To town to...buy some more clothes

Verena and I headed into town today to do some shopping, she has been travelling for three months and left her shopping until last!
I found these at Kate Spade and had to ask myself the eternal question, why a pineapple?



We wandered around and then got a little hungry so lunch happened.
Roasted heirloom beet, walnut and goat cheese salad eaten in Union Square.



Then we explored the shoe department of Macy's which is decorated beautifully for spring.



Macy's in Union Square is famous for having a Cheesecake Factory restaurant at the top, so of course cheesecake + Amy = have to see it!


















So I (surprisingly) didn't have the peanut butter cheesecake but went for the original with glazed strawberries.



Verena opted for the dark chocolate Godiva.



The view from our table was great.






We even met some new friends at lunch.



After the cheesecake we needed to walk a little so we headed through China town (pics on camera) then we took the cable car, walked down Lombard street and ended up at Ghirardelli Square. I didn't eat any chocolate!
We saw a sourdough making demonstration and walked along the waterfront.









Then we climbed a few hundred stairs to the base of Coit Tower and saw the sunset over the bay.






We then headed to North Beach (little Italy) for dinner.









This trattoria looked like it was still run by a family and the waitress was so helpful and friendly. If you are traveling to San Francisco it is worth going to Sodini's Trattoria.
They even had table cloths that you could draw on!



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New faces new places

We have been everywhere today!
Verena and I took the bus down to the ferry building so that we could catch a ferry across to Sausalito.
After some adventures with the timetable we made our way to Pier 41 where we caught the ferry just in time across the bay. It was perfect weather for cruising the bay, the first really fine weather all week.






Alcatraz from a safe distance.


Sausalito is a beautiful little fishing town that was settled by Italian migrants initially. Now it is a haven for tourists and full of beautiful little restaurants, galleries and pretty houses.









After our adventures in transport this morning it was lunchtime when we got to Sausalito. We ate at a restaurant right on the water, our waiter was a huge fan of Australia and came down to surf at Fraser Island a few years ago.









Feeling satisfied by our delicious lunch we took a stroll through town just to enjoy the weather and soak up some of the relaxing atmosphere, then with adventure on mind again we took a bus to see this:



You might recognize it?
The view was breathtaking and just to be on the bridge was amazing.









I took lots of photos on my other camera, I was afraid my iPhone would get blown out of my hand!
After that we had a walk halfway across and back on the bridge and rushed back to get ready for our night at the movies!
The singalong was so much fun and the staff worked so hard to create a really festive atmosphere. There were people in costume, everyone got a show bag and the whole audience really got into the feeling of fun!






Then it was time for a late dinner.









Then off to bed, tomorrow shopping and exploring North Beach (little Italy).
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Change of plans

Eating my breakfast this morning I met a lovely German lady and so instead if Berkley today I am heading off to Sausalito on the ferry. Should see some beautiful views of the Golden Gate Bridge too! Lots of pictures soon!


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Off to Berkley!

I'm so happy because I just found out the hotel I'm stating in actually does have wifi and their coffee and breakfast are free and so much better than Starbucks! I'm currently waiting for the cafe to open and then I'm going to head out into San Francisco and catch a train to Berkley. Apparently there is some really pretty architecture as well as being the site of a famous riot in the 60s. I'm also super excited about tonight as it is the Wizard of Oz singalong at the Castro theatre!

On another note completely, I wandered into Macy's yesterday and the whole place has been decorated for spring with flowers and other displays. This was from the kitchen section:







This is one of the famous mansions at the top of Nob Hill opposite the Fairmont.



Should have enough room for all of us!

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High Societea

The Fairmont is located in the aerie like suburb of Nob Hill, getting here is a cardiovascular workout in itself, but everything about it is certainly worth the climb. As I sit here sipping the specially blended Fairmont tea and nibbling on scones with jazz music playing softly in the background I forget that it is cold outside and that it is about a 45 minute walk back to my hippie hotel.



The family dining opposite from me has three little girls and it takes me back to the early days of Jess and I enjoying tea and scones with Mum and Dad on Sundays; getting the table dressed and enjoying every sweet bite of afternoon tea.



This is the platter that the waiter presented to me:












I think my favorites were:






(this one had a berry jam inside under the chocolate ganache!)

Everything was lovely and perfect, however nothing beats my Mum's scones.

There are so many pretty houses in San Francisco and it's nice to see that the owners have taken pleasure in painting them a rainbow of colors. This was one of my favorites.



It kind of matched these little pretties that I saw at Whole Foods last night.



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