Where little cable cars climb halfway to the stars...

San Francisco is one of those cities that you grow up seeing on tv and in movies. You build up expectations of what may be there and then as you get older you form opinions on how you may or may not like the city very much if you actually went there. For me- I didn’t expect to fall in love with San Fran. I though it was super cool in Mrs. Doubtfire and Full House, but with it’s reputation is uber-liberal and hippie-dippy…I was anticipating liking it fine, but not seeing it as somewhere that I really fit. I was wrong. I love San Francisco.

We arrived on a Friday morning with shows Saturday night and Sunday afternoon. On Friday we hit the ground running! (I should say walking, in this case….up MANY, MANY steep hills!!) One of the icons of the city are it’s famous cable cars, the only operating cable cars IN THE WORLD! I had read that there was a great Cable Car Museum that was free so we headed there and were so pleased to find an old building through which all the cable lines operate. I had no idea how these machines work and it was really fascinating to get a close look at the motors that keep the cable lines running through pulley systems under the street all over the city at a consistent 9.5 mph. Then we got to look at the cable cars and the grips that are manually controlled by a driver. They grab onto the cables to carry them up and down those infamous hills and all over the city.

From there we hopped on a bus to get ourselves to the Presidio (a park and former military base), which sits right by the Golden Gate Bridge. We were determined to walk at least part of the bridge since it was such a beautiful day outside. When we got off the bus we grabbed lunch and began our walk according to our map. It took a while longer than we anticipated, but we did finally make it to the bridge. The walk there was so exciting as, with each new corner, there was a new, INCREDIBLE view of the bridge. As we began our walk across I couldn’t help but belt out “I Left My Heart in San Francisco” and then Tavis and I continued with a duet of “America the Beautiful.” Ha ha! The walk across the bridge was pretty awesome. Between the view of the city and seeing that MONSTER of a bridge up close: we were blown away. We walked to the center of the bridge before heading back across and catching the bus back to the hotel. That night we took a recommendation from our hotel and ate at the Empress of China garden restaurant at the top of a building in Chinatown. It was literally the BEST Chinese I’ve ever had.

The following day I was so excited to get to Alcatraz! We took a cab down to the wharf where Tavis, Jess, Kim, and I caught a ferry out to the island. Approaching the legendary “Rock” was unreal and we were really blown away by how beautiful the whole place was. We wandered around for quite a bit before heading up to the main cell block building. The audio tour took us through the life of a prisoner on the island and what it could have been like to inhabit these cells. Hearing tales of escape attempts, and life on the Rock was a fascinating way to start the day. We headed back and had lunch on Pier 39 before going back to the hotel where I met up with my sister, Shannon, and her husband, Gavin! They drove a few hours from the home to come for a day to see the show in San Fran and I was THRILLED to get to see some family while on the road.

We spent that day walking all over Fisherman’s Wharf and finding different things to explore along the way. We walked EVERYWHERE and covered quite a few hills, even up to Lombard Street, the “crookedest street” around! For dinner we headed to the famous Tadich Grill, where I had San Fran’s famous tomato and seafood soup, Cioppino. It was OUT OF THIS WORLD!!! While Shannon and Gavin headed back to their hotel to get ready for the show, the cast headed to the JCC in a limo! It was a great night, as there were SO MANY family members there to support us! That night after the show we were able to all go out and visit at a fun lounge.

The following day I had breakfast with Shan and Gavin at their hotel before having to say goodbye. It was such a fun visit and a real treat to see them. It doesn’t happen as often as I would like, but when I do get to spend time with them it is always so encouraging and rejuvenating. The show was really fun that day and we were spoiled by having such great facilities at the JCC. After a quick stop at the hotel, Tavis and I decided to take a cable car ride to meet the rest of the cast. It was so fun to see the city from this view and enjoy a ride on one of these iconic cars. We ended up meeting all of Katie Reid’s family at a restaurant called Pier 23 where we took in some great seafood right on the water. Then we climbed into cars and headed to Ghirardelli Square where we indulged in some ridiculous chocolate creations. When we finished bingeing we started to walk back toward the cable car to get to the hotel when a limo pulled up and asked if we wanted a ride! It was pretty amazing and we couldn’t help but laugh as we jammed out to Bruno Mars the whole ride and reflected back on a perfect visit to the Golden Gate city!

San Fran- I’ll be back!

Tripp