San Fran whirlwind

Oh man, I toured the crap out of San Francisco today. Considering this morning I had seen nothing of the city and I have now used various forms of transportation, from taxi to electric-powered bus, I feel pretty accomplished.

The first thing on my agenda this morning was ponying up some cash at the parking garage to make sure they didn't steal my rental, or something like that. Too bad I could remember where the garage was exactly and ended up traipsing through what is apparently the not-so-great part of town (otherwise known as the Tenderloin. I KNEW anything named after a cut of meat had to be bad news). As soon as I stepped into the sketchy blocks I got a feeling something was up (maybe it was the prostitute applying makeup in the reflection of a store window. Who knows?) I thought to myself "How funny. The hostel recommends a parking garage in this neighborhood? Well, it IS a hostel.) Yeah, so I was two blocks off, which I found out after 30 minutes of wandering and finally returning to the hostel to get directions from them (what a concept!) By wandering I mean walking with what my guidebook would describe as a "purposeful" step, all the time being "aware of my surroundings." It was before 8 a.m., so, needless to say, I made it out unscathed. I even found my parking garage and paid. Ah, all in a day's work.

After some breakfast at Noah's Bagels (which I've come to know and love on this trip) I decided what I needed was a tour bus. I did wander around the (mostly closed because it was Saturday) financial district, which I took advantage of in the form of using a cash machine, but I had no clue to my orientation on this peninsula.

I went back to the hostel and the very kind desk worker helped me book a trip which departed in 20 minutes. I took a cab to the bus company and I was off. The tour was great and took us to many high points that I might not have been able to reach on my own. We saw the Fisherman's Wharf/dock area, went out to Golden Gate Park, had a photo stop at the bridge, hit up Twin Peaks (which offers great views of the city and the bay), saw the houses from the opening shot of Full House (otherwise known as beautiful Victorian homes--I just love Full House), went to the Civic Center/City Hall area, went past Union Square, learned about the cable cars, and saw a million places in between that I already can't recall. It was a great way to be introduced to the orientation of the city and get a feel for what's out there.

My best shot of the Golden Gate...

View of the city from Twin Peaks.

After the tour I headed up to Pier 39 for a view of what I was promised would include sea lions. I was not disappointed as a dozen or so were sunning themselves on the docks. They even made some noise, which was adorable. It made me miss my cat for some odd reason (or maybe it isn't so odd).

Sea lions!

Then it was cable car time. I bought a one-day pass and took the Powell-Mason line from Fisherman's Wharf down to my hostel area in Union Square. Pretty sweet. I got to sit on one of the outside benches because a sweaty German woman decided she didn't want it at the last minute. Danke schon!

The cable car was pretty much the most fun I've ever had while connected to a cable and I am counting the rope pull at the bunny hill on Spirit Mountain. After I got back I decided I wanted a look at Lombard, otherwise known as the "Crookedest Street." I took the public bus system back to Lombard (go me! I love figuring out public transportation) and got a look at the street from both sides. Insane. Pictures are the only thing that can do it justice.

So here you go...the "Crookedest Street."

After I caught a different bus home (which is where the all-electric bus comes into play. I heart no emissions!) I decided I wanted to see The Dark Knight at the theater near my hostel. I was not the only person with this idea, as several showings were already sold out. I got a ticket for 6:30, which meant there was no time for dinner, and was totally impressed. Honestly, if Heath Ledger hadn't been in the movie I likely wouldn't have gone (I turned off the Batman before this--the one with Katie Holmes and Christian Bale halfway through because I was bored) but it was fantastic. The hype worked for me.

So far only one hostel roomie tonight, which would be nice and restful. The 14-year-old French boys with whom I share a bathroom love to blast hip hop while they shower (walking it out in the tub can be dangerous--watch out!), so I'm sure I'll be up early tomorrow. Things to do, things to do.