San Francisco, California (April 2013)

Pleasanton, California, was our next stop as we continue our trek in a north westerly direction. Pleasanton is home to my daughter and two of my granddaughters, so we settled in for a nice long three-week visit to get as much reconnecting and bonding time as possible. With San Francisco only 40 miles from Pleasanton, and with much time to ourselves during the hours kids and grandkids are tied up with work and school, Dan and I decided to take BART into The City one day. Although both of us have visited San Francisco more times than we can count, we never get tired of it, and love to return there again and again. There is always something going on, interesting people to watch, bridges to admire, walks along the beach, and just immersing ourselves in the highly varied microcosmic communities that combine to make San Francisco what it is. The day we chose to visit was brisk, but sunny, and wonderful for walking. We took BART out of the Dublin station to the Embarcadero station, then set off for the day. We walked along the piers, making our way to Pier 39 and the ever enduring Fisherman's Wharf, where we had lunch, browsed the shops, and visited with the sea lions laying on the pier soaking up the sun. From there, we took a cable car to the downtown district, ducked into the huge Westfield Mall for a coffee and tea break, then walked about a mile uphill to visit the Grace Cathedral, one of my favorite spots in San Francisco. After a lengthy visit at the church, we walked another half mile to our favorite Bay Area restaurant, The Millennium, which serves up the best vegan gourmet food anywhere on the planet! After a delicious and leisurely dinner, we walked back to the BART station, and came back home. We both agreed our day at the bay was quite wonderful. Here are some snapshots of the highlights.