A Great Sign

Another great sign was found while on the Embarcadero in San Francisco. The sign reads "Do Not Sit On The Historic Stairs." So, it is OK to walk up and down them, just do not stop and sit? What the heck, over?

New Photos on Flickr!

I just posted some pictures on Flickr from Chloe and my vacation to Sacramento and San Francisco. We had a good time and Chloe went crazy with the camera. Diana let Chloe take it becuase she knew I would just take pictures with my Curve and post those on my blog. Chloe drained two sets of batteries while we were there. There are probably one hundred more pictures, but I am at my limit for a Flickr account. I have to decide if it is worth $24.95 to have a pro account. I have commented on all the pictures so you will know what is going on.

Shopping, part 2

We were only in San Francisco from about 11am to 2pm, but we got everywhere. After the Wharf and the taxi ride back to the BART station Chloe still wanted to go shopping. We went back to the Powell Street station and went back to the mall. This time we went to a bunch of shops and looked for stuff for Chloe. We ended up at H&M and Chloe picked out a bunch of shirts for her. We couldn't find any pants (they were too low - crack is whack) for her though. It was almost 2pm and we still had to get to the Hilton to pick up out bags. We leave the mall and there is a Gap right across the street. I tell Chloe we can go to the Gap to find her some pants. We go in and end up getting a couple more shirts as well as a pair of pants. Chloe loved it. She likes to shop. When she is a teenager she is going to be trouble.

All in all I think Chloe liked her time in San Francisco and really liked her time in Sacramento. It was a good week and we had a lot of fun. After Chloe and I picked up our luggage from the Hilton we got back on the BART and rode to Oakland where we then took the bus from the BART stop to the airport and flew home.

Fisherman's Wharf

As we come up out of the Embarcadero BART station we have no idea which way to go. We follow the crowds and walk through a bunch of little tent shops that are selling various junk. We get down to the Embarcadero and Pier 1. What? We have to walk all the way to Pier 39? And these are not just little short hops between piers, they are blocks. We walk and walk and walk and walk and walk (just like the pioneer children). We finally make it to the Wharf. We walk through the shops and food areas. All the way to the end. We see the sea lions. I have a picture of them below.

It is time for lunch and Chloe wants a churro. We start to head up to the churro truck and Chloe sees the Dreyer ice cream store. She now wants ice cream for lunch. I told her, "We were on vacation so why not?" She got a double scoop with chocolate and peanut butter cup. She loved it. Chloe wanted to do more shopping and we had to head back to the Hilton to get our luggage. We are heading back to the BART and we decided to not walk back (we would not be good pioneers), we just took a cab to the station.

Shopping, Part 1

After dropping the luggage off at the Hilton we walked up to Union Square so Chloe could see just how big a city San Fran really is. If you have never been to Union Square, it is actually a parking garage (under it) and on top is a memorial for something (I did not read it) and a walking area with a cafe on one side. Across the street from every direction is some of the largest and well-respected retailers in the world. There is a Tiffany's, Neiman Marcus, Saks Fifth Avenue, NikeTown, and Victorias Secret, and that is not even all of them. We walk all around there and then head to the mall right on Powell Street. From there we start to look in the shops and get a little snack (Wetzel's Pretzels). I get a hot chocolate because it is a cold and windy day in San Fran. Kenzie finds some pants that she wants. Kelly, her Dad, has to see them before she can get them (crack is whack). Cindi and I are taking bets on how long until Kenzie comes out crying because her Dad did not get the pants. A couple minutes later she walks out with a bag in her hand, smiling. Kelly actually got her the pants! We couldn't believe it!

After this small miracle we headed back to the BART to go to the Embarcadero and walk to Fisherman's Wharf.

Can You Keep My Bags?

While we were in San Francisco for the day I had my luggage (Chloe and I were flying home that night). I had no idea what to do with my stuff and I did not want to carry it around all day. We were at the Powell Street BART station and I know the area fairly well, Burton Group has had Catalyst there a couple times. It came to me in a flash, "Take your stuff to the Hilton, they will watch your stuff." The Hilton was only two blocks away. A pretty quick walk in San Francisco and I had my stuff put away for the day. The Hilton has changed a ton since the last time I was there. They now have a Starbucks in the lobby. There is also no more little cafe and restaurant in the back of the lobby, it is a big ballroom now. Big changes. I didn't like them.

Gotta Love a Good Sign

I want to keep up my tradition of posting great signs I see as I wander through my daily life. Above is the latest and greatest. The best part of the sign is the homeless guy jumping around with the sign. Sorry I did not get a picture of the guy. I am not a very good walker and picture taker at the same time.

Trolley in the SF

I like the image above because it is a trolley in San Francisco. I also like it because it is the 200th picture I have taken with my Curve. It is a pretty good camera. I have really liked having it. I don't think my blog would be half as cool as it is without the Curve.

Chloe was pretty shell-shocked as we came up out of the BART station at Powell Street in SF. This is a pretty busy neighborhood and I dont't think Chloe knew what to expect. We take about five steps and her hand grabbed mine as tight as she could. Right after that a lady with no shoes and clothes from the 60's came up to ask for change. It was a wild day and this was all in the first three minutes.

BART

On Saturday (the last day of my vacation), Chloe and I and the DeVoogd's went to San Francisco to hang out for a while. San Fran is about an hour and half away from Sacramento so it was not that bad of a drive. We did not drive the whole way, we stopped at the 2nd to the top BART stop and rode in. I like BART. It is old and starting to show its age, but it is a good public transportation system for the US. Not as good as what I have seen in Europe, but nice. It was a fun day. I will post more as the night progresses. Here is a pic on the BART of Chloe and Kenzie looking cool.

Travel Day

Chloe and I head home today, but before that we are going to San Francisco to hang out. More on that later. I am currently sitting in the Oakland Airport waiting for our plane. We had a quick snack at got Chloe a Sprite, now we just wait. Plane leaves at 4:35. Probably 20 minutes til we board. Hopefully Southwest is better at being on time than Delta.