San Francisco by Dizz and Tizz

Okay my lovelies, we've kept you waiting long enough. Obviously what you will read is not every single detail or photo, if you really want that then you'll have to come talk to us directly. Instead what we did on the plane on the way home was write lists that began with the word TOP...they're not in any kind of order and the numbers don't represent any preference, it's just the best way of doing lists. So here goes nothing then.

First and perhaps most importantly for a city that prides itself as being a foodie city: TOP FOOD



1. Citrus Club (Haight Ashbury)
In the area of town that was pretty much made up of pubs and pub grub we were seeking out something a bit different. We walked past this place a couple of times and it was jumping. So we joined the queue. Oh and wow. Was it worth it! It was absolutely blooming delicious and was actually my joint number one dinner of the holiday
2. Escape from NY (Haight Ashbury)
For this one we thank the guidebook as they recommended it. For $3 or so we got a gorgeous slice of pizza and a soda. Wow. Yummy. And signed photos all over the wall from celebs endorsing their little hideaway
3. All Star Donuts (Marina)
Oh yes. We found this place on the first day. The love started with the sandwiches (tuna with mustard, decidedly tasty) and continued with the donuts and coffee. We loved this place. So went there a lot
4. McCormick and Kuleto's (Ghirardelli Square)
This is my other number one dinner of the holiday. First full day of holiday, after many many hours of walking round Pier 39 we sat ourselves down in front of the huuuuge windows, looked out over the bay and had the most delicious fish dinner. And pudding of course
5. Cheese sandwiches (Yosemite)
Hand crafted by Dizz, who'd have thought that a mixed bag of 4 kinds of cheese on multigrain bread could taste so good?
6. Pasta dinner (Bear Creek Cabins)
One tiny hotplate, one tiny kitchen, one and a half hours later, one pasta dinner
7. Hot dogs, nachos with rubber cheese, beer (SF Giants vs AZ Diamondbacks)
Snack-tastic!
8. Perry's (Cow Hollow)
Tales of the City fans will know that this is where Brian worked so when we saw the illuminated lights and the blue and white tablecloths it just had to be done. Eggs Benedict were consumed, and they were extremely nice indeedy. And fries for breakfast too!
9. People's Cafe (Haight Ashbury)
I would definitely recommend the bacon, eggs anyway you like (with a splash of Tabasco sauce), multigrain toast, potatoes with rosemary and garlic, and a stonking cup of tea. Nuff said really

TOP SIGHTS

1. Alcatraz
Especially the night time tour when they lock you in solitary confinement. And when you sign up for the tour with 14 other people on it that needs hard hats and torches, that takes you down to the dungeons and you get to play in the dark!
2. Palace of Fine Arts...
3. ...followed by the Exploratorium. So many things to play with. 4 hours later you might emerge blinking into the sunlight
4. Painted Ladies
Oh so pretty, oh so famous
5. Chinatown
For the pure madness. Travel through it on the much loved no. 30 bus! But lookey see:



We went all the way to San Francisco and ended up in Stockton!
6. Musee Mecanique (Pier 39)
Laffin Sal:
7. Pier 39 itself for tourist tack and the sealions
8. Haight Ashbury for the high :o)

TOP SHOPS

1. Old Navy
Really, we could not stop buying things from there. We had about 6 bags from there by the end of the hol. Cheapo basics, fantastic!
2. Banana Republic
For the Fall bargains and my pretty bubble dress for the weddings
3. Apple
For the ipods, obviously!
4. Virgin
For the $10 cds. And Tizz for the TV series bargains. Oh how we loved it so
5. DSW
For the many many many pairs of shoes, even though we didn't buy anything from there
6. Sophora
Urban Decay! Benefit! It was cosmetic heaven!

MOST EXCITING (slight change of category there)

1. Take me out to the ball game...


We're official Giants fans now. I have a hoodie and a giant orange foam finger to prove it
2. Driving over Golden Gate Bridge
We have this on vid (which will be appearing shortly...) Safe to say we squeaked like small children on Christmas morning! Oooh it was so exciting
3. Being locked in solitary confinement in Alcatraz
Pitch black, heart pounding, dizzying...total trip
4. A Midsummer Night's Dream
Yep, the Shakespeare one. For free. In the grounds of the Presidio. Sat on free newspapers. Freezing our asses off. With food. What more could you need?
5. SFMOMA
The whole place was amazing but the 5th floor was amazing! A new exhibition including a prism of rainbows to walk through and look down to the ground floor. Totally fantastic
6. The cable car ride
We did as the guidebook said and avoided the tourist trap of going on the Powell and Mason and hit the California line that went right up Nob Hill and then back down again. What a wild ride! I nearly lost a flipflop to a passing car. It was big fun

EEK FACTOR

1. Highway 140 rockslide
An entire section of highway buried by falling rocks. Wow. Scary. Awesome. We did find out that it happened overnight and no-one was hurt, but there is a truck buried underneath there
2. A "slice" of cake that was easily the size of our heads:

3. Basement Jaxx
Not the band itself, but rather me and Tizz suddenly going off on one very mad hyper moment, one ipod headphone each literally bouncing down the street and dancing. I think people thought we'd escaped from somewhere
4. Not reading the guidebook properly...
...and walking up the officially steepest hill in the city on our very first morning. Buns of steel ;o)
5. Post
As in walking the entire length of it looking for a karaoke bar (don't ask, a very long and nightmarish story)
6. 10pm. Sunday night. After Alcatraz
Starving after trip. Nothing open. We had no choice. I still can't believe I did it. But I darkened the doors of McDonald's. For the first time in about 6 years. I only ate some fries but they were absolutely horrible and I hated doing it

ROAD TRIP HOT POINTS

1. Osmosis Spa
Relaxing herbal tea. Cedar enzyme bath. 75 minute massage. Need we say more?
2. Wine tasting in Sonoma
Charles Creek. Red wine made with chocolate. $32 for a bottle of red wine that is the nicest wine I've ever tasted. Is it wrong that we came out of there a bit drunk?
3. Charles M Schulz museum

We literally ran around there like big kids. It was blooming marvellous!
4.
Scary office. LouAnn the owner, without whom we'd never know about the Highway 140 rockslide, or the outlet stores in Gilroy, CA, or be called vampires for being so pale
5. Vernal Falls

Wow!
6. Our car
We forgot to take a photo, doh! But we loved it so! Even when it smelled of festering sandwiches. And fermenting grapes. And what a team! Tizz was the top driver, Dizz was the top navigator...
7. ...which of course leads to MAPS!
We had loads of them by the time we'd done. But we only got lost a couple of times so they were obviously very useful :o)

And that my dear readers is it. We had an utterly fabulous time. San Fran: we heart you so.

As you might have guessed it's Dizz who is doing the actual typing of this so I'd just like to add that out of all the wonderful things we did and saw, one of the bestest things about the holiday was being there with Tizz. I tells ya, you can't ask for a better holiday companion. The whole trip totally rocked and it was everything that I had hoped for and more. And without Tizz we wouldn't have done half of the daft and crazy stuff that we did, so here's a big MWAH to her and here's to the next one xx