.)

The next morning we woke up to the sound of box after box after box being dropped down a chute in the sidewalk, presumably into the storage area of the CVS across the street. Being products of suburbia, this was both annoying and intriguing to our delicate ears and morning sensibilities. We ran out to pick up bagels at Noah's before packing our bags, summoning my car, and heading out for some morning adventures in the rain.

Our first stop was Pier 39 to see the Golden Gate Bridge, Alcatraz (but only from afar), and the sea lions.

Oh, the sea lions. I could have watched them for hours. They'd just be sitting there, lazing in the sun (that finally came out), and then one would bark, then all of the rest of them would start barking back. It went in cycles. Plus they had fat rolls just like someone I know. (Oh wait, it's me.)

Check them out:


Not my video, and NSFW if you sit by anyone who dislikes sea lion barking.
We finally tore ourselves away from the sea lions so that we could fit in a visit to Ghirardelli Square for lunch. Well, okay, for chocolate. But we did have lunch, too, at Lori's Diner. ...After we had chocolate. All too soon it was time to take my sister to the airport for her flight back east.

I plan to return to San Francisco with Jason when we have some spare change (after our taxes are paid and our furniture is paid off). I want to introduce him to my barking friends, go tour the 'traz, and dine among the vegetarian elite at Millennium. And maybe we'll do something Jason likes.