Karma in the City

Yesterday, Terry and I ventured into San Francisco for a quick, one-night trip. We celebrated our anniversary at home last month, but we thought this trip could be part of the celebration as well. We started with a several-mile walk through the hills of the city, following a map my dad had written out for us. 

Starting our walk

Grace Cathedral

San Francisco architecture

Closed, but looked delicious

View from the top of Lombard Street

Tourists taking photos of Lombard Street

View of Alcatraz

Steep hills = sore tush

I love bay windows!

Ghirardelli Square

Fitness court in the middle of the city!

Gymnast Terry for the gold

Golden Gate bridge in the background

St. Peter and Paul Church

Firefighter statue

Heading to the Financial District

Transamerica Building

Lunch yesterday: Tadich Grill, which claims to be the oldest restaurant in California, famous for its seafood.

The ultimate power lunch

Busy, classy ambiance

Pint at Lefty O'Doul's 

After our lunch and pint, we checked in to our hotel. Thanks to Terry's Hilton Honors points, we booked the night for FREE and scored an incredible view from the 42nd floor!

Night view

After a few hours of rest and a mini boot camp workout (I only did about 75% of the circuits, but it was something), we got all dressed up for dinner.

Look at that stud muffin!

Before dinner, we stopped at The Library, which is one of three speakeasy-style bars in Bourbon & Branch. You even need a password to get in! Apparently, the library part is the least exclusive of the three; the others change passwords daily and require reservations. But the library part (no photos, to respect the atmosphere) had a fun ambiance, and the drinks were delicious!

Next up, dinner at Zingari Ristorante, a very authentic Italian place very close to our hotel. Both of our meals tasted delicious, and my mom had provided an awesome bottle of Amarone wine that Terry and I loved.

Lamb for Terry

Lobster ravioli for me

This morning, we woke up, checked out of our hotel, and took advantage of our complimentary breakfast coupons. The deal was a free piece of fruit (banana for each of us), a pastry (scone for Ter, bagel for me), and drink (tea for each of us). Not bad, and certainly plenty to hold us over for several hours.

We took BART and walked a ways to our friend's house in a different part of the city so we could visit them, their newborn baby, their two little kids, and their newly renovated house. We had such a blast getting to see them and were so grateful to be able to catch up, play Uno (their two-year-old kicked our butts!), and check out their awesome place. They have incredible views of the city! 

Then we were back in the heart of the city for brunch. Our friends recommended a spot not too far from Union Square, Dottie's True Blue Cafe. It was a bit of a wait (40 minutes or so), but we were told it would be worth it. While waiting, we chatted with the folks around us and ogled the pastries. Eventually, we were seated and ordered drinks, but then our order took forever to make it out. We noticed all the people who were seated after us had already eaten, and our waitress explained that a computer error had caused our delay. We didn't mind; there was no rush, and we just continued to chat and enjoy our drinks. But after a delicious meal, they told us we had no bill! And that, my friends, is what we call karma.

Southwestern scramble for me

Whiskey sausage scramble with chili cornbread for Terry

Lesson of the day: If you are patient, understanding, and friendly, it will come back in a good way. We tipped the waitress very well and went on our merry way, back up to Union Square.

It was a wonderful trip, just about 30 hours of incredible food, beautiful weather, fantastic conversation, and quality time with my best friend and favorite travel buddy.