San Francisco- Day 4

On our last full day in the city we decided to head down to Pier 39 on Fisherman's Wharf. Since our hotel was in the wharf area it was only about 4 blocks from our hotel. It was pretty "touristy", but after trekking through the redwoods and walking several wineries the day before we were ready for something low-key. Pier 39 is sort of a Coney Island feeling area on the bay with tons of shopping, arcades, and yummy seafood spots. We also got to see the famous sea lions that call Pier 39 home. They were so cute and very active!! We ate at a restaurant that I forgot the name of, but it was the best clam chowder we have ever tasted. It was a great treat since it was sort of damp and chilly on the Pier.

Double Decker Carousel

The Sea Lions

Views of Alcatraz from the Pier

After a trip back to the hotel for a long nap we headed for Chinatown that evening. We rode one of the cities famous cable cars to that area of town. The cable cars were invented because the hills in the city were causing huge and tragic horse and buggy accidents. The horses couldn't slow down in enough time to stop, especially when it was raining. After seeing these hills (and walking a few of them, I can see why!). We loved going in and out of all of the shops at Chinatown. We even picked up a beautiful chinese pantsuit for Lydia. We ate dinner at a beautiful and very authentic Chinese resteraunt called the Cathay House, which had a beautiful view of the area. We then hopped on the cable car and arrived about a block from our hotel. Jeff headed out to go buy ANOTHER suitcase! We bought so much wine and other souveniers that we couldn't get it all in our luggage!

Riding the Cable Cars

At the entrance gate to Chinatown

Waverly street is where one of my favorite authors, Amy Tan, grew up. She wrote The Joy Luck Club and numerous other great books!

Dinner at Cathay House

The next morning we were up at 6:00 am to catch our flight and spent pretty much all day in planes and airports. We arrived back in Birmingham at 7:30 pm and boy was I happy to see my sweet little Anderson when Mom and Mike met us at the airport!