Day 2 San Francisco

Only remaining painted mural from the 60's. This one was done in 1965.


Walking, walking and more walking. That's what we did today. Chris found the greatest thing that San Francisco offers. Walking tours! And they are Free! They offer 30 free walking tours and they are all led by volunteers. We chose the Haight Ashbury walking tour. I've always had a fascination with the hippie movement in the 60's and often have thought that it is a blessing that I was not a young adult during that time period. This tour was amazing and it was so fun to learn tons about a very specific neighborhood of San Francisco. We saw some beautiful homes and learned the difference between all the different types of architecture. Some of the famous homes we saw were Danny Glover's, which he resides in today. The home where the Grateful Dead all lived together in and Janis Joplin's former home. The lady who led our tour was born and raised in this neighborhood and still lives there today. She was a teenager during the 60's and was able to give us an insight into that time period that you don't necessarily read about in books. One of the more interesting things I learned was that the reason Haight and Ashbury are associated with the hippie movement is because it is at that corner where it all ended. The police came in and literally swept through all the buildings and kicked everyone that didn't belong there out. When the movement first started it was all about peace, love, and harmony but it quickly became a drug fest and violence ensued. That's when the police stepped in and in a matter of a few hours it was over and they all left. I didn't know this and it was interesting to learn.



After our tour we went and had lunch at the "Squat and Gobble". This place was great. We both decided we would definitely eat there again. We chose to go there because there was a steady stream of people coming and going and there was a sign that said they had patio seating. We didn't want to miss a single moment of the gorgeous weather so this place seemed like a good choice. We got a seat on the patio and ate our grilled salmon on focaccia with dill aeioli and salmon sun dried tomato creamy pasta. Both dishes were so good.



Next it was off to find some of the shops I had found on the internet. I was a little disappointed with most but "Doe" did not disappoint me. It was quaint, interesting and unique. Mostly items for young children but a few stationary items as well. I didn't find anything I had to have but it was a fun store to look in.

Our last thing we did was go to the Coit Tower. This is a building that was built with some money that a woman left to the city of San Francisco when she died. She said she wanted something to be built where people could enjoy her beautiful city she had always loved. the City of San Francisco built this tower. There are some amazing WPA murals all throughout the inside that were painted during the depression. We went to the observation deck on the top to watch the sunset. It was very romantic and very beautiful and a great way to end our visit to this fun city.



It was close to 70 degrees today and my sun starved Oregon sun was enjoying itself a little too much today. Notice how my face isn't burnt? Have I told all of you how much I love my new Bare Escentuals foundation with SPF 15? IT REALLY WORKS! See where my necklace was?