Adventuring // Along the San Francisco Waterfront

Saturday morning started out with Steph's first ever ride on Bart and a pretty nice walk from the Embarcadero station to Pier 15. The girl spent most of her time on the train playing Tsum Tsum on her phone and coercing me to attempt a round myself. I was deemed "better than a sixth grader", so you know, life goal met.

Once we made our way to the surface and figured out which direction we wanted to go, we started our trek. And I almost immediately made her detour with me because I saw a couple cable cars just hanging out, a block over, in the middle of the street, begging to be photographed. They were even decked out in holiday gear!

Considering this IS San Francisco in the middle of winter, I think we both expected it to be a little colder on our walk to the Exploratorium. I mean, we were right on the water, it was still pretty early in the morning, and it was the end of December. But it was surprisingly warm, sunny, and comfortable out, which was awesome. Especially considering Steph's idea of NorCal is cold, sunless, and dreary. *eyeballs bestie*

We walked through the art stalls along Market Street on the way to the piers and passed by the mini Farmers Market in front of the Ferry Building. I didn't know tulips were in season in the dead of winter, but they were on sale, so... *shrug*

We reached the Exploratorium pretty quickly, despite our {read: my} constant stopping to take pictures, so Steph and I decided to walk around the outside of the place. If you don't want to pay for admission into the museum, walking along the outside is not a bad idea. Not only are the views fantastic, but there are small exhibits along the railing and large windows into the museum that give you a peek of what's inside.

After making our way down the entire length of the pier, we took an Instagram break {because those are truly a real thing now}, wondered how long it'd take the boys to get there, and watched a seagull take apart a small crab {seriously. it was simultaneously cringe-worthy and fascinating}. When we finally got their call that they were inside getting the tickets, we headed back to meet them.

Not a bad start to an excellent day. (:

Adventuring // Flyering Airbnb Open 2014 at Fort Mason, San Francisco

Last Thursday night, I got an email asking if I could come into the city to help flyer at Airbnb Open in the morning. In order for that to happen, I would need to BE ON the 6:20am Bart train heading to San Francisco. Which meant I would need to WAKE UP around 5:15am. I honestly wasn't super delighted, but at least I would have company {our web designer would be flyering with me and she's cool} and it would be nice to gain some exposure for our site. So I agreed.

This is what Bart looks like before the sun comes up. I layered like a pro-- we're talking tanktop, long sleeved shirt, warm fitted fleece pullover, and a bright yellow rain jacket in case it rained. And leggings under my jeans. I was ready! If not completely awake...

I was a bit worried about getting to the office at 7:15 in the morning. I was pretty sure I'd be the first one there, and I had NO IDEA where the light switches were. What if it was pitch-black in there? Do I just awkwardly hang outside waiting for Lizzie to show up, or fumble around for a light switch? Turns out, didn't have to do either because their lights are automatic and were already on when I walked in. {We don't work for MemSQL, just fyi. But we do share an office and I love their entryway}.

Unrelatedly, while I was taking this picture, one of their computer engineer guys walked in the front door {just to the left of me} and we gave each other startled "what are YOU doing here?" looks. He was probably more surprised to see me than vice versa. Heh. "Who IS that random Asian kid taking pictures in our office all by herself?!?"

When Lizzie arrived, we pulled on company t-shirts over our other clothes {she had on cold weather running gear and snowboots... East Coast kid}, grabbed the stack of flyers, and took Lyft Line from the office in SoMa to Fort Mason. First time I ever took one of those car sharing/service/whatever they're called things. Twas an interesting experience. We got to drive through the Embarcadero, under the Bay Bridge, past all the piers, and up/over some crazy hills. I played unabashed tourist. Like, photos-out-the-window tourist. It was pretty good. Lizzie thought I was a little odd.

Even though the weather report called for super fog and possible rain, it turned out to be a clear, sunny day with a slight sea breeze that kept things cool. I mean. Look at that view. Shoot. I love Fort Mason-- granted I say that about a lot of places in San Francisco. I've mentioned this before, but as a kid of two SF natives, I am fascinated by all the places they tend to take for granted. Last time I was out here, it was for Renegade Craft Fair, several summers ago. Still gorgeous.

After flyering for a while, Lizzie and I took a break and stopped by the Safeway across the street where I got a maple wonut... you know, a waffle donut? It wasn't quite a TRUE wonut {because Safeway}, but it still hit the spot. While I took pictures of my sugar-high donut and Lizzie ate her Chia seed breakfast bar {so healthy, sheesh}, we walked up the hill of the Great Meadow, next to Fort Mason. Since it was early Friday morning, it was pretty empty. Several groups of tourists on rental bikes wobbled past us {one guy was videotaping his girlfriend on his camera in one hand and trying to steer down the hill at the same time... O.o} and a dad with his two tiny daughters wandered by.

Alcatraz. We needed to get back to flyering, but I knew what the view was like at the top of the hill, so I made Lizzie speedwalk up to see it and then we spedwalked {is that the word?} back down to the entrance of Fort Mason. Since Lizzie's phone died while we were out talking with people, I had to download the app or else we'd've been stuck out there. Our Lyft Line driver going back to the office was super-talkative.

All in all, not a bad day. Flyering has always evoked conflicting emotions with me-- my introverted side is like, "dear goodness, not FLYERING. AAAAUGH," while my extroverted side is like, "meh, you'll never see these people again anyways and they don't know you! Go for it!" In other words, I dread flyering until I'm actually doing it, and then I'm fine {and not too shabby at it either}. It's weird.

Thanks, Lizzie, for keeping me company! For a last minute thing, we had fun. And hopefully interested some people to our company and product at the same time. Yay! It was a good day.

Adventuring // San Francisco City Hall

^ Looks a bit fish-eye, doesn't it? Nope, just the angle you get when you're on the sidewalk! ^

^ Roar. ^

 ^ The Northern Light Court. ^

^ Ohhohoho. Also, unintentional selfie... ^

Spent more than four hours in the Hall of Records {aka the city assessor's office} looking for old, official, family documents.

---

Who: The Parentals & I 

Where: The Assessor/Recorder Office in San Francisco City Hall
When: Tuesday at 12:20 PM 

The Place: When you walk into city hall and turn to the right, there's a short flight of stairs and a doorway that leads into the Assessor/Recorder office. Inside, you can find every. single. official. document. ever. signed. in San Francisco, dating back to 1906 {if you know your SF history, you'll know that the 1906 earthquake and subsequent fire probably took out the rest of the documents from before}.

If you want to look up documents via the computer {using search terms like names, dates, parcel numbers, or document type}, they're straight ahead of you. If you want to go oldoldOLD school, you can look up documents via microfische to your left. Printing costs ten cents a page {which is normal for libraries and college campuses as well} and is right beside the door when you enter. To talk to a real person if you need help, the main desk is in the middle of the room.


What We Did: We had to find some old documents for family stuff. And it took FOREVER to find it all. Mostly because the system is super complicated and not entirely conducive to getting in and out quickly. Even with my awesome-possum research skills {hey, those years of college paper writing and marketing internshipping weren't for nothing}, we were there when the employees started locking doors and kicking people out for the day.

When we first got there, Daddy and I decided to wander around the building since 1: why not, we're there anyways and 2: I wanted to take pictures because that's what I do. Do you know how many people get married at city hall in the span of an hour? A LOT. As un-fun as our own task was, it was made marginally better by hearing bursts of cheering echo down the hall from the rotunda. Too cute.

I learned how to use microfische. So if I somehow get transported back to the sixties and get a job as a reference librarian, I can now operate the microfische machine. Whoot. {Actually, those machines are probably from the nineties or something. But still. Wow, they're loud and large and clunky and beige}.


Tips: Just so you know...
+ Bags are searched at the main entrance. Don't be sketchy.

+ When searching for documents, be aware that the program running on those computers is... Wow. O.o Anything before 2000 you have to find manually. Which doesn't sound tooTOO bad until you realize that means locating one single page out of tens of thousands of pages of scanned documents. Oy. Bring patience. And your glasses.

+ Therefore, when you park your car and are wondering how much to feed the meter, overestimate. A few cents aren't worth you having to drop everything and dash back out to the car to feed the meter.

+ When electronically searching for documents, be forewarned that the search program only allows you to look for one parameter at a time. None of this "Advanced Search" business. For example, if you know the document you're looking for is a deed, signed by A. Jones, in 1987, you can only type in one of those search terms. And there are a bajillion deeds on record, a ton of documents created and signed during 1987, and a dozen A. Jones' on file, so you're going to be there FOREVAHHHH. ):

+ Photography is allowed inside city hall, and if you have the time {which we didn't}, you can take a free guided tour of the place. The tours start right behind the security desk.

+ Cheer on a newly wedded couple. It seems like fun. Also, their attire is interesting to note as well, since these people figure, "If we're going to skip the traditional wedding and be unconventional, let's BE UNCONVENTIONAL." Daddy said he saw red dresses and gold dresses and all sorts of things while going back outside to pay the parking meter.


Conclusion: Since we were there in an official capacity and not as tourists or sightseers, the pictures I took were super rushed and not very well thought out. Hopefully we can return another day when we're not freaking out about getting everything done before city hall closes, so that we can see all there is to see. (:

--

San Francisco City Hall
1 Dr Carlton B Goodlett Pl #190
San Francisco, CA 94102

Adventuring // Hamon Observatory Tower in Golden Gate Park

^ We saw Segway Tours taking place. They looked like little ants speeding by. ^

^ Part of the Ruth Asawa art exhibit at the base of the Tower. ^

Taking advantage of monthly Free Admission Day to museums in San Francisco.

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Who: Tommy & I

Where: de Young Museum's Hamon Observatory Tower in Golden Gate Park, San Francisco

When: Tuesday at 2 PM

The Place: When researching for this trip into the city {I collect potentially useful information like ground squirrels hoard food}, I learned that the Observatory Tower at de Young offers 360 degree views of the surrounding landscape and doesn't require an entrance fee, unlike the museum itself which is ten dollars normally.

Thus, I assumed the entrance to the Tower was outside the actual museum, since visitors didn't have to pay to get in and the museum people wouldn't want anyone sneaking into the main area via the Observatory entrance. Apparently, I was wrong. After wandering partway around the exterior of the building and not seeing anything that remotely resembled a path or a doorway, Tommy and I headed back inside to ask the information desk. And lo and behold, you have to go through the main doors and head right of the welcome/info desk to find the elevators up to the Tower. Who knew?

Once you've reached the top and gotten off the elevators, the views are indeed pretty cool. Keep in mind, if you're looking for 360 degree views of the ENTIRE city, like a birds-eye view, this isn't quite it. Because you're in the middle of Golden Gate Park, there are trees everywhere and you're about eye-level with them, so your sightline is blocked by greenery. But you will be able to see the Academy of Sciences, the roof of the de Young, and one busy roadway within the park... Whoot. (: 


What We Did: Basically, Tommy humored me while I took pictures of everything, dodging people lined up along the floor-to-ceiling windows. And he left a giant smudge of his face on the glass like a kid... except, you know, at grown-up height. *eye roll* I'm sure that went over well with the docents inside the Tower. *eek!*

I took a short video of the panorama, but Blogger won't let me upload it for some reason. So. Boo.

Tips: Just so you know...
+ Like I said, to get to the Tower base, you go in the main doors of de Young, let the security guard check your bag in case you're a sketchy, sketchy person, and then walk to the right of the info desk, through a tiny glass tunnel, to the elevators.

+ The stairway up to the Tower is blocked off for emergency/personnel access only, so if you're super exercise-conscious and you want to take the stairs, too bad. Elevator only.

+ There are other places around the city where the birds-eye view is better if you're trying to take cityscape pictures. The sights are limited here, but it's still very pretty. Try Grand View Park or Bernal Heights if tiny houses and Karl the Fog from above are your aim.

+ Right now, there's a Ruth Asawa exhibit at the base of the Tower that you should check out. She does these wire sculptures that I'm kind of in love with, even if they remind me of fishing baskets. And whoever set up that lighting... those shadows are awesome.

Conclusion: I'll admit, twas a liiiiittle underwhelming compared to the hype it received online, but the Hamon Observatory Tower is still worth a visit if you're in the area. I think your best bet though is to come on a Free Museum Admission Day like we did and explore the entirety of de Young while you're at it.

--

Hamon Observatory Tower
de Young Fine Art Museum
Golden Gate Park
50 Hagiwara Tea Garden Drive
San Francisco, California 94118

Adventuring // de Young Museum in Golden Gate Park, San Francisco

^ Cloudscloudsclouds... and wind. ^

^ Find the Tommy! ^

^ Those two blank canvases on the right? Yeah, de Young PAID for them. *oy* {Does shaking my head at that make me uncultured? Too bad.} ^

^ Museums have the best children's books. I mean. Can I have all of them, please? ^

 

^ That rainbow arching across the valley? Not from the museum lights. Actually painted on the canvas. So impressed. ^ 

^ More contemporary art on the left there. Sigh. ^

Taking advantage of monthly Free Admission Day to museums in San Francisco.

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Who: Tommy & I

Where: de Young Museum in Golden Gate Park, San Francisco

When: Tuesday at 11:30 AM

The Place: Across from the California Academy of Sciences with their "Living Roof" and giant rainforest exhibit, there's a large textured, copper building called the de Young Fine Art Museum. 

Inside, there are three floors worth of truly excellent artwork {wait, two and a half. I'm not the biggest fan of contemporary art or the current special exhibits going on right now *sheepish*}. The architecture of the building itself is quite fun to take in as well-- lots of angles and differing textures and materials, which make for nice photos. 

There's a cafe inside the museum, which seems like a nice option for lunch if you don't want to leave Golden Gate Park for food {although, there are food trucks right behind the concourse if that's more your deal}. Along the right side of the museum, near the entry, there's also a small garden exhibit area with a mini path to follow; each section is named things like "Pool of Enchantment" and "Boardwalk of Contemplation."

The Japanese Tea Garden, Botanical Gardens, and Stow Lake are all just a few steps away, so after you've had enough time exploring inside, there are plenty of places to keep on exploring outside.


What We Did: We wandered the entire place. All of it. No artwork left unseen. {Well, except the Modernism exhibit, which required separate admission. And we didn't feel the need to see it that badly}.

Tommy's sense of direction was exceptional that day, so instead of ending up at the Hudson River School area on one end of the museum like he wanted, we got to start with the African and Oceanic art and make our way back towards the Americas. Which ended up working out because we eventually walked through all the collections in numerical/chronological order, instead of beginning at the most recent pieces and working backwards.

After a quick lunch break here, we went back into de Young to see the views from Hamon Observatory Tower, which is always free and open to the public. Definitely worth a stop if you're nearby, but aren't able to spend a lot of time {or money} inside the Academy of Sciences or de Young itself.

Tips: Just so you know...
+ If you're taking public transportation to get here, the 44 line will put you right in front of the Academy of Sciences. Just don't be like us and take the bus the wrong direction for forty-five minutes and have to backtrack another forty-five minutes to our original starting place and then stay on the bus for another forty five minutes to arrive at our intended destination. So. Yeah. *laughs* Be careful.

+ Bags are checked at the door by security when you enter de Young, so no attempting to sneak in something sketchy. Not cool.

+ This is San Francisco. Bring a jacket.

+ It really does help to follow the numbers on the map when you're exploring the museum. One, the artwork makes the most sense that way, and two, you know you haven't missed anything. {On that note, pick up a map at the info desk when you arrive. No one will think any less of you}.

+ Read the descriptions at each new room and also the ones next to the paintings. Time-consuming, yes. Fascinating, also yes. Honestly, you'll get so much more out of your visit if you spend a minute reading the "caption" of each picture. Even if you don't end up remembering most of it, you'll come away with a sense of awe and a better understanding of the times and context in which the paintings were made. {Except in the contemporary art section. Then you'll just walk away with a sense of "Seriously? No."}

+ Museum stores are the coolest. THE BOOKS. THE KIDS' SECTION. THE MISCELLANEOUS THINGS YOU'LL NEVER NEED BUT ARE SO FUN TO LOOK AT. I'd contemplate having a small human if their bookshelf looked half as awesome as the one here. Museum people know how to pick good books for small humans. *nods*

+ Beware of sitting on the faceted benches inside the museum. One wrong move and you'll slide either off the bench or into the middle where you'll never be able to get out without help. *heh*

+ This is not the ideal place to bring small children {no matter what I said about the bookstore}. Several times while we were there, Tommy and I both looked at each other and mentioned how we should have gone somewhere that allows you to touch the exhibits and build things, like the Exploratorium or another kid-friendly museum {google "children's museum" for good options}. Obviously, we're not completely grown-up yet...

Conclusion: I love playing tourist in San Francisco. Because both my parents grew up there, they have a tendency to avoid all the touristy places like the plague, so I've never been to most of the stereotypical San Francisco sights.

Honestly, I'd rather be out and about in the city, so museums aren't my first choice when spending a day in SF. However, if you've got the time, a friend to keep you company, and it just so happens to be free admission day, de Young's not a bad choice at all. I did enjoy walking through all the exhibits and you leave feeling very calm.

--

de Young Fine Art Museum
Golden Gate Park
50 Hagiwara Tea Garden Drive
San Francisco, California 94118

Foodie Adventuring // La Boulange de Sunset in San Francisco

Mid-day munching between wandering de Young Museum and exploring the Conservatory of Flowers in Golden Gate Park.

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Who: Tommy & I

Where: La Boulange de Sunset in San Francisco

When: Tuesday at 1:15 PM

The Restaurant: Within easy walking distance from de Young, California Academy of Sciences, and the Japanese Tea Gardens in Golden Gate Park, this particular La Boulange location shares the sidewalk with Nopalito {a few storefronts down} and Pacific Catch {on the corner}. If you're feeling a little munchy after spending the morning in the park, this is a good spot to pick up something quick before continuing your adventure of the day.

The large front windows, covered outdoor patio seating area, and bright orange overhangs indicate you've arrived at your destination. Step inside, and you'll happy-sigh if vaulted ceilings, white subway tile, and concrete floors are your thing. And if those don't make your eyes brighten, one glance at the extensive pastry case should fix that pretty quickly.

We happened to stop in on a cloudy, windy day, so no one was brave enough to sit outside. But inside, the massive storefront windows allowed in plenty of natural light-- with multiple different seating options to choose from {booth, communal farmhouse table, counter facing the street, hidden bar tables with stools near the kitchen}, this is a great place to take that perfect foodie Instagram.

Just watch out for those photos on the walls. La Boulange knows how to appeal to your sweet tooth, even if you didn't think you had one. Macro, aerial shots of warm chocolate chip cookies and bundt cakes shiny with icing are bound to make you wonder what's for dessert.

 
The Food: Cold days = hot soup for lunch, right? With that in mind, I ordered a cup of the soup de jour, which happened to be Roasted Tomato, and a Chocolate Hazelnut Croissant, toasted. Tommy asked if that just meant it had Nutella in it... *shrugs* Maybe. But it was still pretty delicious. And dessert is always a must.
 
Tommy tried their soup/sandwich combo, with a bowl of French Onion and an open-faced Smoked Salmon Sandwich {salmon, cucumber, creme fraiche, shallots, capers}. Because a). it was cold outside and b). he'd woken up far too early, he also got a small coffee. Which turned out to be "small" in quotation marks because, if you look at that last picture up there, he actually received a bowl of coffee bigger than his cup of soup. O.o If that's a small sized beverage, I can't imagine what the large looks like...


The Conversation: One of the perks of hanging out with a fellow introvert is that talking incessantly isn't really necessary. And considering the morning's adventure of getting on the wrong bus and therefore spending about two hours on public transportation {which was subsequently followed by a few hours of skirting crowds at de Young's free admission day}, we enjoyed this chance to refuel and soak in the calm.

Random topics of conversation included the origin of capers {apparently they grow on bushes and are called "capers" because of their Latin classification-- we looked it up}, the ridiculous size of Tommy's bowl of coffee, and the adorableness of GOC's rapidly growing small-child collection {if that didn't make sense to you, we basically discussed how cute toddlers are}.

Conclusion: I know that La Boulange is a chain and there are locations all over, but this is still a fun spot to have lunch if you're in the area, especially if you're on a college student/funemployed budget.

--

La Boulange de Sunset
1266 9th Avenue
San Francisco, California 94122

Adventuring // 16th Street Stairs & Grand View Park in San Francisco

 

^ view from the top of the 16th Street Stairs ^

 

^ if you have vertigo, hang on tight. these stairs be steep. ^

 

^ someone left their heart in San Francisco. heh heh. ^

^ Monterey cypress trees! love these. ^

^ not for the faint of heart, though it's really not as bad as it looks. ^

^ this one had to take a break halfway up to "fix her sock." riiight. O.o ^

 

^ the Golden Gate Bridge (L) & the Transamerica Building (R) downtown. they aren't next to each other at all, but somehow I lined up those hills perfectly, eh? ^

 

^ Sutro Tower ^

^ 16th Street Stairs from the bottom. my fave. ^

^ fan of succulents? this is for you. ^

Exploring hidden gems of San Francisco // short hikes.

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Who: Mom & I

Where: 16th Street Stairs & Grand View Park in San Francisco's Inner Sunset District

When: Monday at 2:30 PM

The Place: Hidden amidst the older residential neighborhoods of San Francisco, there lies a stairway to the heavens, from the depths of the ocean straight up into the sky. Wow, that sounds dramatic. But really, the 16th Street Stairs are a thing of beauty, a giant mosaic with hundreds of thousands of tiny multi-colored tiles pieced together to create an awesome work of art.

The view of San Francisco once you reach the top is just as impressive, and if you'd like to see 360-degrees of the city below, you need only walk up a little farther to the aptly-named Grand View Park.

There are two routes up the hill to the lookout; this time around, my mother and I took the winding wooden staircase. For those of you intimidated by the number of stairs, never fear! There are frequent platform landings and a few of them have wooden green benches so weary climbers can rest.

Once you've reached the pinnacle {which makes this sound like a really tall mountainous climb, but it's not. by San Francisco standards, this is just a small hill}, you can see pretty much the entire city, surrounded by the Pacific Ocean to your left and the Bay to your right.
 
The Appeal: These places are worth your time and effort because...

+ Truly excellent views. Rather awe-inspiring and very photogenic. While there weren't any fog or clouds the day we were there, I'd imagine you'd be above them when they blanket the city. Or you could see the fog rolling in from the ocean. That's pretty cool.

+ Exercise! A few times up and down these hills and you're set for the week. (:

+ If you're visiting from out of town and want to see something a little more hush-hush and out-of-the-way {read: less tourist-trappy, more local}, this is one of those places. It's quiet. Like, really quiet. There are benches to just sit and take in the scenery. I'd say we only passed by about twelve to fifteen people the entire time we were there {almost an hour}, so you don't have to worry about screaming kids or people getting in your picture.

Tips: A few things to keep in mind when you visit...

+ There is no designated parking lot for either of these locations {at least that I know of}, but there should be plenty of street parking if you're visiting during the day, since many of the locals are at work. I'm not sure why you'd come here at night; the views would still be great, but you'd be climbing those stairs in the dark-- I didn't see any lampposts. So.

+ I'm one of those strange people who have no qualms about going up long flights of stairs, but when I try to head back down, my knees get all wobbly for fear of missing a step and plummeting to my demise {or just looking silly tripping down stairs, but you know}. If you have the same problem, know that the views from the top are so worth the amount of time it takes to slowly and cautiously pick your way down the hill.

+ If you can, try to come with a native San Franciscan. Because you can see most of the city from Grand View Park, it's fun to have a guide who can point out different landmarks down below and give you little tidbits about the history or some anecdote they have from their time here. Both my parents grew up in San Francisco, so we could have stood here all day, but our previously-scheduled appointment was calling. Next time, next time.

+ The top of Grand View Park isn't paved, so be forewarned that it's rather rocky and uneven up there. Not crazily so, but it's definitely not flat.

+ It wasn't very windy at either of these places when we went. I'm not sure if that just happened to be the weather that day or if it's because we were just on the non-windy side of the hill. Just an observation.

Conclusion: This really is one of my favorite spots in the city. Granted, I haven't done that much exploring around here; as a kid of two San Francisco natives, I tend to only come into the city when visiting relatives at family get-togethers {it's that weird thing where you don't go to touristy places when you've lived there forever}.

But still, it's so awesome to be driving around a completely residential neighborhood {my uncle lives nearby}, turn a corner, and BAM. Gorgeous tiled staircase going straight up a giant hill. It catches you off-guard. "Unexpected" would be my first description of the place. It's a spot that you stumble across while lost and go, "Whoaaa. This. This is just..."

Come visit! And then you can feel all San Francisco-y for knowing about something few others do.

--

16th Street Stairs 
1700 16th Ave {between Noriega St & Moraga St}

San Francisco, California 94122 

Grand View Park 
Moraga St & 14th Ave

San Francisco, California 94122

{none of these pictures were edited in any way. these places are just that amazing}.