When in San Francisco …

Go to Pier 39?  Eat clam chowder?  Have a milkshake from Ghiradelli Square?  Shop in Union Square?  Ok, all of these are completely valid and I hope that everyone does so at least once in their lives.  But there is SO much more to the bay than just Pier 39 or even a Giants game.  I’ve had my fair share of games and I guess I am slightly biased as a Dodgers fan, but not the point.  I had one more day of freedom to my weekend and decided to make it count.  After waking up and pounding out a little homework, I set off for the city.  This took a little load off my homework plate for today and it also enabled me to miss the traffic.  I had some ideas of what I wanted to accomplish and while some were checked off my list, others were not.  Still never been to Haight/Ashbury, but I guess there’s room for another trip 🙂

Check out those killer hills.  Maybe save them for another trip.  This time, it was all along a flat road.  Long (~11 miles of walking) but flat.  So, has anyone heard of the “Harlem Shake”? It’s one of those new dances where everyone seems to be making their own version.  I guess you could say it’s a flash mob.  Well, I’ve always wanted to participate in one and I was walking along and saw them filming this.  They were encouraging anyone to jump in and well, why not?  YOLO, right? Check it out here 🙂

Excuse the marshmallow vest.  Don’t we all look good in five layers of clothing? I had to get at least one good tourist picture in the day, right?
Clear enough to spot Alcatraz! Another fun trip (better if you read “Al Capone Does My Shirts” 😉 ) but book ahead! Ready to walk across! Though I have been to SF a number of times, this was still unaccomplished.  Usually as Girl Scouts, you “bridge” to the next level in 5th grade by walking across the Golden Gate.  Our year happened to be 9/11, so that was a no-go.  Instead, we hopped our way across a 4 foot wooden bridge in the center of a cafeteria.  Yeah, quite anti-climactic.  A look at the city from the bridge.  What a sight indeed! Because San Fran is such a big city, it is bound to have some good eateries.  I probably debated if I should buy something (and what that would be) or stick with my Kind bar and carrots.  Well, a hot dog at 2:30 doesn’t hurt. 🙂  Plus, with a sign like that, it was too hard to turn down.  I figure I earned it after 8 miles of walking (at that point…still more walking to go)
Up next were a few famous hot spots that I wanted to document.  They were a ways into the city, so walking was out of the question.  Trust me, I probably would have done it if I had more time.  But, 3:30 was cutting it close.  Below is Tartine’s Bakery, a seemingly WONDERFUL place to pick up something for lunch or a treat.  I have been recommended to eat here a number of times, but without fail, the line is always out the door.  I guess everyone has the same brilliant plan, even at 4pm.  This would be the Bi-Rite Market, which started in 1940.  It seems to be a popular joint and was evidenced by the fact that I could barely make my way into the store and through the tiny aisles.  It certainly was jam-packed with people and filled to the brim with fresh produce, gourmet cheese, beverages and beyond, and even the Bi-Rite branded ice cream.  But more on the ice cream below.   I spot the ice cream in the store, but wanted the actual ice cream shop itself.  Ah, there it is! Bi-Rite Creamery, just a few feet up and across the street.  Brilliant 🙂  This creamery creates some of the most extravagant and delicious flavors of ice cream.  If you don’t believe me, check it out here!
They have two parts, a soft-serve and baked goods window (how clever) and a walk-in store filled with various ice-cream flavors.  It can’t get much better than that, can it? Certainly a spot I would love to return to if I can gather any one to go with me. 
So that was that.  My grand solo adventure for the weekend.  Now it’s back to homework and projects for the day.  But, I’m already planning my next study break 🙂