Double Trouble, continued...

So, what do clam chowder and King Tut have in common? Well, nothing. However, they were both part of our Sunday! Amy and I both made our way into San Francisco today... me on the train from Sunnyvale and her driving across the Bay Bridge from Oakland. We met at Fisherman's Wharf. Even though I had been there once before, the day I went was a miserably cold and rainy day. So, I wanted to go one more time, which meant another sourdough bread bowl and clam chowder!

We enjoyed our yummy soup and chatted. It has basically rained since the day I arrive in CA. Today, however, was a gorgeous day with blue skies. We took advantage of the beautiful day to stroll around the Wharf. We weren't the only people enjoying the break in the rain- the Wharf was packed and crazy with activity. There were street performers doing their thing, kids eating junk food, vendors selling their goods and tourists every where! We shopped and got some fun pictures.

After we had our fill of tourist-central, we jumped in Amy's car and headed towards Golden Gate Park, the home of the de Young Museum. We drove through the typical San Francisco neighborhoods with beautiful row houses and steep hills. It really is an amazing city.

We finally arrived at the de Young and headed to pick up our tickets for the exhibit. You may have heard of this guy... King Tut. The de Young is the current home to "Tutankhamun and the Golden Age of the Pharaohs" which has been traveling the nation. Amy had been wanting to go for some time, so I was thrilled to be able to go with her.

It was really interesting. We did the audio tour that took us through rooms and rooms of artifacts found in King Tut's tomb. It is truly amazing that some of those things lasted 3,000 years and in remarkable condition. The colors were so striking... lots of gold, deep blue and jewel colors. We couldn't take pictures inside the exhibit so just take my word for it... if you have the chance to see this in your lifetime- do it.

Being a cat lover, I was a bit disappointed they didn't show more about the role that cats have in Egyptian history!!! However, I found one at the museum store that I loved, so he came home with me. I have named him Clark, in honor of my companion for the weekend. 

He is only about the size of a postcard... so I think he will fit well in my carry-on bag!

After the exhibit, we were both exhausted. Amy drove me to train station and we said our goodbyes. We have already made plans to hang out when I return to CA in March. It was a wonderful weekend with Amy... I couldn't have asked for a better way to spend my final weekend in CA.  

Double Trouble...

What's better than one Amy? TWO Amy's, of course!!! This weekend was my last weekend in California and I had the pleasure of spending it with a great old friend. Some of you may remember Amy Clark (Whitington) from high school...

She lives in Oakland and I hadn't seen her in MANY years. So, as soon as I found out I would be in the area this month, I got in touch with her. We coordinated our schedules and planned a jam-packed weekend. We had such fun!!! First, here is Saturday...

Amy drove South for the day and came to my hotel to run around in the area. First we went to a great restaurant that my boss had recommended. It was called Sonoma Chicken Coop. It was fabulous! We got a yummy Goat Cheese Fondue appetizer that we so cute, I had to take a picture.

Lunch provided us some much needed time to catch up. We have both had major life adjustments since we last saw one another. We laughed, comforted and even choked up a litte. It was a very nice time. After that, we put the tears away, decided we were both so proud of each other and moved on to our next adventure... The Winchester Mystery House.

This house was home to Sarah Winchester who married into the Wichester family that is famous for creating the Winchester rifles and guns. After the early deaths of both her husband and young daughter, she sought the help of a psychic. She convinced Sarah that the spirits of all of those killed by a Winchester gun had placed a curse on her and haunted her. The only way to appease them and keep them happy was to buy a large house for them and revovate it. There had to be work going on constantly- 24 hours a day, 7 days a week and no part of the house was ever to be completed. So, Sarah did just that... this house is something you really need to see to truly understand because she was wacko!!!

The tour wasn't as creepy as I expected but architecturally and from a historical homes aspect, it was really neat. Plus, she had her contractors do some of the most nonsensical things. We weren't allowed to take pictures inside, which is unfortunate. If you go to the website, you can see some pictures. It began as a small farmhouse and over 38 years of around the clock construction, it grew to 160 rooms and cost her $5.5 million. She had them build secret passage ways, staircases and doors that went nowhere and random windows in the middle of the floor. Also, she only stood at 4' 10" so all of the fixtures were made for her height. She also had very bad arthritis so each stair on each staircase was only about 2" high!!

We were able to take some great pictures on the grounds. 

After the tour, we went to do some more female bonding... this included a trip to Starbucks, a cupcake for two and a nail salon!!! I got my nails done while Amy enjoyed a pedicure.

We ended a long day at my hotel room, plotting our plans for Sunday. It would be another full day of fun in The City!

ROAD TRIP!

This was supposed to be a quiet weekend for me. No money... nothing to do, etc. That didn't happen. :o) My co-worker, Erica and I went to dinner on Friday night and she mentioned she has a cousin that lives in Santa Barbara, CA. She was tossing around the idea of driving down for the weekend. Well, I have heard wonderful things about driving that highway. So, we talked about it, considered how crazy it would be and then decided we would leave Saturday morning!!! So, after a good night's sleep and breakfast, we hit the road.

Santa Barbara is about 5 hours South of us but the drive was beautiful. It was along the famous Pacific Coast Highway...

It never felt like we drove 5 hours because we enjoyed the scenery so much. It was so beautiful. Every mile seemed different than the one before. Rolling green hills, beautiful mountains (some with snow on top!), vineyards and the coast. We oohed and aahed the whole time.

It just wasn't what either of expected California to be like. Just as people have stereotypes of Texas, we had some of California. Never did we expect this!! Plus, we have had rain almost non-stop since we have been here, so we were so excited to see the blue sky.



We didn't get to see the coast right away- it took us several hours until we saw the water. And it came out of no where!! Erica was driving and I was looking down messing with my camera. I just happened to look out my window and there it was... the Pacific Ocean. I was so excited, I couldn't get the words out! I just started tapping my window and making weird noises... it actually scared Erica. Then she saw it and we both shrieked! We had arrived in Pismo Beach.

We pulled over at the first chance we could find, jumped out and took some pictures. The area we found was on top of a high cliff and the overlook was gorgeous. (By the way, the fact that we BOTH wore Texas shirts was a total coincidence we discovered that morning over breakfast. Oh well, we are proud of our state!)

Feeling re-energized, we got back in the car and finished our drive to Santa Barbara. Erica had told her cousin (Brittany) that she MIGHT come down but never got back to her. So, our plan was to show up where she worked and surprise her. With a few calls to Brittany's Mom, we knew what time she would be getting off and with the help of GPS, we found our way to The Brewhouse where she waits tables. We would be arriving just as her shift was over.

We walked in and Erica didn't see her anywhere. We decided to run to the restroom and then ask around. As we walked into the bathroom, there was a woman washing her hands. She looked up at me and saw my Texas shirt and started to comment... but then she saw Erica and started screaming. I figured we had found Brittany!! She hugged Erica and was so excited to see us. She told us that she was about to strike up a conversation with me about being from Texas and then she recognized Erica. It was really funny.

We hung around and ate lunch while Brittany finished work. Then when she was off she took us to one of her favorite hang-outs. It was a cute bar along the marina called "Endless Summer". There is just something so relaxing about enjoying a locally brewed ale and looking out at the mountains, boats and the ocean. I thought... I could get used to this California way of life!!

Later, Brittany's boyfriend joined us and we went to dinner on State Street and then to a comedy show. We had a lot of great laughs and then headed to Brittany's house to sleep. She shares a really cool house with several of her co-workers. It is high in the hills and the view from her living room was amazing.

The next morning we hit the road again. We were exhausted but again, the beautiful scenery made the trip fly by. To end a perfect California weekend, we drove through In and Out Burgers for lunch! Thanks Erica for a great weekend... we got to see so much of the California coast and it was so fun!

A Cold Day at The Rock

Last Sunday I slept in a tad to recover from my marathon tour of the city on Saturday. I was really tired and sore from all the walking but I was SO excited!! I had a ticket to tour Alcatraz that afternoon! I can't even tell you how long I have wanted to visit "The Rock". I have always found it to be so mysterious and intriguing.

Once again, I caught the commuter train into downtown San Francisco. Then I took the light rail and connected to a street car. It was fun to ride in the old street car... what a blast from the past. I jumped off at the stop for Fisherman's Wharf. My Alcatraz tour was at 1:55PM, so I had allowed enough time to walk around the Wharf and get some lunch. Unfortunately, the day was a very cold, windy and rainy. Oh, and I didn't have an umbrella. Fortunately, what I had in mind for lunch would help me warm up nicely! I have heard so much about the sourdough bread bowls with clam chowder. After asking several people prior to my trip, the samerestaurant on the Wharf was recommended each time... Boudin Bakery. It was soooo yummy!!

After lunch, I bundled up and headed towards the pier for my Alcatraz tour. It was at that time that the sky decided to open and dump freezing rain. I stood in line relying only on my trusty Longhorn baseball cap and jacket to keep me dry, Everything from the waist down was just out of luck... good times. We all boarded the ferry and headed to the island. It was terribly cold and rainy, so I sat inside. The closer and closer we got, this creepy, looming figure began to appear in the fog... Alcatraz.

I did the self-paced audio tour and it was very well done! They did a very good job of interviewing former inmates, staff and narrating. I have to say that the weather actually added to the "creepy factor" that day. It was very interesting and I really enjoyed it.

One of the most fascinating thing about Alcatraz is its close proximity to the city. It is so close and yet so far away. One of the inmates talked about how when the wind was just right, it would carry the sounds of the city life across the bay and into their cells. When they had outdoor recreation time, it faced the view of the city... a reminder of what they gave up. Almost as if on cue, for the first time that day, the sun came out. I was allowed to see the city in in all her glory.

One of the Park Rangers gave a quick talk about how the cell doors operated. It was very interesting. However, the thing that made an impression on me was when he closed them... what a sound. I caught it on video... its only about 10 seconds long.

(If you can't see the video in your email, click here.)

I spent a couple of hours wandering around the island but then it came time to line up for the final ferry out for the day. As we lined up to board... it began to POUR again. Absolutely miserable. Then once we were on board... it stopped. I took advantage of this and ran up to the top portion of the ferry for pictures. It was so windy and cold and I was soaked through, but I was determined to get a couple pictures!!! Right after these were taken... it poured again!

After returning to land, I made my way back to the street car to begin my long journey home through the train system. I was so wet that I was beyond caring. All I wanted was to get into my sweats and the hotel and warm up. Even though the day had been pretty miserable, Alcatraz didn't disappoint at all. The tour was awesome, informative and very interesting. I am so glad I braved the weather to go.