San Francisco

Cody and I stayed in Union Square while we were in San Francisco. With Pride happening, the atmosphere was electric to say the least.

Saturday morning we made our way to the waterfront and poked around a farmer's market. This was the first time during the trip that I started to appreciate the freshness of California. I have never so much fruit and vegetables and all around awesome food. The organic movement is not a movement in California. It is simply the way things are. We managed to eat the most ridiculous peach while we were there and get a glimpse of the Bay Bridge. 

This was before the magical peach experience.

After the farmer's market, we walked to Coit Tower. This was the point in time that we got a taste of the hills of San Francisco. We walked along streets until the incline warranted someone to build some stairs leading to higher elevations. Apparently these random stairs that weave throughout homes tucked on the sides of hills can be found in more than one part of the city. They claim there are even slides that lead down from some of the stairs. We unfortunately did not get to slide down anything.

At the top of Coit Tower. The Golden Gate Bridge is hard to make out between the two of us. 

This was a stop somewhere along the stairs that never ended. 

The San Francisco skyline makes obvious why so many people fall in love with the city.

After our Coit Tower hike, we made our way to City Lights Bookstore. I did a research project about the Beat Generation when I was in college and ever since I have been mildly obsessed with Jack Kerouac and his crew of writing buddies. City Lights Bookstore was a popular hangout for Kerouac and Allen Ginsberg during the 50's. The bookstore today still has the feel of an independent book seller. They have tons of books scattered throughout the three levels of the store. I almost bought my unborn child a book I found entitled A is for Activist because it's the type of book that inevitably creates really cool, socially responsible, emotionally intelligent adults. 

Open Door - Open Books - Open Mind - Open Heart
The signs in the windows were comfortably Methodist feeling and something I may incorporate in my own English classroom this year.

Saturday night Cody and I went to a Giants baseball game. We aren't huge MLB fans, but we read about the world famous garlic fries sold in the stadium and managed to get super cheap tickets from a scalper. It was a lot of fun. The fries were as good as advertised and we got to experience the professional sports team mania that was obviously present in the city.

Sunday we decided to rent bicycles and ride across the Golden Gate Bridge to Sausalito and the headlands. The ride was around eight miles and on a mostly level surface. I managed without falling once and without hurting my crotch too terribly bad. 

On our way to the bridge. 

Cody took no less than 30 pictures of us actually riding across the bridge.
Turns out more people commit suicide by jumping from the GGB more than any other bridge in the country. The entire time I was riding I kept imagining poor people jumping to their death. Eerie.

The entire day was a lot of fun. We managed to avoid the crowds of people at the parade and saw San Francisco from the other side of the Bay. Cody obviously enjoyed the ride as we all imagine he would.