This
cartoon character was trying to stop us from having our brunch at Curly's, but
we sneaked round the back 8-)
Week commencing Sunday 4th June 2000
Sunday 4th June
Today, we decided to check out Pier
39 at Fisherman's Wharf, where there is apparently some sort of fair... This
cartoon character was trying to stop us from having our brunch at Curly's, but
we sneaked round the back 8-)
These views are from the same high point, one looking towards the east and the other towards the bay to the north.
Crystal
Geyser (pronounced Guys-Urrr here 8-) sponsored various acts to perform on Pier
39 at Fisherman's Wharf today. This
full-size merry-go-round was doing great trade on the pier !
This guy is juggling sabres !
On
the way back, we noticed this strange sight - at the top of the incline is what
looks like the entrance to a castle !
Monday 5th June
We
have to pack today, so decided to check out this local place - the Crocker Galleria.
This is about the only mall in the financial district. 
Today we finally move to our apartment in Nob Hill !
This place is great after being in a cramped hotel room. We have our own kitchen,
with coffee maker and grinder, king-size fridge/freezer, gas oven/hob and toaster
- should be able to produce some culinary works of art here !
The owner provided a 'welcome pack'
including some seriously good 'Columbia Vintage Crop' coffee 8-)
However, they don't seem to have electric kettles here - we have a whistling,
stove top version !
Tuesday 6th June
This
is the sleeping area with pull-down bed. The entrance to the kitchen is on the
left. For
Peter, this is the most important part of the apartment - the TV with full cable
access and the office area with a 768K DHCP link. This is an order of magnitude
faster than our usual 56k modem connection. The increased speed is most noticable
when displaying images on a web page and also when downloading mp3 music files
- lightning fast ! This
stained glass window in the bathroom looks great in the morning ! The
entrance lobby to the Pierre Suites taken from just outside our apartment (on
the right). One
of two entrances in Pine Street (our side of the building is 835) This
is our view of one of the many garden areas. Note the fountain in the centre
!
You can check out the Pierre Suites at: http://www.pierre-suites.com
Wednesday 7th June
OK, we've got the apartment pretty
much straight, so it's off to investigate the area...
We
found this 50s style diner only two blocks away !
This
neon trimmed motor bike was on the wall just above our heads whilst we were
eating ! These
two salads are actually a single salad split between two ! Nearly
forget, we get free use of their laundry room with washers and dryers. They
even provide washing powder and bounce for the dryer !
The portions here are rather large to say the least 8-)
Back
to the Nordstrom mall... We
found this patisserie in the mall serving decent coffee and a big selection
of VERY naughty cakes 8-) Just
round the corner from Union Square we found this old lady in a wheelchair. She
rescues stray cats and looks after them. Irene gave her some money to help.
This
is the view to the north of Union Square. This
is the front entrance to Lori's 50s Diner. This
is the junction of Powell and Pine, the cablecars stop right next to our apartment,
in the middle of a junction, and you have to leap on whilst avoiding being hit
by traffic going by on either side. Good fun ! Oh
No ! Not ANOTHER impressive looking building 8-) This
might look like just another cafe, but it's actually a Thai restaurant that
serves really good food !
Whilst Irene looks around the mall, Peter is off to check out an internet cafe
to upload Week 4 of the documentary, since the link at the apartment does not
support direct ftp (file transfer).
On the way he decides that, since the road is clear, he will cross over to the
other side against a red light.
Well, out pops Mr Policeman, complete with macho shades and attitude to inform
the recalcitrant Brit that it would be unwise to repeat the jaywalking exercise
since that would involve a $75 spot fine. Oops 8-)
We know that there's only two more blocks to go when we get here - phew !
It's even more fun when there are only outside places left.
We went all the way up to Fisherman's Wharf with Peter hanging on to the cablecar
with one hand and to Irene with the other, as cars whizzed by !
Friday 9th June
Friday is the day, we go to 'the Safeway'...
Irene
thought this house looked pretty cute with the window boxes and all. We
thought these mega-sized ice cream tubs worthy of a snap 8-)
...and we were sure glad the 'Pork
Butt Roast' was fresh ! Back
to the 50s grill. They have a pristine condition Edsel in the middle of the
room ! Mr
Policeman Badger here was keeping an eye on the tourists queueing up for the
cablecar at Powell and Market, in case they did anything naughty ! SF
has its share of nutters as this religious zealot testifies ! Irene
is in her element in this cut-price shoe shop ! Friday
night is amateur night, so Peter decided to make Chilli Con Carne.
It was so good that there wasn't any left to photograph !
Luckily there was enough left over for another meal, so we put it in the freezer
8-)
These
things make more noise than a punk concert ! We've
found another place that knows which type of pasta is supposed to go with bolognese
sauce! Well
what have we here ? Back
to Union Square where they are having a Russian festival. This
impressive building is across the road from our apartment.
Not only do they have a shrieking siren, but they also make a deafening honking
noise.
Talk about 'Over the Top' !
And they certainly know how to make a Thai pizza !!
Fortnum & Mason of Piccadilly, London !
Some of the dancers were really good !
It's called the 'Nob Hill Circle' !