Weekend in the City by the Bay

It was lovely. A perfect weekend getaway. For those who don't know, Brian's been working in San Francisco for the past few months. He has come home for a couple of weekend trips, but other than that, we've been doing the long-distance-relationship thing. Not so fun. So, we planned a little trip without the kids, so I could go be with Brian. yay!

Let me paint the picture... Me. With just a purse and coat at the airport. Those who travel with children know the immense sense of freedom I was feeling setting off on the trip. No car seats and 20 bags to haul and check. No stroller to fold down at the security gate. No wild one-year-old running through the metal detector. No "taste testing" of a bottle of milk. No rummaging through a bag of diapers, wipes and fruit snacks to find my boarding pass and ID. Wow! I actually slept on the airplane! And it's only an hour-and-a-half flight. Imagine.

Now, don't get me wrong. I missed my kids, and brought back special presents for them, talked about them every few minutes of the trip, etc. But I was also very appreciative of the break, and very aware of all the extra freedoms and indulgences of going sans children. (Like sitting in the hot tub at 11 p.m., keeping the TV on at a regular volume past 9 p.m., staying at the beach a little longer even though we were both getting hungry... luxuries that just don't happen when travelling with kids, right?)

So, we got a great hotel deal, down in Sunnyvale, near where Brian was working. Soooo cute! It wasn't the fanciest place, but it was all decked up like some Mediterranean resort... little extras like bamboo chairs, a colorful canopy over the bed, and darling little courtyards between each block of rooms....

First night we ate at a great Middle Eastern restaurant that Brian has been to a few times. Delicious. Didn't bring the camera, or you'd have great pictures of a fabulous platter of hummus, tabbouleh, stuffed grape leaves, falafel, yogurt-mint-cucumber salad, and some raisin-cinnamon/rice dish with eggplant and cauliflower. Wow! That was delightful!

Saturday... well, we had plans of going into San Fran, riding the trolleys, visiting Chinatown, and going to all the touristy spots. But then I had the bad-back problem. Oh well. Plan B: Golden Gate park, then hit the beach, go up the coast, visit a lighthouse. It was perfect.

Me and Golden Gate Park...

The Bridge... Us and the Bridge, after crossing and driving up a very winding highway with fantastic views of the bay and bridge and coast...
Best shot of the Bridge and the City. Isn't San Francisco just an amazingly beautiful city? I love seeing it from "above" like this. So gorgeous! (Zoom in for a better view, if you like.)

We drove out to Point Bonita Lighthouse. Very cool. I got a little book of 101 Hikes around SF area... found it at a thrift store here in Idaho, just the day before I left. It suggested this lighthouse as a fascinating spot to visit -- only open Saturdays and Sundays from 12:30 to 3:30. How convenient for us; we crossed the Golden Gate at noon, and headed on over. yay!

The literature about the lighthouse said it was the first one built near the Bay, and before it was built (1848) they had tons of shipwrecks during the fog. Also inside, there was a little write-up about the bay and the bridge, with this interesting little diagram...

I can't remember exactly how DEEP it said the water is under the bridge, but let's just say there's a reason that's a suspension bridge, rather than a bridge with a post or two stretching a few hundred feet down there! Interesting, to me at least.

Best part, the waves. We watched the waves roll in right by the lighthouse for over an hour, I bet. They were humongous. Gigantic. If I believed in the word (which I don't, btw), I'd even say gi-normous. Anyway, they were amazing to watch. Massive barrels, perfect crests, crashing and splashing right underneath our little perch up above. Lovely, lovely ocean.

Pictures really do it no justice, but here's more waves, and Brian, looking cute (and cold, if you ask me!)...

The suspension bridge to get out to the lighthouse is not for those who have a hard time with heights. It's a little rickety, and there's a sign saying they plan to replace it soon because it's not the sturdiest, safest bridge.

Plus, they have forest service people standing on either end, and they only allow two people to cross at a time. TWO. Seriously! The sign says something like "this bridge is deemed worthy to handle foot traffic of up to two persons at a time." Two.
Me, waiting for our turn to cross. Do I look nervous? (You can say, no, Kam, you look wind blown... which I was.)

After the lighthouse, we drove around on the far side of the bridge for awhile... loved the darling little town of Sausalito. (I got mixed up and called it Sausagito, which we now prefer.) And then, back to do some of the more touristy things. Like Lombard Street....

Super-dooper steep Hyde street...
We ended the evening with a walk around Fisherman's Wharf, and a trip to In-n-Out Burger -- my first time. (I hate to admit, I wasn't all that impressed. Sorry all you Cali folk!)

That's all for now, folks. Stay tuned for Sunday's festivities, coming up next!