I am shamefully behind schedule with this blog, I know. My internet and social addictions have kept me from sitting down and getting this done in a timely fashion. Here we go...
Two weeks ago Marie , Shaun , Hector and I embarked on a three-day weekend to San Francisco to see Bjork perform at the Shoreline Amphitheatre. It was Marie's first trip to SF, and my first trip back in over ten years! I still find it mind-boggling that I have clear memories that took place over ten years ago. We decided to maximize our time in the city, so instead of driving we took to the skies and arrived early in the afternoon ready for mischief and adventures.
Hector and I took advantage of our backseat spots and snapped the obligatory double self portrait, I love Hector for rocking those white sunglasses like Jessica Wakefield on spring break.
We hit some traffic, but finally made it into the city and checked into our hotel. We we pleasantly surprised at how nicely the room was decorated, and all immediately fawned over the fancy canopy bed:
We had a fire escape outside our room, which provided both a nice view and a smoking section for my roomies. Please note Marie's perfect sex kitten hair in the photo below:
After unpacking, we hit the streets on the prowl for some food and people watching. We chose a 50's cafe, where the SF Jerri Blank waited on us. Then we spotted a huge H&M, and being the shopaholic glamazons that we are, we headed in and I proceeded to blow all of my spending money on new clothes. We returned to the hotel and rested up, then acting on a tip from our fabulous bartender, we hit the town for some cocktails and dancing. The first place turned out to be a big snoozefest, so we downed our drinks and headed right back out. We ended up at The Bar, which was packed and exactly what we were looking for. I started out with the best of intentions, sticking to my usual Grey Goose and tonics... but then things got out of control. I rescued some forgotten and ignored drinks from nearby tables and, to put it bluntly, got completely shit-faced. But I enjoyed every moment of it, even the ones I don't remember.
After a rough couple of hours the next morning, we met up with a friend for lunch at Cafe Mason for a late breakfast/early lunch. I nursed my sprite and fruit plate, the only thing I could stomach at the time. My deepest apologies to Hector for making him switch seats with Shaun after I demanded he get his foul-smelling breakfast out of my sight.
Then it was time for dreams to come true... we'd all been obsessing about visiting Winchester House for months (okay, years), and now our childhood dreams were about to become reality! It was a gorgeous drive from SF to San Jose, we were all awestruck by some of the scenery around us. It actually inspired a future road trip up the california coast. We were all giddy with excitement when we saw our exit, we made a quick left turn and there it was...
The Winchester House! It was like a giant doll house, and we could barely contain ourselves from running up to the front gates. Our tour group made its way through the house, and it's safe to say we were the most enthusiastic of the bunch. Marie dashed the hopes of a young girl (that'll teach her to hesitate) and quickly volunteered to be the first to go through the "secret' door of the seance room. We didn't have enough time to take the behind-the-scenes portion of the tour, but we vowed to return soon and don the required construction hats.
I want these windows.
Hector obliging my request to, "act scared!".
And then it was time to hit the road and head over to the Bjork show! Unfortunately, I didn't bring my camera to the show, but Marie has written a wonderful blog describing the show. After finally making our way out of the parking lot, all we could think of was food... specifically, pizza. We searched neighborhood after neighborhood for something that was open and finally we stumbled upon a place that was open AND an available parking spot. They were getting ready to close, so we had to take our pies to go but we were delirious at finally having found a place that would satisfy our pizza craving. Fifteen minutes or so later we pull up to our hotel, only to see a 24 hour pizza parlor two doors down. Mawgs!
Sunday was a bitter sweet day, none of us were ready to leave! We had two goals that day, to find the Full House house (aka Postcard Row) and the Sutro Bath ruins. Mission Accomplished on both counts!
Whatever happened to predictability?
StayMoist
Viva Colbert!
Me and my phantom hair with the Golden Gate Bridge behind me.
The wind was out of control that day, but we'd handled it with our usual grace and charm. We were not prepared for the vicious winds at Cliff House. If I hadn't had a firm grip of the handle, the car door would have gone flying and smashed into the car next to us. Then as soon as we stepped out, we felt the cruel sting of sand blasting against our skin. Hair was pulled back into ponytails and we grabbed anything we could for protection before heading down the steep cliff towards the ruins.
Marie teased me for being "gawthic" and snapping the satanic graffiti.
Hector was the more fearless of us all, risking a soggy fall to scramble over to the other "building".
Not only does this look like "Goonies Rock", but that is a heart-shaped hole!
It was worth the sandblasting and killer hike to get all the way to the edge of those cliffs. We explored a small cave, which led out to the rocks overlooking the ocean. It was slippery, and we weren't wearing the proper shoes to go climbing around. The boys went off to the higher section of the ruins, while Marie and I stayed behind and documented our glamorous windblown look:
It was a wonderful trip, but much too short! We should count ourselves lucky, I suppose. Wishing your trip was longer is the sure sign you've had a great time. I'm counting the days until we can go back, this time I'll be better prepared for the windy beaches and slippery rocks!
A special thank you to our knight in black leather, Erik, for handling the airport drop off/ pick up airport duty. We'd be lost without you, boo!
