24 September 2010

Trip Day 8 — San Fancisco Day 4 — Ghiradelli, Cable Car & ChinaTown

Posted by BaBa under: Travel .

Today, is our last day in San Francisco and the next to the last day of our Fall Break vacation. We slept in a little later this morning as our schedule was very open. We planned to take the local bus to CalTrain and then the Munni #47 into town from the CalTrain station. We would ride almost to the end, but would not go to the Warf today. Instead we would stop a few blocks shy of the Wart to visit Ghiradelli Square.

Sheridan was going to get sample some chocolate and then see how chocolate is made. It is a really short presentation to explain chocolate making here instead of a real plant tour like in Hershey Pennsylvania. He enjoyed it and asked several questions as we looked at each station and machine. He got a sample of pumpkin pie and chocolate. Not really a great combo, but it is all they had for samples and they did not even sell the single squares. So it would have to do.

We took a few photos at the water fountain in the square and of the sign. We then walked down to the Cannery (a block above the Warf).

We were able to catch the Powell and Hyde cable care. He got to see how they turn the car around not once, but a few times. We were in a short queue for the cable car ride and were able to catch it fairly quickly. Magoo sat on the outside and I hung on in front of him. We rode up the hills and got to look back on the great views of the bay behind us as we climbed the hills. The operator had a great and dry sense of humor. I had to take off my backpack as he called it a parachute. We stopped a couple of stops before ChinaTown so that we could go to the cable car museum.

Sheridan got to see the great lines and gears that run under the street and power the cars. He also got to see how the cable is caught and let go in a display in the museum.

We left the museum and walked a couple of blocks into ChinaTown. We had a little more shopping to do and of course one more Chinese Meal for Magoo,

We walked on Washington Street until we found Grant Avenue and then followed it to the top and beginning of ChinaTown. Our first day we had bought 14 black shirts with a dragoon on them for MaMa’s co-op class on China. We needed 1 more. I had a photo of the shirt on the iPhone and proceeded to work each shop looking for the shirt and found one. We had exhausted the supply on Tuesday.

Today was hot for San Francisco. The temperature was in the low 80’s. So we were also searching for a t-shirt for Magoo and I. I found one and quickly changed from my long sleeve shirt. Funny thing is that with t-shirts in ChinaTown, the prices vary greatly from a low of $1.88 to a little more than $6.00. There are also many different combos such as 3 for $10, etc. The shops we were looking at were $1.88 and you had to pay cash and could not try on any of the shirts.

We let Magoo pick out about a dozen shirts and will use them for play clothes and some of the larger ones for nightshirts next summer. He picked out several San Francisco shirts and several with dragons. He even found one with the same design as mine, but not the same colors. He really wanted one to match mine and was happy to have gotten it.

Our shopping was almost done. We still had a birthday present to buy and of course lunch. We decided to try one restaurant and were seated promptly, but never could place an order. Two different waitresses approached us early and I believe that each thought the other had taken the order. Instead we left and went back to the restaurant we had eaten on Tuesday. Magoo and MaMa shared a meal of Dumplings and Fried Pork Dumplings with fried rice. I munched on my Subway sandwich and we enjoyed a quiet meal together.

We walked back down Grant Avenue to the beginning of ChinaTown and purchased the birthday present. Sheridan had gotten a wooden dragon at one shop on Tuesday and decided to get a wooden alligator there for the birthday boy. Now with all our shopping completed, we bade farewell to ChinaTown. We walked out of the gate for the last time and then through the garage to catch the #30 to the CalTrain Station. Here we also bade farewell to San Francisco as we boarded the train.

There is a certain experience to be had in taking public transportation in a city. We had seen many things in San Francisco and met several people on the buses and trains. We had also seen some of society’s urban pioneers from those collecting bottles and cans, street walkers, to others afflicted with mental illnesses such as the lady talking to her teddy bears on tonight’s train and the man with OCD on this morning’s bus who scared Sheridan.

When we arrived in Milbrae, there were no cabs and also no shopping cart. So we walked the one block up to the main road. We walked another 1/2 block to the bus stop. There was a lady who was also waiting for the bus. She told us that it would be here soon and she was right.

We got on and the driver was nice enough to let us off right at the hotel. This was an unexpected surprise and certainly a welcome surprise.

We had gotten in by 5pm and so had time for a quiet evening. Magoo wanted to go swimming and even though it was cold, he went for a swim. A really short swim as it was really cold. He made it all the way in and then right back out. He then went to the hot tub and played in the bubbles for a short time. This both warmed him up and let him get in his swim. I promised that I would go with him in the hot tub after breakfast tomorrow.

After his swimming, we went back to the room where he watched his video player while we watched TV and packed. We were a little concerned how we would get all of the purchases home. Fortunately, we are good packers and so managed to get everything in with a little trick. We had gotten a Whole Foods Cold bag in Seattle. We packed the airport snacks and got Magoo’s backpack in this bag. This allowed us to have 2 bags each which is the carryon limit. With early boarding, we could get on and get settled along with getting the bags stowed.

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