Dan and Jo Ann's San Francisco Vacation January 15 through January 22, 2019
Tuesday, January 15, 2019
We flew to San Francisco International Airport from Denver International Airport in the early afternoon. We arranged a Super Shuttle ride to our lodging, but due to a mishap with a certain Super Shuttle Driver, we had to wait for over an hour for our van. Once we got on that van, we shared the van with a young man from Michigan who was also going on a week long vacation to San Francisco named Adam. We had a delightful conversation with Adam who was dropped off before us in the Noe Valley area.
Adam who was visiting San Francisco from Michigan for a pre-college outing. He is going to be busy for some time with college work, so this was an his last outing for awhile.
Once we arrived at our Airbnb in the Sunset at Santiago between 31st and 32nd Avenue and we met Lainie and Charlie our hosts. They gave us a quick tour of our lodging and recommended some nearby restaurants. We chose the House of Dumpling on Taraval which was walking distance from our Airbnb and we had hot and sour soup, shrimp with vegetables and an appetizer. (Jo Ann was really full!). Then we walked back to our lodging and went to sleep. It had been an exhausting travel day.
Wednesday., January 16, 2019
Adam who was visiting San Francisco from Michigan for a pre-college outing. He is going to be busy for some time with college work, so this was an his last outing for awhile.
Once we arrived at our Airbnb in the Sunset at Santiago between 31st and 32nd Avenue and we met Lainie and Charlie our hosts. They gave us a quick tour of our lodging and recommended some nearby restaurants. We chose the House of Dumpling on Taraval which was walking distance from our Airbnb and we had hot and sour soup, shrimp with vegetables and an appetizer. (Jo Ann was really full!). Then we walked back to our lodging and went to sleep. It had been an exhausting travel day.
Wednesday., January 16, 2019
We left our Airbnb at about 8:30 am and took an Uber to San Francisco's Yerba Buena ice rink. It was fun to see Joanna Ramberg who Jo Ann has been connected with online for years. We also saw Dale Milfay and her husband Tim who Jo Ann met during the summer of 2018 in Sun Valley. We also met one of the rink's managers, Bonnie Legg of the famous Legg skating rink owner family. Jo Ann enjoyed doing a wonderful hour of figures from 10 am to 11 am.
After skating we took another Uber to the House of Bagels on Geary and 12th Avenue in the Richmond District. We had the best meal there. Of course Dan had lox and cream cheese and Jo Ann could not resist also getting lox on a bagel. We enjoyed just sitting in that bagel place for a bit. Before we left, we bought more bagels, cream cheese, and day old Hamentashen. As the week passed, it seemed Dan became more and more addicted to that Hamentashen!
It was really cold and rainy on that Wednesday, so we took another Uber back to our Airbnb and warmed up. Around 3 pm, we decided to walk over to the local laundry at 32nd and Taraval to get some quarters for Muni so we could take the train downtown the next day. Then we got a few things at 7-11 and walked to the post office at about 28th and Taraval and mailed some cards. We had some time to kill and it was very cold, so we stopped into a little coffee house that was across the street from our favorite Japanese Restaurant and warmed up with some coffee and tea, and then when our friend Scott arrived at the Japanese Restaurant, we had the most amazing Japanese meal! We began with appetizers, then sushi, and then flaming fish dinners (Dan and Scott had halibut and Jo Ann had salmon.). Our friend Scott picked up the tab. but we paid the tip. As we left, very heavy rain started, so Scott gave us a ride back to our Airbnb on Santiago.
We went to sleep quickly after a very busy day, but there was very loud and heavy rain that night in the Bay Area and the wind howled and howled.
Thursday, January 17, 2019
When we woke up it was still raining, but at around 8:15 am, we walked to the Muni L line on 32nd and Taraval and waited in the rain, boarded, deposited our quarters, and took the train all the way to the Powell and Market Station. We arrived in the downtown area around 9 am and headed towards the Starbucks that was located next to a Target store near the Yerba Buena rink.
Jo Ann made it in time for the Coffee Club and we met some lovely people at that ice rink. (Jo Ann's dad called during the time Jo Ann was skating. He was late for a doctor appointment and the appointment was rescheduled for Monday, 1/21/19. Dan talked to Jo Ann's dad trying to help him with rescheduling the appointment while Jo Ann skated since Jo Ann didn't want to miss her skating and the edge class that went on during the call.)
After skating, we had lunch at this amazing food court near the Target and Starbucks. Dan had Korean BB!!
Then, we walked over to the Contemporary Jewish Museum. We saw exhibits on a Jewish tattoo artist from the early 20th Century (Lew the Jew) and we also spent time at a children's exhibit about perception. There were boxes with mirrors there that made it look like we were in a different world!
The second floor of the museum was closed so we were only charged half price to see the museum: $13.00.
After the museum we crossed Market Street and went to a historical Wells Fargo Bank to get more quarters for the MUNI and then we went to Payless Shoes also on Market Street and Jo Ann purchased some new sneakers since her other shoes were beginning to fall apart.
Finally, we took the N Judah train from the Powell and Market Station to somewhere in the Sunset Distric and got off and walked from the Kirkham and 12th Avenue stop to eat at a vegetarian Chinese restaurant called Enjoy Vegetarian Restaurant. Jo Ann even charged her phone in the restaurant!
After dinner, we took an Uber back to our Airbnb, got warm, and went to bed. It was still quite a rainy night.
Friday, January 18, 2019
Finally he wasn't raining, it was only partly cloudy, so we took an early morning scooter ride.Then, Alan and Lyn Bond picked us up at 10:00 am. We drove by our old apartment at 48th and Taravel (2382 48th Avenue #1) and then they took us to Land's End restaurant and we had a light breakfast together as we looked a beautiful view of the rocks leading down to the Pacific Ocean.
Alan treated us. (It was a cash only place and I recall Lyn and Alan being a bit concerned that they had enough cash with them.) We took a short walk to look at the beautiful view before breakfast and then the Bonds took us to Pacifica to see the most beautiful waves on the beach and at the pier, and then we went to their house for a short tour of their home.
After hugging Lyn good-bye, Alan drove us back via Highway 1 and Skyway Blvd. We saw the beautiful Lake Merced.
After returning to our Airbnb, Jo Ann noticed the tires on her Razor Lux Air were low and we were unable to pump the tires up. We took the scooter to the local "Bike Doctor" who had a shop in his garage near Taravel and 21st, but he declined to fix the scooter.
Jo Ann did not want to give up on getting the scooter fixed, so we took an Uber to Swell Bicycle Shop and they were able to fix the tires and pump them with air. Yeah to Swell Bicycle Shop!
Dan took an Uber back to the Airbnb, but Jo Ann decided to scooter back and explore the streets of the Sunset a bit. Dan took a nice nap while Jo Ann had a wonderful time scootering.
As the late afternoon approached, we took another Uber to to the Church of 8 Wheels at Fillmore and Fell. Dan finally got to meet the Godfather of Roller Skating in person. Jo Ann skaters from about 5:30 to 6:30 pm, and then we took another Uber to the Embardero where we had dinner inside the Ferry Building. During dinner, we met an interesting couple from York, England who had just arrived in San Francisco for a vacation.
After that we crossed the street to Embarcadero Plaza where we met up with Lainie and the rest of the San Francisco Friday Night Skate group. We began the "skate" with the group at 9 pm, but Dan could not keep up, so we lost the group quickly but did skate from Pier 1 (the Ferry Building to Fisherman's Wharf. We then took an Uber back to our Airbnb. In that shared Uber we met a couple vacationing from Australia who were staying at an Airbnb in the Haight-Ashbury in a very cool looking Victorian house.
When we returned to our Airbnb, Jo Ann went on Facebook to share some photos from the Friday Night Skate and learned that figure skater John Couglin had killed himself. It was a horrible shock and although Dan slept well, Jo Ann did have a hard time getting and staying asleep.
Saturday, January 19, 2019
It was a no-rain cloudy day again. We took an early Uber to Congregation Beth Israel Judea. Right wasy, we met Rabbi Danny Gottlieb and took part in the congregation's Torah Study and service. The service took place in a room called the Fireside Room and was two hours long. Between the Torah Study and service we checked out the amazing Israeli art gallery that was on display at the synagogue. The congregation shares the building with a reconstructionist congregation. Someone named Dr. Jaime whose laste brother had been the cantor of that congregation drove us back to our Airbnb.
After a short rest, we scootered to see our friend Lori's old apartment at near 21st Avenue and also Susan Rothbard's old apartment near 19th and Lincoln. It was wonderful scootering around that part of the Sunset District. After we crossed 19th Avenue, we called Dan an Uber and the Jo Ann scootered to the Haight-Ashbury with the goal of the two of us meeting at Haight and Ashbury at Vegburg vegan restaurant. We both had vegan hamburgers (Dan also had gooey garlic French Fries while he waited for Jo Ann.) For desert, Dan had soft serve vegan ice cream.
We scootered through the Haight a bit and Jo Ann bought a cool tie-dyed fanny pack. Finally, when we arrived at the Whole Food at the west end of Haight Street, we called an Uber and went back to our Airbnb. We fell asleep quickly that night.
Sunday, January 20, 2019
Our friend Scott pciked us up at 10:30 am to take us to a Dim Sum brunch on Geary at a restaurant called Ton Kiang. We had a great time sampling dishes we had never eaten before and split the bill with Scott. We had planned to go roller skating at the 6th Avenue Skating place, but it was raining that day so after scootering to the House of Bagels and buying more bagels and Hamentashen, we took an Uber to the Walt Disney Family Museum in the Presidio.
While we were at the museum, Jo Ann's brother Billy called and we found out that Jo Ann's dad had not been taking very good care of our dog Duchess. While on the call, Duchess broke away from her leash and Jo Ann frantically called neighbors to help find Duchess, but fortunately, Duchess came back to the house. Billy took Duchess to his house and we went back to enjoying the museum.
The museum was quite interesting, but we were a bit distracted there as we began to worry about Jo Ann's dad. We made the mistake of ordering an express Uber and the Uber driver canceled when we got lost and couldn't get to the pick up location when there was a sudden downpour. We went back into the museum to dry off and called another Uber which took us to the Loving Hut Vegan Restaurant that mostly had Chinese food. The food was quite good, but the service was so slow. We will never forget having vegan "chicken" on real chick bones! After dinner, we took another Uber back to our Airbnb and went to bed.
Monday, January 21, 2019
Monday was the sunniest day of our vacation. We slept in and then after we checked into our Southwest Airlines flights, we took a long scooter ride to 48th Ave and Taravel and even met the people that currently rent our old apartment. Eventually we made it to 43rd and Lincoln. On the way there we stopped briefly at the 43rd Avenues Playland. It was a fascinating neighborhood place with a garden and skate boarding and a parking lot. It was remarkable to see that in "The City."
We had coffee and a smoothie at another vegan place called Judilicious and then we took an Uber to 6th Avenue and Fulton and Jo Ann roller skated at the Golden Gate Park 6th Avenue Skating place. It was the Martin Luther King holiday, so Golden Gate Park was closed to car traffic, so we scootered a bit in the park and got an Uber that picked us up at Stanyan and Fell. We got dropped off downton near Kearney and Market and went to Muracci Japanese Curry Restaurant and had wonderful Japanese Curry. The restaurant was so small that we were sandwiched into a little table right next to the restroom. The whole experience was great though!
After we ate, we scootered to the Embarcadero Muni Station and used some of the quarters we had with us ride back to the Sunset and got off at 30th Avenue and Taravel and scootered back to our Airbnb.
We did some packing and said good-bye to our hostess Lainie (Jo Ann gave her a copy of her book) and then we went to bed. Dan was so excited about our wonderful vacation that he began writing out all we had done.
Tuesday, January 22, 2019
Of course our last morning in San Francisco was a sunny day and we were sad we had to leave. After we finished packing and cleaning up the Airbnb, the Super Shuttle arrived early at 7:30 am. We said good-b6e to Lainie's husband Charlie and returned our keys to him and boarded the Super Shuttle. The driver picked up one additional passenger which happened to be the same young man named Adam who had been in our Super Shuttle when we had traveled from the SFO airport into the city a week before on Tuesday! What are the chances of that?!!!! We all spent the trip to the airport sharing about our various experiences in San Franciso. The Super Shuttle driver dropped us at the airport early so we had time for a relaxing breakfast at the airport. Dan had a cold, so he was grateful for the orange juice Jo Ann got him.Later on, Jo Ann was sorry she had not exchanged contact info with Adam, so Jo Ann wrote Super Shuttle asking if they could ask Adam to contact us and the next day, Jo Ann received a text from Adam!
When we returned to Colorado, Dan took the train to get our car and then we went to Billy's house to pick up Duchess and then to the Larkspur house to see my dad. It was a wonderful vacation and second honeymoon!
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