Entertaining
We’ve had Andy and Sarah Catherall to stay for just over a week. It’s been lovely to have friends from home. They went off to Yosemite for a couple of days at the end of last week, then returned in time for a big night out on Friday (dinner at the Empress of China, followed by beers in the San Francisco Brew Pub, then more drinks at the Savoy Tivoli), which resulted in me feeling pretty rough on Saturday. In full tour guide mode, however, I didn’t let this deter me, and subjected them to a gruelling day’s sightseeing, beginning with the farmers’ market at the Ferry Building (in which we ended up buying some flavoured olive oil and a piece of original artwork – a wire sculpture of a gorilla!), followed by snapping the Painted Ladies on Alamo Square, then on to hippy-spotting and CD-buying on Haight Street. After that, we jumped onto a random bus, which by chance took us exactly where we wanted to go – the Castro via the foot of Twin Peaks – for a quick look around there and then a stroll past Mission Dolores to Valencia Street.
It was then up earlyish on Sunday for another whirlwind tour: over the Golden Gate Bridge and on to Sonoma Valley for some wine-tasting. We made a quick stop at the viewpoint on the way, but quickly retreated to the car as we found ourselves in the vestiges of the previous day’s rain – yes RAIN! The first we’ve had since April. We visited Benziger Estate and went on a little guided tour around the vineyard, before tasting their lovely wines. Our ticket also entitled us to a tasting at their twin winery, called Imagery, because they commission artists to do paintings for each individual label. Afterwards, we drove across the hills to Point Reyes and showed our visitors the little Earthquake Trail, which passes along the San Andreas fault. It was then on to lovely Bolinas, for a stroll in the early evening sunshine by the lagoon and a hearty dinner at Coast Café. Finally, we zipped over to Stinson to watch the sunset from the beach before driving back to the city via the precipitous Highway 1, stopping to admire the moon reflected on the Bay just before crossing the Golden Gate again.
Andy and Sarah left today. I think they had a good time. It’s hard not to like San Francisco. Take today, for example. I woke up to a stunningly beautiful day and admired the view over the Bay to Alcatraz and Mount Tamalpais during breakfast, enjoying the sounds of the wild parrots chattering in their morning flight, the sealions’ barking carried on the wind and the jingling of the cable cars. I took a cable car to work, occasionally catching glimpses of the Bay Bridge and beyond it the Port of Oakland, whose cranes were the inspiration behind the At-At walkers (monsters) in Star Wars. I then changed onto a bus that took me over Nob Hill past Grace Cathedral and the stately Edwardian homes of Pacific Heights. I then (sadly) had to settle into a morning’s work, but strolled out at lunchtime to have my sandwich in Alta Plaza park, with its views over the hills and landmarks in the south of the city. After a tough afternoon’s work and a trip to the gym, I returned to the flat and an unusually balmy evening, enjoying watching the twinkling lights over the water. Not a bad life!
It was then up earlyish on Sunday for another whirlwind tour: over the Golden Gate Bridge and on to Sonoma Valley for some wine-tasting. We made a quick stop at the viewpoint on the way, but quickly retreated to the car as we found ourselves in the vestiges of the previous day’s rain – yes RAIN! The first we’ve had since April. We visited Benziger Estate and went on a little guided tour around the vineyard, before tasting their lovely wines. Our ticket also entitled us to a tasting at their twin winery, called Imagery, because they commission artists to do paintings for each individual label. Afterwards, we drove across the hills to Point Reyes and showed our visitors the little Earthquake Trail, which passes along the San Andreas fault. It was then on to lovely Bolinas, for a stroll in the early evening sunshine by the lagoon and a hearty dinner at Coast Café. Finally, we zipped over to Stinson to watch the sunset from the beach before driving back to the city via the precipitous Highway 1, stopping to admire the moon reflected on the Bay just before crossing the Golden Gate again.
Andy and Sarah left today. I think they had a good time. It’s hard not to like San Francisco. Take today, for example. I woke up to a stunningly beautiful day and admired the view over the Bay to Alcatraz and Mount Tamalpais during breakfast, enjoying the sounds of the wild parrots chattering in their morning flight, the sealions’ barking carried on the wind and the jingling of the cable cars. I took a cable car to work, occasionally catching glimpses of the Bay Bridge and beyond it the Port of Oakland, whose cranes were the inspiration behind the At-At walkers (monsters) in Star Wars. I then changed onto a bus that took me over Nob Hill past Grace Cathedral and the stately Edwardian homes of Pacific Heights. I then (sadly) had to settle into a morning’s work, but strolled out at lunchtime to have my sandwich in Alta Plaza park, with its views over the hills and landmarks in the south of the city. After a tough afternoon’s work and a trip to the gym, I returned to the flat and an unusually balmy evening, enjoying watching the twinkling lights over the water. Not a bad life!
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