Monday Adventure-San Francisco

The times together for us these days are few and far between, what with the work requirements and all. Every minute counts , we like to get out and experience as much as we can in the short time that we have together. Sticking to tradition, we had a Monday adventure this week by taking a GoCars GPS guided tour of San Francisco. We got started mid morning with a quick review of the safety guidelines of the GoCar itself. The GoCar is a 50cc, tri wheel that is designed for flat surface speeds of 30mph. It’s more like a suped up Rascal or Hover Round for two. In a CHiP’s like manner, I twisted the throttle wide open and we tore out of the heart of the city toward Fisherman’s Wharf. All of the docks on the north end of Fisherman’s Wharf are numbered odd and conversely the south end is numbered even. We learned from the automated GPS voice that when new docks are built between the existing docks they are numbered by halves like Pier 29 ½ for example. Sadly that was the most fascinating detail about the wharf that was offered from the tour’s automated voice. However, Heather remembered that The Cannery was featured in a Steinbeck novel called Cannery Row. The building was constructed in 1907 and used by Del Monte to can fruit. It was then off to more interesting things like the Golden Gate Bridge. With the go-cart safely parked and the trunk locked, I made a quick detour by the gift shop for a coffee. Our walk out onto the bridge began with dodging numerous bicyclist clad in serious biker wear. There may have been remnants of a peloton that day, I’m not sure. The path was wide enough for everyone; you just had to know which side to walk on. Cleared of racing cyclist and on past Gothic teens, we walked out the center of the span. We would’ve walked the entire span of the bridge but halfway across we realized that our parking meter was going to run out. So at the midway point we took in the views of Alcatraz and the Transamerica Pyramid. Minus the sound of thousands of cars making their daily trip on the 101 to and from San Francisco, it is a peaceful place to contemplate the passing time. If you’re not up to being introspective about your outward connections then just sit back and marvel at the structure itself. 80,000 feet of wire rope is spanned from Marin County to San Francisco to create the suspension cables that drape across the two support towers. The total reach of these towers is 746 feet above San Francisco Bay. It is 1.7 miles in length, has 6 lanes of traffic, and it takes 38 painters a total of 5 years to cover the entire bridge. And of course, as soon as they are finished with that coat they have to start all over again. The tour took us all around the outer edges of the city along the coast line and beaches. We stopped to have our picnic at Baker’s Beach on the pacific side of the Golden Gate. Too bad it was in the low fifties and breezy or Baker’s Beach would have been a really fun stop. This beach is known for its great view of the west side of the bridge, but more notably, nude sun bathing. We certainly saw the great views of the Bridge, but there were no sunbathers to been found. Since it was too cold to be the first nudes of the day, we wrapped up our lunch break, strapped on our helmets and motored up to Ocean Beach, about 15 minutes away.

This stretch of beach boasts 3 miles of flat pacific coast line that provides some gnarly waves for surfers. What caused us to park was the Beach Chalet. This is a historic San Francisco landmark opened in 1925 as a city run restaurant and changing house for beach goers. It was heavily renovated in 1996 and reopened as the Beach Chalet Brewery and Restaurant. The “Riptide Red” and “VFW” were our selections. A nice brew and an ocean view.

Our bodies and minds refueled, we headed off through the Japanese Tea Garden and Stow Lake up to Twin Peaks. Not real sure if this is where the famous TV show of the early nineties got its inspiration, but it does offer an incredible view of the city. From this second highest peak in San Francisco you can see all the way to the water front at Fisherman’s Warf, you can take in the whole town from this vantage point.

Remember I said that the go-cart has a 50cc engine? It was all the machine could do to muster the strength to carry our asses up to the top of Twin Peaks. In fact we once had to get out and push the damn thing. I was hoping for this opportunity just because it’s a great story to tell later. But now going downhill, you can really get this roadster stretched out. A screaming 30mph is all that the tri wheel is designed to handle. I can say with confidence that the wheels manage to stay on at 35mph. Heather’s sanity and her confidence in my driving were tested for sure. After racing down the hill at Twin Peaks we headed over to the Haight-Ashbury area. This was hippie central during the sixties and early seventies. By 1972 the scene rolled up the carpets and homeless kids appeared on every corner. Nowadays, it seems fairly clean on the outside; not much of the flower wearing crowd can be seen on the streets today. IPhones, ear buds, and environmentally conscious colored awnings and vegetation in the windows gives the street more of a hip college look. Traditional head shops and baked goods cafes still line the street. Fantasy shops and adult toy stores next to bicycle shops shows the community’s true spirit of cohabitation and willingness to embrace new ideas. I guess it hasn’t lost touch with the enlightened mind after all.

Leaving the hipsters behind, we managed to see the "Painted Ladies", the most photographed cityscape in San Francisco. And we just happened to cross in front of the house used in the movie Mrs. Doubtfire.

Next we headed through Chinatown. It wasn’t until after we had cleared the last block that it occurred to me that it was Monday. This meant a fresh cargo of produce, clothes, beauty products, kitchen supplies and herbs. The streets were very busy with hand trucks and pallet jacks being loaded with boxes and flats full of goods. These goods were distributed from delivery trucks to curbside doorways for each food market, clothing store, and beauty salon in the neighborhood. Even the tchotchkes and trinkets headed off to their respective sidewalk stands. All of this gave a very vibrant reflection of the real thing. We were so affected that we had to go back through Chinatown the next day to wander around before having lunch at the Oriental Pearl. The dim sum was fantastic!!!

But back to the Monday Adventure, as we exited Chinatown the evening was fast approaching. We agreed that it was time to cut this trip short. We made a bee line for the drop off point as the drizzling rain started to come down. “Good timing”, said the attendant at the drop off point. It was apparent that the weather had encouraged him to starting shutting down the shop. We had a great time and would do it again. But for now, we were a little wet, chilled to the core, and hungry.

After a hot shower and a change of clothes, we made our way over to the Daily Grill for an impromptu Valentine’s Day dinner date. I know Valentine’s Day is not until Sunday, but it was perfect timing for us because it was the only evening that Heather would have this week to enjoy a night off. Fat with filet mignon, sea scallops, and crème’ brulee, our Monday Adventure was complete. And not once did we see any aliens that supposedly live here.