Saturday, November 20, 2010

San Francisco- Part 2

Happy Saturday, my friends! I'm here to take you the rest of the way through my trip with my mom to San Francisco. This post will cover the last two days of the trip, and we'll start off at one of my favorite places we visited- Haight Ashbury.



I have been fascinated with the counterculture of the 1960's since I first learned of the happenings of that era. I love the fact that the youth of that time were courageous enough to stand up for their beliefs in such great numbers. So I refer to this part of the trip as my "hippie pilgrimage" to a gathering place for so many dreamers, activists, and confused wanderers.



My mom enjoyed the area too, even though she's not as enchanted by the hippie movement as I am. She SWORE that it was something she wanted to see, and that she wasn't just humoring me.



For the ice-cream lovers, we were standing in front of the original Ben & Jerry's for those photos. This one intersection is only the tip of the hippie iceberg though. A large portion of Haight Street is home to all kinds of colorful shops and people.







We ate lunch at a cozy little diner. I wish I could remember the name of the restaurant so I could recommend it, because everything was delicious.



Let me tell you, those San Franciscans know how to make a rather tasty veggie burger. I guess it's all part of being in a place where so many people are health-conscious, which was a nice break from the "Who cares if it's healthy?" mentality I often encounter here in Oklahoma. I'm sure that's the same mentality that gives this state one of the highest obesity rates in the country (I speak the truth), but that's a whole different blog post.

Haight Street ends right as it bumps up against the famous Golden Gate Park. This massive park is full of trees, critters, tourists, and the aroma of one of California's most well-known crops... This little nature girl had a pleasant time walking along the winding paths on a perfect day for a walk in the park.



If you know me, you know that squirrels are a huge source of joy for me. So this chubby little guy certainly brought me a giggle.



The architecture in San Francisco is so unique and inviting. I often found myself daydreaming about living in a row house with flower pots on the doorstep in a cute part of town, riding a trolley to work every day.





On our last day, we went for a walk in the city.



Even the downtown area has an abundance of parks and landscaping.





In the last few hours before we needed to head to the airport, we made a mad dash for Fisherman's Wharf. I'm so glad we were able to make it to this area before our trip ended. Since I've lived my whole life in a land-locked state, I've always been fascinated by the ocean. This seaside attraction was unlike anything I could see back home, and I'm pretty sure I walked around with in childlike stupor, excited to be somewhere so different from the sea of grass I'm accustomed to.













I managed to get a shot of the Golden Gate Bridge in the above photo. Although it's miles away from the wharf, it's so large and so bright that it was still clearly visible. And let's not forget the rowdy group of sea lions so many people look forward to seeing when they visit Fisherman's Wharf!



This guy decided to pose for a photo with mom and I.



Since the sea lions were so much fun to watch (and listen to!), I made a little video clip so that my lovely readers could share the experience. About 30 seconds into the video, I accidentally captured one of the sea lions losing his lunch, which is why you'll hear a few people in the crowd saying "Eeeeew" in response to his outburst.



Something I noticed when I uploaded the video was at the very beginning, you can hear a woman saying "Happy Anniversary" in a sweet voice. I did not hear it at the time, but I think it's precious. I wish I could find the lovebirds who were standing next to me that day so that I could share this video with them. They could have footage of the gentle words spoken, followed by a sea lion belching and barfing. How romantic!

Fisherman's Wharf was our very last stop of this trip. As we were waiting for a cab out on the sidewalk, I snapped one last photo of a beautiful mural that had been painted on a parking garage.



And as we hopped in the cab, I donned my new sunglasses with no concern for the fact that they were incredibly silly and touristy.



This little getaway was exactly what I needed. As much as I've come to love Oklahoma, there are times when it seems very mundane to me and I just need a little taste of something different and new. My mom and I had so much fun together, and I was aware throughout the whole trip that I was experiencing things that would forever be fondly remembered.

And now I've got a question for you. I used this as a creative writing prompt during my student teaching, and I found it to be a stimulating and exciting topic. If you could travel anywhere in the world, with no restrictions based on time or money, where would you go and why?

29 comments:

alexkeller said...

you and your mom look so cute :)
and i think it's a toss up right now between Australia and Morocco!

Robin Thomas said...

Looks like you had great weather Miss Big Heart Specks.

Africa. I would go to Africa. Italy. Those ae the only two places on my list. Ahhhh. Wonder if it will happen?

I will go daydream now.

Thanks girl!

genial said...

as any San Franciscan will tell you, gravity is overrated, anyway..

Christie Cottage said...

You girls had a great time!

Love the new shades!

<><

devonrose said...

Awww! I'm so glad you and your Mom had a great time in SF! Thanks for sharing!

I would go to Barcelona, for so many reasons; art, food, shopping, people watching:)
xoxo

Big Bad Art said...

Would love to be in San Fran right now. I miss the West Coast so much!

The Fancy Teacup said...

i miss california after seeing your lovely pictures, but i will be back for christmas!

my favorites are the ones of the rowdy seas lions, the original ben & jerrys, and yes I agree about the mentalitiy here about veggie burgers/eating healthy!

you are so adorable in those heart shades.

Aik said...

Your journey is definitely exciting and one-of-a-kind! I've never seen real life sea lions before.

I think I'd go to Egypt, because I love Michelle Moran's novels. I'd probably go to Italy and France too!

Aik said...

Holly, would you like to try this quiz?

Knowledge Is Power Challenge #1: Wonders Of The World

The answers can be found HERE

Lemon Shortbread said...

Thank you for sharing this! I was planning to going there but didn't, will definitely check out the wharf and Ashbury - it looks like fun!

20 YORK STREET said...

I love love San Francisco! These photos makes me want to go visit again, asap!

Thanks for sharing!

Xox

Pili said...

Awww, Holly those super cute & slightly silly glasses were totally made for you!!

Did you see the Japanese garden in the Golden Gate park? It's gorgeous! And I remember on my trip to San Francisco we walked all the way from Fisherman's to the bridge! We were starving by the time we reached!

As for places I'd love to visit... I still have places I wanna visit around India with the bf, and then I also want to visit Middle Earth (aka New Zealand) and go see the Northern Lights on a cruise or something like that!

JUST ME said...

Wow...LOVE those sunglasses. Adorbs.

Second, you know where you need to go on your next hippie pilgrimage, right?

Ahem. BOULDER.

Cindy said...

We loved San Francisco when we visited a few years ago. We want to go back. If we could go anywhere, I think it would be Ireland and Scotland. In Ireland I would look for distant relatives. In Scotland we would drink scotch!

babalisme said...

You must be hearing this often, but seriously, you have your mom's shiny smile! A smile like that is contagious, isn't it? And aren't you secretly not a fairy tale Princess? Little critters seem to attract to you, even the sealions!

Andreea said...

You look so cute:) Oh, and those sea lions are so funny! Pretty photos!


♥ kisses ♥

http://thrilloftheheel.blogspot.com/

BonBon Rose Girls Kristin said...

Even more reasons why I'm dying to get there....and I looooooove those heart sunnies lady!

Erin Bradley said...

You and your mom are just too cute!!! I love all the pics. It looks like you had such a great time!

Oh, and I would go to Italy. To find some long lost relatives or something. :)

Renee said...

I want to pinch that squirrel's white belly! Awww! So glad you guys had a good time!

Audrey said...

What a great trip!! LOVE all the photo's :)
Are you sure that isn't your sister? You look a lot a like.

Jennifer Juniper said...

Okay, you are going to think I'm crazy, but my Hubs has a conference in both England and San Fran next year and I'm trying to choose one to join. I have to say I'm torn!

If I could go any place in the world and if money was no object, I would go on an African Safari (a real, rugged, sleep in tents safari) with my whole family. I would love to see my boys faces and experience this together. But alas, money is always an object :( A girl can dream...

Beverley said...

aw! this is making me super nostalgic! i LOVE San Francisco, such a beautiful city... and fisherman's wharf! so fun, thanks for sharing these pictures :)

http://bareleopard.blogspot.com/

Stella said...

I was there just two weeks ago discovering it and photographing it. How awesome.Looks like we went to many of the same places!

Anonymous said...

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Heather said...

wow, what an amazing trip! Your photography captures it beautifully. and ahhh! the sea lions! Awesome! I think I would try a San Fran veggie burger...I bet they do it right!

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molly said...

i'm so jealous!! those pics are beautiful. and i love your glasses :-)

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Claire said...

Ahh! I love the chubby squirrel
I love San fransisco, we named our cat after it. Her name is sisco
x