The San Francisco Chronicles

San Francisco is one of my favorite cities in the world.  I've been to Dublin, Ireland, London, England, Milan, Italy, but somehow San Francisco still holds a dear place in my heart.  I love the sloping hills, the majestic bridges spanning the bay, Fisherman's Wharf and the new AT&T park.

The outfield wall of AT&T Park

A couple weekends ago Ryan and I went to our first Giants game.  Aaron had been to one before, but it was me and Kiddo's first time.  AT&T park is beautiful.  It's just about everything a baseball park should be.  The really neat thing about this park is that just behind the wall in the picture is the bay.  You can drive your boat right up, park it and go to the game.  Or you can sit in your boat and try to wait for a home run to be hit your way.  At the time of our game, 61 baseballs had been hit over the wall.

And what is a baseball game without a hot dog and a cold beer?  For just $5 you can get a Giants dog.  For a little more you can upgrade to an all beef dog or a polish dog.  I had the Giants dog, but then experienced a little dog envy and should have gone for a bigger one.  It was tasty though, as ball park hot dogs should be.  They even had a pretty good selection of beer, if you're willing to pay the price.  I decided to just have one, but to get a Hefeweizen because, if you're going to spend $7 on a beer, you might as well get something you like!

Sourdough Bread bowl with Clam Chowder

Another thing San Francisco is known for is Sourdough Bread.  Boudin bakery claims to be the originator of sourdough bread which gets its flavor from the wild yeast that only grows in the San Francisco area. You can read about the history here.  There are tours to see how the bread is made and a Baker's hall with all kinds of sourdough bread selections.  All I know is when you go to San Francisco, you have to get some.  And if its in the shape of a bowl and filled with clam chowder, well you won't hear me complaining.  While their bread is still the best, Boudin's chowder left a little something to be desired.  I thought it was pretty bland and needed a little something else, but it is lower on the calorie scale compared to some other chowders I have had.  They have a restaurant with a full menu located on the Embarcadero while on Pier 39 (and other locations) they have a little deli type shop where you can get a quick bite to eat like bread bowls, sandwiches, and salads.

Alcatraz Prison Island from the end of Pier 39

Fisherman's Wharf and Pier 39 are a great places to go when you're in San Francisco.  It's pretty touristy, but from the end of the pier you can see Alcatraz.  There are all kinds of places to eat, little shops, and a pretty cool fruit stand.  The fruit surprised me, but it looked pretty good.  The prices are a little high for someone from the area, but if you're craving fresh strawberries, mangoes, grapes, apples, or peaches, then look no further.  There is also a creperie.  Everytime I eat one I thank the French for crepes.  I like mine with chocolate and strawberries, and with Ghiradelli down the street, you know what kind of chocolate you're getting.

One of the things I love about big cities is eating in little restaurants you've never heard of before.  We discovered that trying to find a place on a Saturday night that will take a party of 20+ is incredibly difficult in a big city, but if you know of a little Italian restaurant that is in an alley that has tons of outdoor seating, then you too can find a place to eat in San Francisco.  The name was Cafe Tiramisu.  With a name like that you know I had to order some and it was some of the best tiramisu I've ever had in my life.  The ladyfingers were perfectly soaked with coffee liqueur and it was sweet, creamy, and the perfect ending to my meal.  For dinner I had a sea bass with sun-dried tomato ravioli and some kind of delicious olive sauce on it.  I would say its one of the best meals I've had since I was in Europe.

All in all it was a great weekend.  I hadn't been there in quite a few years and being able to go with family and experience so much of San Francisco was a blast.  Next on the list is a tour of Alcatraz (with plenty of dramamine) and perhaps a nice run through Golden Gate Park.

Boudin Bakery
Pier 39
San Francisco, CA

Ghiradelli Chocolate
Ghiradelli Square
San Francisco, CA

Cafe Tiramisu
28 Belden Place
San Francisco, CA