5/11/2009 We EXPERIENCE San Francisco Part 4

Whew, I sure didn't think it would take four parts to get through one day but I took so many pictures and there's so much to tell....

We enjoyed our trip back to the car via cable car and Bob and Karen then took us to Golden Gate National Park. To say this park is large is, well, ridiculous! Its HUGE! And beautiful. And green. And it looks like great fun.

We certainly didn't expect to see a windmill in the park! I don't know its purpose or the story behind it but snapped a picture of it as we went by.

Our destination was Cliff House. There have been three different Cliff House structures since 1863, each with a unique story of its own. Over the years, the most recent Cliff House structure (1909) was incrementally modified and remodeled to reflect a variety of styles.

What Cliff House looks like today.

What it looked like in its heyday.

The most left part of the structure was all glass and inside were the pools or baths. This is what is left of them today.

This magnificent building escaped damage during the 1906 earthquake and fire only to burn to the ground the following year.

One piece of the interior wall decoration was salvaged from that destruction and is on display today.

Karen and the two Bob's look at what used to be.

Even though it was cold and windy we ventured outside to the deck to see the beach area. What a beautiful beach it is!

We watched the windsurfers for a few minutes. Bob told me that this water never warms up. It doesn't get out of the 50's, even in the dog days of August.

I was also surprised to find out that most homes in San Francisco don't have air conditioning. They don't need it. It seldom gets over 75 degrees and there is usually a breeze off the ocean. Karen said that they turn their air conditioner on once a year just to make sure it works. She said they may have 3 days all year where it the temps reach the 90's. That just really surprised me, I expected it to be much warmer in ALL of California.

Our day in this beautiful city was coming to an end. We crossed over the Golden Gate Bridge one last time.

I turned back in my seat and snapped one last picture.

I truly understand now, why Tony Bennett left his heart in this city. I left a piece of mine here too.

We stopped for dinner, we were all starving as you can well imagine, at The Cheesecake Factory. This was a first for Bob and I. What a menu! Heck, it was a book unto itself. Way too much food for me to make a choice from so I had....can you guess? Awww, I'm not tellin' ya. You know what I had. It was delicious.

What a wonderful day this was. Great weather, great sights, great experiences, great guides and best of all, we got to spend a day with friends which out-shined everything else.

There was only one downfall to the whole day and it was a big one! I lost my pick. My hair pick. Why is that so earth shattering you ask? Well, for most people it wouldn't be but I've had that pick since 1983! Twenty six years! And I used it everyday. EVERYDAY! My forever friend, Dianne, gave it to me when she gave me a curly perm for the first time. First I panicked and then I was just heartbroken that it was gone. It fell out of my pocket. I've carried it in my pocket dozens and dozens of times and it never fell out. Until today. I begged Bob to drive back to San Francisco so that we could comb the streets (no pun intended) and parking lots for it but he looked at me like I was nuts. Ok, ok, that request was a little out there but I really want my pick back!

So there it is...our day in San Francisco. I hope you enjoyed it as much as we did.