Another Day in San Francisco

We spent the day downtown San Francisco again, seeing more of the city--some places we saw yesterday, but seeing them closer today.  We went to the Transamerica Pyramid and City Hall.  It must be a big deal to get married at City Hall.  Today, on a Monday, there were couples there in full wedding garb getting their wedding pictures taken after their ceremonies, and a long line of couples waiting to get married.

We saw the famous "Painted Ladies" Victorian houses, went to the "hippie" Haight-Ashbury district, crossed the Golden Gate Bridge again.  We got our exercise walking up and down the crooked part of Lombard Street.

Then it was off to Chinatown.  We ended our visit by taken a cable car back to where we started on Market Street.  It was like being in a Rice-a-Roni TV commercial!!

Buildings in downtown San Francisco

Buildings in downtown San Francisco

Transamerica Pyramid

San Francisco City Hall

Front door to City Hall

Rotunda of City Hall

Rotunda Great Hall from Gallery

Staircase under rotunda in City Hall

"Painted Ladies" houses at Alamo Square with the city skyline behind. 
These are in the opening credits of the old TV show "Full House". 

Haight Ashbury district in San Franscisco--known for its history of 1960s hippie culture.

Interesting Ben & Jerry's sign in Haight Ashbury district

Another interesting sign along Haight Street

Reminiscent of the 1960s

Golden Gate Bridge

San Franscisco Bay from the Marin County side of the Golden Gate Bridge

Lombard Street - the most crooked street in the world.  AND it's pretty steep--about a 27% grade!

Grant Street through Chinatown

Cable car on California Street

Jansen traveling by cable car down California Street

Me and the cable car we rode -- car #50

Downtown San Francisco

After church at San Ramon Presbyterian Church (EPC), we spent the day touring downtown San Francisco, enjoying the architecturally interesting buildings and all the tourist spots:

Buildings in downtown San Francisco

Downtown San Francisco

Downtown San Francisco

Downtown San Francisco

Downtown San Francisco

Downtown San Francisco

Downtown San Francisco

Ferry Building on The Embarcadero

City Hall - dome is taller than dome of U.S. Capitol

Coit Tower

Cathedral of St. Peter and Paul

Transamerica Building

Ghirardelli Square with chocolate shops galore - a delicious experience

Gate at Chinatown

Crossing the Golden Gate Bridge

Iconic Fisherman's Wharf

San Francisco, California

Mile 6167:

We arrived in San Francisco, CA this evening.  We left Eureka this morning and traveled through more redwood forests on U.S. Route 101, or Avenue of the Giants as it wound its way through the forests.  They are really big trees!!  Along the way, we also went into Sonoma and Napa valleys where there were vineyards everywhere and just about every sign ended with the word "vineyard" or "winery"!  We visited one winery called Castello di Amorosa.  It was a Tuscan inspired castle -- beautiful to behold and vistas to match.

Redwood forest - driving along Avenue of the Giants

Redwood forest - driving along Avenue of the Giants

Redwood tree--could not get the entire tree in the picture!

Redwood tree

Giants

Me beside a one of the redwood trees to give perspective on size

Driving the car through a redwood tree

Driving through Napa

Entrance to winery

Castello di Amoroso winery with olive trees in foreground

View of castle with moat

Mountain view from winery

Castle

One of the 30 acres of vineyard with mountain views

Another mountain view from castle wall

Crossing San Francisco Bay on the McCarthy Bridge.  Love the traffic?!

San Francisco skyline from the McCarthy bridge as we crossed the bay