Antz and I have flown to SF so many times I’ve lost count. Yet, we wanted Liv to experience the city. I had some Expedia points leftover from our trip to Europe to spend so I figured why not book a free hotel room and make a road trip out of it. There also happened to be the opening for the Stanley Kubrick art show at one of my favorite galleries Spoke Art.
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| I drove for hundreds of miles on this boring two lane highway with nothing but cows and farmland. I suppose I’m just a city girl at heart. |
This is our first time making the drive so we hit the road at 5 am. My gas made it three hours till we reached the city of who-the-@#$%-knows-where with a population of fifteen scary dudes on motorcycles and a bunch of cows. We made the wise choice with going to the gas station with a fancy McDonald’s attached. Little did I know while waiting in line to purchase my Mom’s coffee that it was pants-optional day. This is why I haven’t eaten at Mickey D’s since 2005!!
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| This child, who was about as old as Liv, was throwing a tantrum because she couldn’t get a soda. This is why I think Ronald McDonald is inherently evil! |
We filled the gas tank and I won the guess-what-time-we-would-arrive bet when we crossed the Oakland-Bay bridge at 11 am (6 hours!). I have always had a fascination with bridges as a child. The old Bay bridge is being dismantled so seeing portions missing feels so creepy.
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| Hello, you pretty town. No earthquakes during our stay please! |
I adore San Francisco. It feels so European and the architecture is pretty much the same as it was one hundred years ago with the exception of Starbucks logos slapped on every building. I like finding plaques and etchings on buildings with historic dates. San Francisco is one of those cities that is timeless and classic. We checked into the W San Francisco and lounged in our room after taking showers *there may have been some bed jumping involved* Our hotel was located right across the street from Union Square. The W hotels are my favorite not only because of their impressive design but the customer service is top notch. I mentioned during check-in that it was my fifth W stay and I was upgraded to a suite and given complimentary cocktails at the bar *thanks Priya* It’s always a good idea to stay loyal to certain brands.
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| Ms. Pacman tournament |
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| The W never disappoints in the decor department |
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| Over packed for two days?? |
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| W mattresses are like sleeping on a cloud |
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| Enticing |
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| Pink Buddha says “You open it, you buy it!“ |
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| This was more our speed |
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| Relaxing with a drink before we explore the city |
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| The view of a dude laying down from our window. MOMA was next door but it’s closed for construction. |
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| Somebody made themselves at home at the DJ booth |
We headed out on foot to Market & Powell Street to take the cable car to the Fisherman’s Wharf. We waited in the long line because I wanted to get the best spot on the cable car, the back! It is so cool watching the cars change direction on the turnabout.
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| We didn’t have enough time to check out the Old Navy flagship store |
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| My Mom couldn’t resist these African wooden earrings |
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| The operators manually push the car on the wooden turnabout |
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| I never noticed these cute windows on the cable car before *we usually stand on the outside holding on to the poles* |
The Fisherman’s Wharf is totally touristy and being a Saturday it was packed with annoying crowds. We bought our clam chowder from the outside vendors and realized there was no seating nearby. We headed to the pier and found a bench with the least amount of bird poop on it and vicariously balanced our hot soup in our laps while fighting off the overly-aggressive sea gulls. But don’t let me forget to mention the entertainment provided by the one-man band who sang covers of songs from the early 2000’s LOUDLY and HORRIBLY! Then I discovered we didn’t get any napkins and I forgot my wet wipes at the hotel so we headed out of there. Next time I’d choose the Ferry Building instead.
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| Hello cutie pie! This guy was hanging around waiting for the scraps from the fishermen boats |
Our next stop was Sutter Street for the Kubrick art show opening. We were going to take the cable car but found the bus was faster and closer. Little did we know that the sixteen blocks we had to walk were mostly steep hills. We made it just in time before the line grew longer. We were delighted to find out the first fifty people in line were gifted a Kubrick print. The space was teeny tiny so it was hard to take photos with so many folks inside. Stanley Kubrick is one of my favorite directors and The Shining is my favorite movie so I was in heaven. The artist’s talent blew me away!
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| Thanks for the prints, friend! |
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| This guy f-ing wins! |
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| This lovely portrait of Scatman Crothers is painted on velvet and whoops, cooch!! |
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“Oh bliss! Bliss and heaven! Oh, it was gorgeousness and gorgeousity made
flesh. It was like a bird of rarest-spun heaven metal or like silvery
wine flowing in a spaceship, gravity all nonsense now. As I slooshied, I
knew such lovely pictures!” |
So incredible! Since we were close to our hotel and it was a downhill journey, we walked home. I loved being able to meander the neighborhood. There is so much stunning architecture.
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| This is my favorite shot of the day |
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| Of course, Olivia asked us to buy her one of these Princess dresses |
Antz and Liv went to bed early while my Mom and I chose to hit the bar downstairs. We redeemed our complimentary cocktails and appetizer. It was packed as expected on a Saturday night and my Mom *being the party animal she is* made friends with the hotel DJ
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| Spiced rum with Coke and brandied cherries was my Mom’s nectar |
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| I just asked for something with cucumber |
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| Spicy aioli tempura prawns |
It was a long day SF but a good one!
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