Last Updated on December 3, 2014 by Karen
After a day of sipping wine and eating pastas (and sipping more wine), we were back in San Francisco for the evening. A lot of people have mentioned that there are many museums to visit in SF, like the De Young Museum, Cable Car Museum, and San Francisco Museum of Art, but our plan was to take it real easy this time.
After our wine tour, we checked out Ghiradelli Square (that place is dangerous for the waistline!) and headed to the Fisherman’s Wharf to play some old-fashioned arcade games at Musee Mecanique.
Where I discovered…the BLACK HOLE, aka the most fascinating money sucker ;)
I beat James at a game of Pong, which he still can’t get over, but he beat me in virtually everything else: skeeball, Puzzle Bubble, car racing game, table hockey.
Also in Whack-a-Mole. He whacked the heck out of those moles. OUCH….
By dinnertime, we were starving for some sushi. After debating whether we wanted to wait an hour (FYI we would never wait an hour for a table in New York) for a spot at the hip, izakaya-style sushi bar Ryoko’s, we decided to bite the bullet and were happy that we did so.
An hour later…food! And beer!
Organic tofu, grated daikon, bonito flakes, scallions, and ginger served in a cold, refreshing broth. Highly recommended!
We also order some rolls to share: Spicy Scallop roll, Volcano roll (with shrimp tempura, jalapeno, peanut butter, and cucumber – sounds like a weird combination but it was tasty), and Crunchy Crab roll (with deep fried soft shell crab and cucumber).
James suggested we try the Natto Roll. Natto is basically a glob of fermented soy beans, and I always shy away from it because of the way it looks. It looks…slimy. So it turns out, it tastes…slimy as well! It doesn’t have an offensive flavor, but the sliminess just made it really unappetizing.
Next morning, we were up early and ready to roll! For breakfast, we stopped by Delicious Dim Sum in Chinatown adn picked up a variety of pork and beef dumplings, noodles, fried sesame balls, and steamed buns.
It definitely fueled us for the walk up and down the notoriously steep streets.
Biking across the Golden Gate Bridge was up next. We rented a bike near the Marina and biked on the car-free path through the Presidio National Park to the base of the bridge.
From there, you get some stunning views of the bay, before getting up close and personal on the Bridge.
A pleasant downhill ride took us into the quaint, charming town of Sausalito, where you can grab a bite to eat, shop, and walk leisurely along the pier. We opted to down with Strawberry Balsamic ice cream and Tropical Smoothie from Lappert’s.
I, among many others, found amusement in this guy’s rock stacking ability!
From Sausalito, we hopped on the ferry with our bikes and got right back to the Ferry Building in San Francisco!
Located on the waterfront in the Embarcadero, the Ferry Building was built in 1896 and now houses a variety of restaurants (some with tables and benches outside for alfreso dining), coffee shops, and purveyors selling local meats, cheeses, olive oils, and all the fresh produce you need.
I was particularly drawn to this shop selling so many varieties of mushrooms. They sell grow-your-own-mushroom kits, too!
After a brief tour of the Ferry Building, we whizzed through the Embarcadero, Pier 39, and Fisherman’s Wharf on our bikes in record speed before returning them to the rental place.
By then, we were starving and Tacolicious in the Mission was calling our name! They’re known and recognized for their killer tacos and fun atmosphere. Have I told you how much I love tacos?
I stuffed myself with the fresh chips and salsa verde while we waited for the food and drinks. Instead of sweet cocktails, I ordered a Michelada, a beer cocktail that borders on the savory side: tecate beer, lime, salt, and tapatio hot sauce! It was so good!
For the main event, we tried the traditional carnitas, guajillo-braised beef short rib (a bit salty), chicken in mole colorado, chorizo and potatoes, and grilled shrimp tacos. I was inspired to recreate them at home, especially the chorizo and potato taco which was my favorite.
Oh, and we got a few shots to share. Because they sound tasty (prickly pear juice and tequila), and we’re on vacation. Yeeeaap!
Sunday morning, we skipped the routine lazy Sunday brunch, had a quick breakfast at the hotel, and then headed back to Marin Headlands. We had wanted to go there the day before but biking there would have been way too strenous. Not having our bikes made it easy as the bus just zipped right into the trailheads.
The hike along the coastline was beautiful and picturesque, and you pass by some batteries dug into the hills.
The trail to Point Bonita lighthouse was closed when we were there, so be sure to take note if you plan on going.
Succulents grow rampant everywhere, some even have a pretty pink tinge.
We saw Rodeo Beach in the distance and were determined to get there, even if it meant forging our own route!
One final burrito from the corner taqueria before we go.
I am tuckered out but happy to have spent the weekend doing a little bit of everything: hiking, biking, wine-tasting, and dining! New York City is amazing in its own way, but the West Coast definitely reigns supreme when it comes to outdoor activities. And beautiful weather, of course!
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