Down by the Bay

San Francisco. So much to do and see, so many strange and interesting people to observe, so many amazing places to eat, so many hills to climb...

I was fortunate enough to spend a long-weekend with my grandma McNaught, my mom and her friend, Irene, for an amazing girl’s weekend in San Francisco.
My 77-year-old grandma's first taste of San Francisco came at 10:30 p.m. as we pulled up in the cab to the front entrance of our hotel. After lugging the suitcases out of the trunk and on to the sidewalk (thanks for being a gentleman and helping a girl out, cab driver), we turned towards the hotel doors and were met with the best greeting ever from the homeless man standing near by. With arms outstretched, he shouted in a loud, boisterous voice, "Hey, you made it!" Even my mom, whom I haven't seen since Christmas, failed to match the stranger's exuberant welcome.

Three days of traversing the steep hills of San Francisco means burning major calories. Friday morning we awoke to the most amazing weather (it reached 78 degrees that day, which is really warm for SF) and took to the streets in search of the highly recommended Mama's restaurant to fuel up for our day. As we rounded the far corner of Washington Square, our gaze settled on the line of breakfast-goers wrapping around the side of a quaint little building, and we knew we were in the right place. Normally I wouldn’t stand in a one-hour line for breakfast, but trust me when I say the French Toast Sampler plate was worth every minute of our wait.

Since our party consisted of two SF newbies (grandma and Irene), we slid right into tourist mode and hit all the main attractions like Coit Tower, the Golden Gate Bridge, Pier 39, Ghirardelli Square and numerous cable car rides (but who ever gets tired of riding the cable cars?). We spent one afternoon across the bay in the sleepy little town of Sausalito. With less than 8,000 residents, Sausalito has a real sense of calm and quietness compared to it's busy neighbor on the opposite end of the bridge. Beautiful homes dot the hillside and a plethora of shops, cafes and restaurants line the street at the water's edge. Dining al fresco at a pier-side cafe for lunch, popping into various boutiques, resting by the fountain in the little park with our afternoon snack of ice cream - life doesn't get much better than that!

No matter how many times you visit San Francisco, it never gets old. As my grandma aptly said, "It sure is an interesting city!"