So we headed toward the Grace Cathedral. This imposing building resembles the stone gothic churches of Europe but is made of ferroconcrete. Work began in 1928 and ended in 1964. Inside are wonderful murals depicting scenes from the city's past. We have been to the Cathedral before (see "A Rare and Blistering Sun...") and I always walk the labyrinth. It is a time to reflect on my life and I thought of my family and my Mom who died a few years ago.
The last time we were in SF, I had lunch with friends, Tim and Ed, at the Cheesecake Factory in Macy's ("I'm Sitting on the Dock of the Bay...") so I suggested to Glen we walk down to Union Square and lunch there. We wanted to sit on the outdoor balcony overlooking Union Square so had to wait for a table. We began with two mugs of Anchor Steam Draft and shared a plate of pot stickers. I had a delicious Margherita flatbread while Glen had 'Skinny' chicken pasta. The size of the bowl had me wondering what 'normal' chicken pasta was. We were stuffed so waddled back to our hotel, Hilton Union Square. We had checked out before our walkabout so retrieved our luggage and sat in the lobby to while away the afternoon. Once connected to the hotel wi-fi, we discovered our cruise ship would now board at 7:00! Apparently, after departing Hilo, Hawaii, there was a medical emergency and the ship returned to the Big Island. Rough weather meant the crossing to California took longer than expected.
We decided to head to the cruise terminal around 6:00. We arrived just as the Grand Princess Hawaiian passengers disembarked. We hadn't received the email telling us boarding had been delayed yet again. We left our luggage with the porter and stood in the winding line to board. We met an interesting couple from Utah so shared a few stories of our travels (see Road Trip, Part Three) through their state.
Our cabin wasn't ready so we headed to our favourite place, the WheelHouse Bar to wait (none of the restaurants were open). That's where we met our server, Muhadir, who looked after us for the rest of the trip. We got to our cabin around 9 but one of our bags was missing. We figured it would show up the next day and it did.
On February 21st, we arrived back in San Fransisco after 10 days cruising to Mexico (blogs to follow). We were at the hotel early so checked our bags then walked to Chinatown. I wanted dim sum for lunch. We found a restaurant just past the Dragon Gate (built in 1969) called the Far East Café. The first Chinese came to SF in 1850 and by 1870 were settled in an area around Sacramento and Dupont Streets. After the earthquake of 1906, the town moved to its present location centred around Grant Ave and Stockton Street. It's considered the oldest Chinatown in North America (Victoria's Chinatown is second oldest) and the largest Chinese enclave outside Asia. The Far East Café is 100 years old and the decor is amazing. The dim sum was different from what we have sampled elsewhere but still delicious.We had planned staying an extra day in SF after our cruise to enjoy the sights and so we didn't have to worry about catching a flight right after disembarking. Glen wanted to ride the cable cars as we hadn't the last time we were in SF (he had a conference and I walked where I wanted to go). So we stood in a long line Saturday morning to head down to Fisherman's Wharf. We lucked out and got seats. The cars don't hold that many passengers and some love clinging to the sides as they are hauled uphill by the cables. Going down you hope the brakes don't fail! The system is the last of its kind in the world. Of the 23 lines built between 1873 and 1890, only three are left. Even these lines were not safe from being cast aside in favour of buses. In 1952, the system was bought by the city but in 1979, deemed unsafe. In 1982, it was closed for a complete refit and didn't open again until 1984. The cost to ride one way is $8.00 but what a ride!
Once at Fisherman's Wharf (Pier 39), we decided to scout out a possible lunch spot. Glen got into a long chat about American politics with The Fisherman's Grotto Restaurant's frontman before I hauled him away to see the harbour. The World War II vintage ships, USS Pampanito (a submarine) and SS Jeremiah O'Brien (a Liberty or transport ship) are docked at Pier 45. We decided not to do a tour but enjoyed reading the plaques (Glen) and taking pictures (me). We decided to return to the Grotto for lunch as we had dined at Alioto's (next door) the last time we were in SF (see I'm Sitting on the Dock of the Bay...). It had been a fun time with friends but Neil passed away a few years ago so we didn't really want to eat there again.The frontman was thrilled we returned and gave us the best table in the house--literally. It was a corner window table so we could see the waterfront and the Golden Gate bridge. Built in 1935, the Grotto, as it's now called, is famous for its crabs. On one wall of the lobby, the restaurant's founder is holding up the crab he's selling. It is huge! Upstairs, we enjoyed more Anchor Steam beer and shared a dish of crab cakes then indulged in the most delicious crab melt sandwich ever!
Afterwards, we walked to Ghiradelli Square to buy chocolates then hopped a cable car back to the hotel. The staff there kept telling us about the Cityscape Lounge on the 46th floor of one of their towers so we decided to check it out. The view was amazing! We planned to have a beer then scout out a local restaurant but ended up eating from the cocktail menu -- prawns, charcuterie board and olives. A wonderful way to end our time in San Francisco!
See my photos here.
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