In San Francisco

I got up at the crack of dawn as Dad said, but I wound up waiting for him! We got to the station late, but the train was late. I didn't get a window seat, but my seatmate went to the observation car, and I thought, "Oh, good!" This is definitely how the poor folk travel. There's a guy snoring loudly behind me :)

Well, crud. The person sitting next to me came back, so I went to the observation car. My food was gone when I came back. And I'm hungry.

I caught the bus to San Francisco with no problems. However, when it stopped about a mile from my hotel, Uber wasn't working on my phone. So I walked it, partially uphill, with my luggage. Boy, I was tired when I got there.

I decided that I was too tired to go out to eat, so I DoorDashed a poke bowl and some soda. The poke bowl was good, but they forgot to give me silverware, which I asked for. I wound up eating it with my fingers!

I took a nap and slept through until 5:30 AM.

San Francisco Day 1 Part 1

Hmm. I usually stop first at the AIDS chapel at Grace Cathedral at the beginning of any San Francisco trip, but it opens at 10 AM. My breakfast place opens at 7 AM. So I need to stall for a while.

My hotel is on a great street for people-watching. I saw a really cute guy waiting for my DoorDash yesterday. I guess that I'm seeing the sights :)

Wow. I have some large bruises on my left arm. I have no idea what happened.

I'm looking at other train trips that I could take. I told Dad that I might take the train to Washington DC to see the museums. We got into a conversation about the Smithsonian. New York is another possibility. Hmm, I wonder if I could swing a short trip next year.

I also told Dad that I wanted to go to London and see the museums. He said that he never wanted to go to London. Then we talked about Paris, and he encouraged me to go. I'd want to brush up on my French though.

I need to charge my FitBit watch, so I have more time to kill. I removed my nail polish because it was chipping. I like how it looked, though, so I'm going to pick some up at Walgreens. I got my camera strap attached to my camera with the help of YouTube. Hmm, now I'm looking at a nail salon near Union Square, but I don't know its hours.

I stopped at Walgreens and bought some nail polish and makeup brushes. The person working there loaded me up with freebies, even though I told her that I was traveling and had limited space.

I found the breakfast place. It's crowded, which is a good sign. I had Smoked Salmon Benedict, and it was perfection.

I made it up Nob Hill, stopping to rest a few times. I made it to Grace Cathedral. Apparently they're charging for entrance now, which annoyed me slightly but whatever. I sat in the AIDS chapel for a long time. It is still a peaceful place. But this time I felt a message of survival. It seems wrong in a way, given how many people died, including two of my friends. But the world keeps on turning, which is reassuring. I also walked the labyrinth outside. I like how it brings you close to the center and brings you back out. Like life.

The following picture is of the Keith Haring triptych at the AIDS chapel. I felt a little guilty taking a picture inside Grace Cathedral, but no one else was there and no one stopped me.

I went to Chinatown and shopped until I dropped. I bought a sweatshirt that said "The City" (what locals call San Francisco). An incense burner, a bracelet, and a kite. And an amber necklace. Now I've stopped for lunch in a Chinese restaurant. The waitress didn't understand me--I was the only non-Asian person in the place--so I wound up with crab soup. It was good though. And I brought the leftovers back with me. I need to pick up some utensils.

I went to City Lights, and got a pile of books, mostly on Buddhism and one about the social construction of the self, which sounded interesting. I'm glad that I bought a pile of books because I want the bookstore to stay in business.

Then I had way too many bags to walk back. I ordered an Uber, and a guy showed up in a Tesla! Only in California :) I gave him the wrong address though, so I had to walk up the street to my hotel.

I need to find a post office or UPS store and mail packages back to myself. There is a UPS store in the Fairmont Hotel that's open tomorrow. Excellent.

7818 steps so far :)

Now I think that it's nap time.

( More pictures )

San Francisco Day 1 Part 2

I couldn't sleep, plus I wanted to get over to Pier 39 because there are two stores that I wanted to check out and I'm shipping a package tomorrow, so I got up. I thought about painting my nails, but I forgot to get a nail file. So I went in search of dinner. I ate in a fifties-themed diner that had a fantastic burger and garlic fries. Well, I didn't eat ALL of it.

On my way there, there was a guy on the corner panhandling shouting "Change for a Lamborghini"! It's good to have goals, I guess.

Uber wasn't working again, or at least the Internet access on my phone wasn't working, so I stopped at Walgreens and bought some nail files, plastic spoons, and soda. I went up to my hotel room and used the WiFi to find out what public transportation I could take to get to Pier 39. I was walking the wrong way though. I realized that if Google Maps was working, I should be able to get an Uber, and I did.

Pier 39 was kind of a bust. I found one place that I was looking for and bought a beautiful blue crystal necklace. At another place, I bought a t-shirt and diary of how I'm extending my comfort zone with quotes (it's kind of hard to describe) and a magnet. The other place that I had been looking for moved upstairs, but they closed early, so I didn't get to check the place out. I took a cab back to my hotel.

I had thought about taking a hot bath to soothe my aching muscles, but I think that I'll get ready for bed, paint my nails, and go to sleep.

P.S. The FitBit thinks that I went up 14 flights of stairs. That sounds about right :)

P.P.S. I was consulting Dr. Google about my bruising, and it can indicate problems with platelets. Mom had problems with platelets (multiple myeloma). If it keeps happening, I better get it checked out.