It was a gorgerous day in San Francisco and we didn’t waste one minute of it! We left our hotel in the Nob Hill area and headed into Chinatown before 10:00. We walked around Chinatown for a little while but it was pretty quiet with most of the shops and stores just beginning to open. Just on the outskirts of Chinatown we walked through a park where 50-75 homeless people were gathered for breakfast, free hair cuts, and what sounded to us like church music. Near the park was an open market where I saw everything from jewelry to wooden bowls for sale. The market was just across the street from pier 1. Laura wanted to meet us for breakfast so she and John discussed a meeting place. Laura said she would meet us at the Ferry Building near pier 38. We walked from pier 1 to pier 40 near the baseball stadium but didn’t see the Ferry building. It turns out that we didn’t see the Ferry Building because it was literary next to pier 1 where we started. Laura met us and drove us back to pier 1. We had a great time walking around the pier while enjoying fresh bread, cheese, and olives for a mid morning snack. Laura headed back home to catch up on some work and shop for the dinner she’s hosting for us this evening. John and I walked up many steep hills (it is SF after all) and eventually reached the Coit Tower built in 1933 as a sightseeing spot. You get amazing views of the city from the tower. We got views of downtown, the bay bridge, the golden gate, bridge and Alcatraz! After exploring the coit tower we returned to Chinatown for a second look, and then skipped over to little Italy where I had a beer and John had a Coke. Then we decided to walk up Lombard Street for more nice views of the city. We got back to our hotel shortly after 4:00 and had to scrabble a bit and get ready for dinner at Laura’s. Dinner at Laura’s was superb. The meal was delicious with salmon, green beans, a salad, and sourdough baguette. Laura and her brother Thomas are John’s first cousins (his dad’s brother’s children). Tom is a writer and magazine editor who is busy traveling all over the county promoting his latest book. Laura is a surgeon obviously keeping busy with her work. Thomas is married to Whitney, a social worker and they have two little boys, almost 3 year old, Rex and 5month old Buckminster. Adorable little kids, Rex presented me with gifts throughout the evening usually items belonging to his aunt Laura, coins, a bracelet, a piece of paper with Arabic writing on it, and a black tank top. Rex wanted to sit at the head of the table and assigned me to sit at the opposite end Buck is a strong little guy who loves to stand with assistance and according to Whitney he’s been doing this since he was three week old. I’m going to sign off now because this post is getting long and we have lots to see in San Francisco today including the California Redwoods. Again, no time to proof this post so forgive or just ignore the errors.
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