Our Honeymoon - Day 2

November 24, 2007

We woke up around 6:15 local time, which was 9:15 our time. We enjoyed our "free" breakfast in the lobby then threw on some clothes and headed to Colma to visit Lee's mother's grave. On our way back to the hotel, we grabbed some Starbucks and sat for a few plays of the VT/UVA football game. After a great play at the end of the half, it was time to hit the town! We headed north on the 101 and went over the MASSIVE Golden Gate Bridge.
It was truly breathtaking. We continued north and drove to Muir Woods to see some Redwoods. Being that it is a holiday weekend, there was not one parking spot in sight! So, we drove down the winding road and parked at the Golden Gate National Recreational Area. It was here that we got to see the most amazing views of the incredible structure.

We stayed here for a while to take a lot of great pictures. Then we traveled back across the bridge and onto Marina Drive and pulled into the Marina to see some of the boats, and use the restroom, before turning around and heading back to the bridge to get some pictures from below. We parked at Crissy Field and walked toward the bridge and Lee started taking more pictures.

There is a large brick building under the base of the bridge on the south side and we noticed some people up on the roof, so we decided to see what it was and if we could get in to take some great pictures. It turns out, the building is called Fort Point and is an old fort built in 1853. It was used during the civil War but never saw battle. We spent an unexpected hour walking through the fort and learning of its history.

Once we got to the roof, we got to be as close to the bridge as possible without driving over it or touching it! The view was spectacular.

We headed back toward the car and realized we were both a little hungry, so we stopped at a hot dog stand right on the bay called "Let's Be Frank". It was a great little cart that only served free range and grass fed beef dogs and sausages. We parked ourselves on a bench and enjoyed our afternoon snack while still staring at the bridge in the background.

It was time to figure out what to do for the evening so we headed back downtown. On our way, we took some side streets to the top of Lombard Street and weaved our way down the most crookedest street in the world. It was a touristy thing to do, but it was worth it! Once we got to the bottom and looked back up at the crazy road we had just driven down, we found a parking garage on Stockton and pulled in. This time, we passed Pier 39 and continued walking along The Embarcadero where we stopped in a souvenir shop so I could buy some gloves. We worked our way to the old Del Monte Factory/Cannery where an outside bar was calling our names. Jack's Seafood Bar had 68 draft beers. I enjoyed a local beer; Anchor Steam Lager while Lee chose a Fat Tire Ale. It started to get pretty chilly so we decided to start walking so we could find our dinner spot. We came across an Italian place that had checkered table cloths and a great looking menu and decided to give it a shot. Boy are we happy we did. Cioppino's was excellent! Lee had the pan seared tilapia and I had the prawn scampi after we enjoyed the prawn cocktail. Very delicious meal!!! After realizing we were falling asleep at the table, we decided to head back to the hotel for the night.

Not so fast.......

We were headed down Henry Street when we had to stop for a yellow light at 8th Street. the woman in front of us was early enough to go through the light but a truck blew through the red light on 8th Street and the woman slammed into him and caused the truck to tip onto its side. Lee ran over to check out the situation while I dialed 911 to report the accident. I was put on hold by 3 different people before somebody finally answered my call. The woman who hit the truck was already on the phone with the authorities to report the incident. Fortunately nobody was injured but it seemed the driver of the pickup that ran the light was pretty drunk. Because we were witnesses, we had to stay and give our report to the police. Lee had to give them his license and phone number in case the insurance companies needed his encounter. We were finally told we could leave, so we got back in the car and headed back to the hotel. As if the accident wasn't enough action, the fire alarm in the hotel went off at 12:30 in the morning. We rushed outside only to learn it was not a real fire emergency, but that some people on the 4th floor were smoking in a non-smoking room which set off the alarm. Back to bed; for GOOD this time!