San Francisco, Days 3 & 4

After slightly over-doing it the day before, we were determined to pace ourselves for the rest of our trip. We explored the west side of the city on Tuesday. We started out by taking a bus to Alamo Square, the park known for its picturesque view of seven "Painted Ladies" before the San Francisco skyline...or the opening scene of Full House. Next, we hopped back on the bus to Golden Gate Park and wandered around the Japanese Tea Garden. The garden was probably my favorite part of the city. It's meticulously maintained and so peaceful. It was just my speed.

Afterwards, we walked through the San Francisco Botanical Gardens and then to the Haight. I promised my dad I'd get a shot of the Red Vic. The Haight wasn't exactly what I was expecting. There were a few aging hippies and some other interesting characters, but the corner of Haight and Ashbury certainly isn't the same as it was back in the day. In fact, there were more beautifully restored homes like the one below than psychedelic graffiti.

After lunch, we took a bus to the Castro District. We went to a matinee at the Castro Theatre, a theater built in 1922 with a capacity of 1400. We saw Up in 3-D, but the experience was more about the theater than the movie.

The inside of the Castro is even more impressive than the outside.

After the movie, we walked through the Castro a little bit. Here's a view of the enormous pride flag before Twin Peaks.

We had dinner at Fisherman's Wharf that night and headed over to Ghirardelli Square for a sundae later in the evening.

The next morning, we started out early for our 20-mile bike ride. We crossed the Golden Gate Bridge, and it wasn't as scary as I was anticipating. The sun came out shortly after we started biking and the weather was just perfect for this ride. This is my favorite picture from vacation.

From the bridge, we coasted down into Sausalito. Thank goodness, because my thighs were burning from the steep climbs up to the bridge. Sausalito is a really quaint seaside town with lots of shopping and dining. We didn't stay long, though.

This photo was taken at about mile 18. My butt hurt and my legs were tired.

The best part of the ride is that we didn't have to turn around and go back. We took an extremely chilly ferry ride back to San Francisco from Tiburon. So, that was our trip. We had a great time and hope to take the kids to San Francisco someday when they're a little older. I can't even imagine pushing a stroller around that city. If you ever have the opportunity to visit San Francisco, take it!