Big 10 Football Tour

So our first day in San Francisco can be described in one word: fog.  Lots and lots of fog, so much that you couldn't see more than 500 feet in front of yourself at times.  We started the day by driving from Santa Clara to San Francisco.  When we arrived downtown, we were greeted by a 4.8 earthquake.  Our rental car skipped off of the road for a moment, but otherwise we we unharmed.

The day started at Coit Tower, which was also covered in fog.  Below I've attached a photo from a previous clear day to show what it would otherwise look like.

Next up, we tried out the crookedest street in America - Lombard street.  We first took a drive down the street, testing the handling of our rental car, but later simply took photos from the bottom like the rest of the tourists.  Check out the video below for some fun I've had in the past on this very street.

We decided to go on foot from Union Square.  It's here that you'll find much of the big city shopping and severe difficulty finding a reasonable parking space.  During this time of year, you'll find a large skating rink between Saks Fifth Avenue and Macy's; although no one seemed interested in ice skating here.

From Union Square, we took a trolley to Chinatown, which is probably the most famous something-town in America.  Here, you'll find many souveneirs that are american in nature, but then you'll see some of the fresh seafood on the side of the street and realize that you're in a whole 'nother world. 

The next stop on this chilly day was the Fisherman's Wharf, where on a clear day, you typically get fantastic views of the Golden Gate Bridge and Alcatraz Island.  Unfortunately today was not a clear day and we could hardly see either.

It is here that you'll also find the sun-bathing docks for sea lions, not to be confused with the elephant seals mentioned during day 7.  Throughout the year, you'll find anywhere from a dozen to hundreds of sea lions fighting for a spot on these docks.  If you still have some money in your wallet at this point, be sure to try the clam chowder at the nearby restaurant. 

The conclusion of this cold day would be spent at Ghirardelli Square.  No, I probably would not have been able to spell that corrected had the photo not be right next to this paragraph.  Step inside this building and if you're not homeless, you'll probably grab a free Ghirardelli sample.  Once you get inside of the ice cream shop, you'll see all sorts of delectable treats, but you probably won't get out of there without spending at least $10.00.  Beyond the ice cream shop, there isn't a whole lot to see in Ghirardelli Square.

To conclude the day, we took the trolley back to where we parked our car in Union Square.  The rides are a bit pricey, but totally worth it as its an experience that you can't find elsewhere in America.  The trolley operators must get extremely frusterated as they constantly have to remind the tourists that if they want to keep their extremities, they must keep them within the trolley.

It's not necessarily a comfortable ride, but you'll see some great views of SF.  Check out the video below to see how they turn the trolley cars around.  Some of the photos below will show how they integrate the trolleys with common traffic.

Throughout the two days there, I somehow spotted many other things through the fog.  Rather than elaborate on each, I've listed some "one-liners" with each photo below.  I've started with San Francisco's most famous beer off to the side.