Two years ago my parents gave me a gift certificate for an excursion company focusing on the walking tours of the bay area. Since I was pregnant at the time, we put it aside- not knowing if I would enjoy it with all the back problems I was having.
We finally booked our trip in June and took the opportunity to have a night away. I chose the tasting tour of North Beach/Little Italy. Turns out the walking was very easy, but we didn't sit down much so I'm glad we waited :)
We arrived a little early to the meeting place (which just happened to be next door to a Rogue bar/restaurant) so we had a drink (and Travis asked the bartender a million questions.)
Then the tour began...there were six of us and one very kooky guide. She took us to a coffee shop, a bakery, an italian restaurant, a candy store, an olive oil store, and a pizzeria. The food was great and the scenery was amazing, but I swear she spent as much time pointing out the places that she or her "friends" have lived or owned as she did telling us about the history of the places we visited. The other two couples were from out of state, so I know we had a greater base of knowledge than they did, but still, some of her facts were a little too hard to believe. Oh well, the food was great, and the weather was amazing. It was 75 and humid. It rained in the morning and then the clouds parted and we had a beautiful afternoon!
Here are some pictures of one of the oldest bakeries in SF (according to Ms. Kooky)
Each oven can hold up to 300 loaves of bread!
Beautiful Coit Tower
Saints Peter and Paul Church- the one Marilyn Monroe and Joe DiMaggio did not get married in.
The next morning, it was still humid and hot, but the storm clouds were gone and we enjoyed some time in the Haight-Ashbury area. It was my first time there and "oddly welcoming" as Travis put it. I've only ever heard of how the area is dirty, run down, and filled with drugs and homeless people. But after our trip, I think all those people moved on down to Market Street. I'm pretty sure I got a contact high just from walking through THAT area. The Haight-Ashbury area was clean and really retro...filled with restored and refurbished homes and businesses. It was beautiful!
We walked right into a farmer's market while we were there (I love going to them in whatever town we're in) It was HUGE! Puts our little Turlock Farmer's Market to shame. Of course we found our favorite Turlock/Hughson fruit stand, Cipponeri's, booth
there just like last time- even though it was a completely different farmer's market :)
I love taking a quick trip to SF. I feel like we discover something new each time.
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