San Francisco: More Pictures

As always when you visit a new place there are always a few random pictures that don't really fit into any category but they are too cool not to share with you. I loved every single second that I spent in San Francisco including the time I spent at the conference. I saw some big names in my field (which is amazing) and heard some pretty exciting science that should be coming out soon. 

The Golden Gate Bridge

From above

Trust me, this was the only time I saw the whole bridge!

We drove out to the bridge one afternoon and it was shrouded in fog. I had heard about the fog, but this was intense. You could see all of the city but only the top of bridge was visible. When we drove across the bridge you couldn't really see anything. I would not have enjoyed driving over that, my dad was a champ for doing that. When I flew out the pilot flew over the city and then I saw that bridge! It was pretty, you can't tell from the pic but it was there!

Pillow Fight?

On Valentine's Day apparently there is a giant pillow fight that is announced on twitter the day of. I kept seeing people with pillows, it was strange. But eventually we found the pillow fight, it was insane. I saw lots of people beating each other with pillows and feathers were everywhere, I mean everywhere. Also, on the way back to the trolly I saw that most of the homeless people had new pillows.

Chinatown

We stopped on the trolly in Chinatown. It was so cool. It was decorated for the Chinese New Year, which was the next day. I wish we had more time to actually shop but we just walked through it and then back to the trolly.

The Parade for New Years

Alcatraz

The last pic I have for you is Alactraz. We didn't go out to the Island, my dad had already been and neither my mom or I was super excited about seeing it. I decided that since it would take up so much of our limited time in San Francisco we would pass on this one. I would like to see it at some point but it was neat to see it from a far.

I am sure there are more pics but these are the best of the best. I loved seeing all of these things and wish we had more time to spend in the city but I love that there is still more to see when I finally get back to see San Francisco!

San Francisco: The city

After we toured the PCH and Pebble Beach we headed back to San Francisco to see what the city would hold for us. We spend Valentine's Day seeing as much of San Francisco as possible. It was a whirlwind of a day, so much to see and so little time.

And we are off

After we grabbed some coffee at Starbuck's and headed over to the trolley and decided to take it down to Fisherman's Wharf.

San Francisco

Family fun

Check it out...

We loved riding the trolly, I particularly loved hanging off the side and allowing the wind to blow in my hair.

rawr... yummy

We stopped into Boudine to have some sourdough bread. This was so yummy. I tried to get as much as I could. The fun shapes were so fun, we chose a turtle! It was so good, I wish that I could find a way to make this here, but alas there isn't something like that here.

The lovebirds

As we wandered through the Wharf I could hear the sea lions and that was exciting. I loved getting to see the sea lions. They stunk but they were so cute and it was so fun to see them swimming and playing with one another. Some of them looked young and almost snuggly but don't worry I didn't allow them to get close. From the Wharf we headed over to Pier 39 to actually see the sea lions.

Swimming!

After we spent time down by the water we headed over to Ghirardelli square. This is where the great chocolates are made and there is an ice cream shop. We wandered through their shops and spent time wandering by the water.

Out on a pier

Yummy Chocolate Sunday

The day in San Francisco was amazing. We saw so much of the city and there is still so much left to see. I am already looking forward to going back some day and seeing more of the city. It was so neat to spend the day with my parents and see another part of the country.

San Francisco: The PCH and Pebble Beach

When I got into San Francisco, after a long delay on the tarmac, we headed south down Highway 1 to see Monterey Bay, Carmel, Big Sur, and the Pacific Ocean. When my dad suggested that we spend sometime south of San Francisco I was slightly skeptical but since we were sharing the planning on this one I decided that it sounded wonderful and something I wouldn't have had a chance to see. I will gladly admit to being wrong about this trip it was amazing.

The Pacific Coast Highway

We saw a car commercial being filmed on this one

The beach was made-up of small rocks not sand, the water was freezing

This made me laugh... not something you see down in the gulf

After we drove down the coast we stopped in Big Sur for lunch. The food was pretty good, the shops around there were interesting to say the least. I saw lots of things that were not my personal taste, but I am sure that someone would have liked them. I loved driving up and down the coast and seeing how different the ocean was than what I am used to. The gulf is practically placid compared to the pacific ocean.


Pebble Beach
Once we drove back toward the cities we headed into Pebble Beach to see the golf course and drive the 17 mile scenic route. This was amazing. I think we paid $10 to get in and there was so much to see.

The lone cypress

Seal Island

Playing golf

The sunset over the ocean

I loved seeing the golf courses, I will admit that I probably won't ever play there but it was so neat to hear my dad talk about the courses. He said that once when he played in this vicinity one of his friends said they saw whales. I loved seeing the seals. They were amazing. The birds were pretty cool too, they were HUGE, I have never seen a bird that big.

This was a great way to spend a day and a half. If you have a chance to spend time down in this area I  definitely recommend it. It was so neat to see so many places that my parents had been while they were down in the area several years ago. I think the only thing I would pass on was the shops in Big Sur, unless you are a super hippie.

San Francisco: The overview

A few months ago I decided to attend the 2014 Biophysical Society National Meeting in San Fransciso. I was pretty excited because the meetings tend to be in places that I never want to see or have a chance to see, but this time I invited my parents to join me for a few days prior to the conference for some sightseeing. This was probably one of the best choices I have made this year. It was wonderful to get a chance to see a whole new part of the country and to do it with my parents that is priceless.

The first day, we headed down to Carmel and Monterey Bay. We took time to drive down the Pacific Coast Highway. I will write an entire post about that this week. It was so neat to see the Pacific Ocean. I tend to think of the ocean as a peaceful place but not out here, it was so difference than the gulf coast.

After scoping out the pacific coast, we returned to the north to see what San Francisco had to offer. We observed the golden gate bridge, this was really all I saw of it until I got on the plane to go home. Gotta love the fog. We spent a day and a half roaming around San Francisco seeing some of what there was to offer. I am sure there are a million things that we didn't see but it was so neat to see different things and ride the trolly. Again, there is a full post coming about this later this week.

I loved every single second of being able to see a whole new part of the country with my parents. As I have gotten older I have much more respect for my parents and the blessing that they are to me. I am so lucky to be able to enjoy their company and want to hang out with them. I am looking forward to sharing more of what we saw and the cool things that are different on the West Coast.