Saturday, October 3rd
Yet another cool clear morning with temps in low 50s.
Click on the photos below for a larger image.
After the usual webbing and Farley's I headed back to the apartment in order to be there when my old pal Steve called. Then it was out the door to catch the 22 and head to the Avenues of the Richmond District.
Ridin' the 22.
After boarding, my first stop would be at Geary and Fillmore to catch the 38 Geary outbound.
At Geary there was some sort of event going on. This jazz band was playing and someone was providing paper plates of food.
The 38 arrived and now it was on to the Avenues to see if I could remember the location of a Russian bakery I had visited in 2007. There are a lot of Russian food stores in this section of the Aveneus. All I could remember was it was on Geary and somewhere past 9th Avenue, but not far into the 20s.
I kept a sharp eye out for and then finally, when we reach the Avenues and I did not see it I decided to get off the bus and look for it on foot. A young couple who had been sitting behind me got off as well and overhearing the talk they seemed to be familiar with the area. I approached them asked if he knew of a Russian Bakery nearby and he said "Yes, there are a couple of them down around 20th - just a few blocks." So I headed down the street and sure enough, there it was - the Moscow & Tbilisi Bakery Store.
The accordionist, here seen counting his tip money, was playing "Jingle Bells" when I first got there. Appropriate, since I am in the habit of singing this song year round.
When I stumbled upon the Moscow & Tbilisi Bakery Store (5540 Geary Blvd - between 19th Ave & 20th Ave) in 2007 it was the day before I was to fly home. When I saw all the goodies I was really sorry I had not found the place earlier in my stay so I get try some of the treats.
Look at all those yummies! These folks at the counter bought around $25 worth of goodies. My purchase we be more modest.
I was fascinated by these "swirl sweets" when I first saw them in 2007. Although, I had no desire to try them.
I am sure they were just pure sugar, but I thought they were pretty looking.
I left the store with two "blinses" a meat and a cheese, and two nice pieces of pastry, a walnut loaf type thing and something which was like an apple cake with big chunks of apple. I then boarded the 38 Geary again and got off at the end of the line - 48th Avenue stop which is right across from the Sutro Heights/Point Lobos area of Lands End and the trail head for the Coastal Trail.
As soon as I got off the bus the cool, breezy air hit me in the face. Quite invigorating. I stopped and put on my fleece and then headed down the Coastal Trail.
The coyotes sure get around. This sign was not in place the last time I visited.
One of my tasty blinses.
The walnut pastry was my dessert.
The view from my lunch spot. Not too shabby!
To the left are the Marin Headlands and to the right, the Golden Gate Bridge.
Google map of the Marin headlands.
This looked like the emerging fronds of Polypody fern, but I was not able to determine what species.
I saw a steady stream of runners and walkers on my 5 mile from Lands End to the Marina District.
When I was last here at Baker Beach it was full of nude volleyball players and sun bathers. Hardly a soul today. I imagine a combination of the cool temperatures, and high winds had kept people away. Also, two big events, LoveFest and Hardly, Strictly Bluegrass were going on.
The sand stairway from Baker Beach to Lincoln Blvd. When last I climbed it the timber stairs were not buried in loose sand. It was sloooow going.
The Golden Gate Bridge peeking out of the tree tops as seen fro the Presidio.
When I got Crissy Field I was quite surprised by what I saw. Are those actually 100s of pink tents?
Yep. And over 700 of them.
And here's the reason, a huge, 3 day breast cancer fund raiser called 3-Day.
Here are some of the greeters at the finish line who cheered and whooped and hollered as the participants crossed over.
I talked to these volunteers about the event and then took this shot.
The next leg of my 5 mile hike took me along Mason Street on my way to the Marina and then up to Lombard to catch the bus. I was running late to meet Steve so I caught the 43 Masonic bus and took it up to Fillmore Street where, soon, I was once again...
...ridin' the 22.
The 22 was packed! But nothing compared to the 38 Geary inbound. I didn't think I was going to be able to board.
This is what the steps to the rear door of the bus looked like - before it got crowded. Shortly after this a woman practically hurled her self and two small kids in and then braced herself against me so she could hang on to the kids.
All the while there was a constant raucous roar from the rear car as dozens of LoveFest revelers got more an more excited the closer we got to the LoveFest site. When they got off we could all finally move and breath a little easier. What a ride.
Uncomfortable, but fun!
It was 4:00 when I got to the Gold Dust Saloon 247 Powell (between Geary & O'farrell Streets) it was quite busy so I grabbed the first table which came open. Steve was to be there at 4:30ish. I ordered a pint and settled in to wait.
Steve, formerly a Morgantowner has now been living and working in Silicon Valley for nearly 10 years. Steve was bach-ing it this weekend and wanted to come up to The City, have a few beers while we got caught up and then have dinner somewhere.
Prior to when Steve arrived I struck up a conversation with a young Japanese woman who was sitting next to me. When I told her I was waiting for someone she indicated I was very nice to wait so patiently for my girlfriend. I told here it was a guy I was waiting for and she said: "Oh, are you gay?" I couldn't resist and said, yes, I was and Steve and I had met on the internet and I had come all the way from West Virginia to meet him.
When she heard that she could not believe he could keep me waiting and she hatched a scheme whereby when he got there she would move close to me and start rubbing me on the leg so as to make him jealous. What a hoot!
But, of course, she did not make good her promise. Darn...
Steve and I had a few beers and then left to find some dinner. We headed up Powell street with the idea of going to Fisherman's Wharf.
When we left the bar we saw this car which was parked across the street. Totally Californian.
We got a good look at the Trans America Pyramid as we huffed and puffed up Powell Street. We passed through Chinatown and North Beach, places I had not been to many years. Fortunately Steve new the area better than I and we got to the Wharf in good time.
At Pier 39 the atmosphere was circus like. And it was quite crowded and busy.
Pier 39 is a shopping center and popular tourist attraction built on a pier in San Francisco, California. At Pier 39, there are shops, restaurants, a video arcade, street performances, an interpretive center for the Marine Mammal Center, the Aquarium of the Bay, virtual 3D rides, and views of California sea lions hauled out on docks on Pier 39's marina. The marina is also home to the floating Forbes Island restaurant. A two-story carousel is one of the pier's more dominant features, although it is not directly visible from the street and sits towards the end of the pier. The family-oriented entertainment and presence of marine mammals make this a popular tourist location for families with children.
The pier is located at the edge of the Fisherman's Wharf district and is close to North Beach, Chinatown, and the Embarcadero. The area is easily accessible via the historic F Market streetcars.
From the pier one can see Angel Island, Alcatraz, the Golden Gate Bridge, and the Bay Bridge. Blue & Gold Fleet's bay cruises leave from Pier 39.
Pier 39 was first developed by entrepreneur Warren Simmons and opened October 4, 1978.
Source: WikiPedia
Here Steve is at our table in Neptune's Palace. Did I mention Steve is Australian? But, please don't hold that against him.
Steve had the steak and shrimp and I had the petrale sole with a side of mixed veggies and mashed potatoes. The meal was average and overpriced as I expected. The taters were barely warm and the veggies cold. The fish was OK.
After dinner we strolled around some and passed the Wax Museum which had a revolving Michael Jackson display. People were posing next to it to get their pictures taken. Way to go Jacko!
As we walked along the street yakking and gawking suddenly a street shrub moved wildly and weird scream/growl erupted from it. Scared the crap outta me! Turned out it was a guy who was holding a bush in front of him and then giving passers by a scare. Then he would charge two bucks for a picture. I took no picture but I got a good scare as he intended.
We ended up at the cable car turn around, boarded and then ended back where we started near the Gold Dust. We had one more drink at Johnny Foley's Irish House (243 O'Farrell between Cyril Magnin & Powell Streets) in the Tenderloin. It was jammed packed and noisy.
The final shot of the day. I am sure these ladies were just getting started, but Steve and I were ready to head home. We said our good byes and then Steve took the BART and I hopped on the 9 San Bruno at Market and Taylor, got off at Potrero and 16th to catch the 22. I must have just missed one as I had a 20 minute wait. It was cold and windy and by now 10:30. Boy, did I want to get home. Finally crawled into bed at 11:15. A late night for me.
