As Tony Bennett sings
"I left my heart in San Francisco.....
high on a hill, it calls to me
to be where little cable cars climb, half way to the stars
the morning fog may chill the air, I don't care
My love awaits there in San Francisco
above the blue and windy sea
When I come home to you, San Francisco
Your golden sun will shine for me.
I feel so very fortunate....with so many beautiful places right here in our own backyard.... Yosemite, snow skiing, the ocean/beach (have to admit, my all time fav, yet no surprise to anyone who knows me) and then there is the City by the Bay.
I have made multiple day trips and even overnight trips to San Francisco, yet this particular trip was definitely the best. Of coarse the company had a lot to do with it~ both my momma and mother-in-law, along with Renee and Greg. In a city like San Francisco, with what it seems like infinite amount of things to do, eat, places to see and be seen, and trends to keep up with, or ignore, decision paralysis can set in. This time with very little planning and just a phone call or so...it was on....A hop-on, hop off open air tour bus excursion. I'm not gonna say I'm a newbie to the city, but I will say an extreme novice to this huge beautiful city. On this day, that was all gonna change! With my past experience in the city, way to much traffic and impatient drivers, way to many one way streets, way to many resturants to choose from, way to many places to see, and things to do. I will admit, this was a really enjoyable day with so many things pointed and suggested to us, it requires many return trips to this city....after all, "I left my heart in San Fran" (ok, well part of it, someone else has the rest!)
We found our way to the Exploratorium, parked and caught our tour bus, ( and we made our way to the top open air deck. We couldn't of asked for better weather, well since we had actually placed our request, Mother Nature provided us with the perfect Chamber of Commerce weather! We know that the city is all about "layers", we were prepared! I really didn't have my bearings yet, but was looking forward to finding my bearings and explore my way around the city. Our tour guide and an actual local was very informative, friendly and yes tried to pick up on Renee, without her even knowing it! The locals say "trying to pick your favorite neighborhood in San Francisco, is like trying to pick your favorite child. Each neighborhood has its perks and not so good perks. I cant remember the exact layout of our tour but as things come to mind, I will share with you
You know many people dream of visiting the United States of America, but \apparently very few among them gets such an opportunity to visit or cannot afford to visit. Yet on this day, I'm gonna say we were among the few that spoke English! San Francisco is the leading financial and cultural city in California, and we were told it is the second most populated city of America after New York City. It didn't come as a surprise, but our tour guide explained that the city is extremely rich in its culture and heritage as well as sports, science, technology, media, arts and entertainment. Activities to do in the city never cease to end. I knew from that moment on this city has captivated my mind and this was gonna to be a memorable day. I listened and definitely paid attention, but I was not able to absorb and retain all our guide had to say, so with no particular order, I hope you enjoy my thoughts and pictures of this nothing short of interesting and intriguing city.
The Golden Gate Bridge....I found this interesting....the bridge is not the oldest suspension bridge or the newest. It is no longer the tallest or the highest, yet it remains the most visited and photographed bridge.
When I think of San Francisco, I cant help but think of the catching little tune about Rice-A-Roni! You do know that Rice-a-Roni is known as the San Francisco treat, yet as I was finding out, this city has many more treats to offer than rice in a box! We skipped on riding the cable cars this day, yet it was fun to see each car filled to the brim, traveling up hill, and hearing the famous jingle of the cable bell.
Alcatraz...this is a separate day trip, which we have done before, today a few things were pointed out about Alcatraz. There is so much history about it, how the name was derieved, and what it means, how it was used for a military base, the first site for an operational lighthouse on the West Coast. The Us Army used this island for more than 80 years before the Federal Government decided to open a maximum-security , minimum-privilege penitentiary to deal with the most horrific inmates in the Federal prisons. The average population was only about 260, and it never reached it capacity of 336. I think maybe if some of our prisons would follow their prodical, prison life wouldn't be so appealing. The names Al Capone and George "Machine Gun" Kelly did time on Alcatraz. It was highly structured and had a very monotonous daily routine in order to teach an inmate to follow rules and regulations. AT Alcatraz, a prisoner had four rights: food, clothing, shelter and medical care. Everything else was a priveledge and had to be earned. Some of those privledges were being able to work, corresponding with family members or visits to the library, art, or music. Our guide was telling us about all the ones that attempted to escape, and there are two that they will continue to look for the next 99 years! The prison was the most expensive prison ever to run, actually 3 times more so than others. In 1963, Alcatraz closed after 29 years of operation. In 1973, it reopened as a National Park, and visitors from around the world visit daily. It's a fun and interesting tour, but our day on the hop-on, hop-off bus was just fine for us on this day. 
Haight Ashbury....if there's any area in SF that brings the images of the long gone hippie culture, the Haight it is! There is still fragments of that flower power, incense burning, acid dropping, tie-dye-wearing, peace-and -love-vibing era that can still be purchased in smoke shops and surrounding shops. Our tour guide said the Haight today is a whole news scene. There are boutiques, high end clothing stores, second hand stores, internet cafes and hip restaurants. We were told that the Haight still has a nice just-rolled -out-of-bed vibe during the day--perfect for lazing around in cafes and bookstores, yet you will have to navigate through plenty of panhandlers (but where are they not at anymore?) and tourists. We passed by plenty of homeless near the entrance to Golden Gate Park. Our guide said it is mainly teens that choose to be homeless and to not give them spare change, its mainly used for drugs. Yet some will just flash you a smile or a peace sign and ask what's up!
our tour guide was quick to pick Renee out of the crowd and said she would fit in perfectly in the Haight Ashbury area...and to not be surprised if they hollered or flashed peace signs to her.....
As our tour continued we passed Jimmie Hendrix house, in the Haight Ashbury area.
the Summer of Love was the summer of 1967, a defining period when people were labeled as the hippies, and they gathered in many cities across the U.S., Canada and Europe. San Francisco was the center of the hippie movement during the summer of Love. Up to 100,000 people came to the movement's Ground Zero, the Haigt-Ashbury neighborhood in San Fran. The Haight was filled with music, psychoactive drugs, sexual experimentation and political views. The area became closely associated with several significant bands and individual musicians including the Grateful Dead, Jefferson Airplane and Jimi Hendrix/
Jimi Hendrix was one of the greatest electric guitar artists in history, he lived on Haight street for awhile before his untimely death in 1070.
I have heard over and over about the Tenderloin district. Well our guide was very informative. The Police Department is only a half of block away from one of the worst neigblorhoods in San Fran. The Tenderloin thrives despite its bad rap. Yes, there are lots of drug dealers, addicts, prosititues and mentally unstable street people. It is interesting how this area got its name the Tenderloin. Policemen were paid more to work its mean streets, by paying the cops with better cuts of meat.
the streets are the cleanest in this area, and he said you will be approached frequently by strangers, so just stay alert, and don't go have sundown!
The finanicial District was so amazing and so overwhelming!
this area serves as San Francisco's main central business district. It's home to the citys largest concentration of corporate headquarters, law firms, insurance companies, real estate firms, banks, savings and loans. There are so many high rises, in fact the tallest is the Transamerica Pyramid.
I never knew there were 2 China towns in the city. One belongs to the locals and one belongs to the tourists. They do overlap and surprisingly they draw more visitors than the Golden Gate Bridge. They say you don't need an itinerary to tackle Chinatown. Wondering aimlessly, weaving between locals and going in and out of shops is enough of a plan. I for sure want to go back and experience Chinatown for myself. 
Never get tired of Pier 39... never get tired of crepes with nutella and bananas, never get tired of the mini hot sugar donuts, never get tired of Bubba Gumps, never get tired of the view from the Pier, you can see Alcatraz, Angel Island, Golden Gate Bridge, and the Bay Bridge, never get tired of watching the sea lions, or the two story carousel. Did I say its a great place to people watch too!
the flowers just love the cool weather, they bring so much joy to my heart.
One time, when my daddy was out here, we had the pleasure to take him to Bubba Gumps to eat, but not realizing my momma had never eaten there, today was the day. It's a fun place to eat...its a casual restaurant chain based upon my favorite movie "Forrest Gump" and his friend Bubba.
MaMa always says " life is like a box of chocolates...You never know what you're gonna get. Of coarse, everytime I go there, I want to go home and watch the movie again. 
during your meal, if you ever need anything, refills, more tarter sauce, more of anything, all you do is flip this sign over to "STOP FORREST STOP" and that will get the attention of any waiter to stop. Not only is the fish and chips great, the bucket of trash is die for! I love the part where the waiter/waitress quizes you on Forrest Gump trivia. All about Jenny and how her and Forrest go together like peas and carrots, being a part of the University of Alabama's football team, playing Ping-Pong, meeting the president, starting the Bubba Gump Shrimp Company and being a part of many historical events without even realizing it...it was just another day to him.
I love this farmers market area on Pier 39...everything looks so wonderful.
the strawberries looked amazing, so did the nectarines, peaches, and apricots. The price was out of reach though! We didn't buy anything, but we had in the past, and it was over a dollar a strawberry!
Our tour guide told us they normally didn't do this, but today, they were going to go off the grid and take us into the Presidio. This was very interesting...I had heard of it but knew nearly nothing about it...until now. It is a park and former military base on the northern tip of San Francisco Peninsula. For 218 years, the Presidio served as an army post for 3 nations.
our guide informed us that the military barracks have turned into pricey condos and retro-hip office spaces all for since the area is still a national recreation area. George Lucas moved much of his film production facilities to the area which was once a military hospital, he said you could even say hi to Yoda, or you can visit the Walt Disney Family Museum.
Out of nowhere, there was one of only 2 cemeteries left in the city. This part of the city is beautiful...there is nothing in the world like the Presidio. There is no place so rare that provides unending, varied, and natural beauty to a profoundly cultured city.
Ok, lets see....what am I leaving out from our tour..... of coarse..
Ghirardelli Square...chocolate, chocolate and more chocolate! It is a landmark with shops and restuarants that you must visit! I have to say..."watch out Willy Wonka, you may have a serious competitor in the chocolate department." Yes, I have a sweet tooth, and if you have a sweet tooth for delicious ice cream, rich chocolate and whip cream, then this place is for you! It will brighten anyones day.
This was such a great day, something that was on my bucket list, and I am so glad I can put a big check mark by it, and it would be something I would love to do again.
San Francisco kind of reminds me of a circus. How about "the big top by the bay". There is chaos, wildness and dirtiness of a circus. The city is constantly changing its games and attractions, there is so much excitement of a circus, it appears in cable cars, boat tours, bike tours, walking tours, bus tours. It is a city that seems always at play. And, like the circus, this is where people run away to. It just felt like some of that spirit, the people and events and places seemed to have spilled out from some secret big top hidden in the streets of San Francisco. There are things that the big colorful big red tarp couldn't contain. However, San Francisco differs from a regular circus (which one is happening in Manteca as I write this) it's spectacles are everywhere....it's sideshows are down practically every ally, in the Tenderloin, Haight-Ashbury, the Golden Gate park, Ghiradelli Square, Pier 39 and Chinatown. The lights go down, the lights come up and its showtime.....the silver-man, the man who hides behind a bush and scares many who walk by, the artist, the drummer, the rapper, the singer, the acrobate, and the person who holds a cup out and asks for spare change for beer or weed. This is a circus/city to see!
All because of His Amazing Grace.......
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