The Great Vacation: The Wharf

Christmas Eve was spent resting well in the hotel, which was good because we were up and ready Christmas day. I was a little worried that there would be too much closed for the holiday. However, I found this great neighborhood diner to eat at. It was called the Taylor Street Coffee Shop, and had a great menu of breakfast and lunch items. I had pancakes and JH had a Barbeque burger for breakfast.

One fun thing about this restaurant was a map on the wall that featured pins locating places people have traveled from.

 Looks like a lot of South Korean travelers made it through these parts...

The day turned out to be cold, windy and soggy. However, we made the most of it for as long as we could by going down to Fisherman's Wharf, otherwise known as Pier 39.

To me this was a real touristy place, but was perfect for JH. He remarked how it looked like an amusement park with all the little shops.

Again JH looked for the "Golden Bridge" but alas the fog was covering it up.

We stopped to see the Sea Lions, but there were just a few of them. I recall a few years ago a report of how they vanished and went off to find a large school of fish. I think when we were there it was a seasonal thing.

After checking out the wharf we walked over to a street area where there were many touristy shops, but most importantly was the Ripley's Believe it or Not! Museum. We got our tickets and toured around the museum. 

 It was just like I had remembered it as a kid. Oddball things inside display cases spread out amongst an indoor maze. Although, I kind of realized that the museum was really kind of a joke, but we played along anyways.

 There was the Seoul Olympic torch, of all things.

 The following was made from matchsticks...

We enjoyed this portrait made out of pins...

Then there was a fun walkway with something spinning around it, which when you walked through made you feel really dizzy. JH liked it but I had a hard time and had to close my eyes when I went through.

We made it through the rest of the museum then thought about heading over to the Ghiredelli Chocolate factory, but gave up as the wind and rain picked up. So we headed back to the hotel to rest as I figured JH was feeling jet lagged.

Later on we grabbed a bite to eat a sushi boat restaurant that was in the neighborhood.

JH doesn't really like sushi, even in Korea we never go out to eat it. But I told him how sushi in California is completely different and a heck of lot better than sushi in Korea. I chose pieces off of the sushi boat train and JH ordered fried chicken off the menu. All of which was very satisfying. I could tell he was adjusting to the American restaurant experience. For example, the waitress coming back and asking "How are you?" and refilling our water. We had a good discussion about tipping and whether it made sense or not. haha

After dinner we meandered around Union Square and admired the Christmas tree.

We even found out that there was a skating rink, here too. 

I know you are probably thinking we are the most boring couple in the world for not going to a bar or some night-club place. But we were tired and I knew we had another full day ahead of us, so we headed back to the hotel and called it a night.

Current update: JH is still here and at my parent's house. He is shipping back to Korea Wednesday so we are at the end of his trip. :( But I think I have shown him many great things and he has fallen in love with America...so stay tuned!

The Great Vacation: San Francisco Arrival

Here we are and it is nearly (for me) the year 2011. I figured I would get this post in before 2010 ends. There I was at the BART station waiting for my connecting train to the airport. I got to the airport a little early and waited for JH at the arrivals area. It seemed every minute was slow as heck. As people came out of the door I looked at their luggage tags to figure out which airline they were coming from. JH managed to call the cell phone I was borrowing while he was in the immigration line, so I knew he had gotten there safely.

Thankfully, in the arrivals waiting area there was a monitor showing people going through the gate. So I was able to see him come through the door and was ready.

It was such a special moment greeting him, and it seemed he was trying really hard to not look nervous. From the airport we took the BART to Powell station where we made our way to the hotel. I could tell he was in a wide-eyed mood.

Here was the view from our hotel.

Our hotel was very cozy, spacious and accommodating. They upgraded us to a king size bed for free. After checking in to the hotel we quickly went back out to take a look around. Of course, I have already seen everything in this area, but didn't mind showing him around.

We went by the cable-car waiting area and then on to Union Square.

 That's a real tree folks!

 JH wanted me to take a picture of the flag...

After checking things out we grabbed a bite to eat a Mexican place and then walked up Market street to the Embarcadero center. All the while, JH was admiring the buildings and even street signs. It was fun to get his array of questions about everything.

 He thought this sign for "Pine" meant it was pointing to a pine tree...haha!

Embarcadero center is an area where there are often farmer's markets and festivals. It is home to a new marketplace which is next to a Ferry Plaza. During our visit there was an ice-skating rink.

Here is a view of the clock tower.

We went inside and through the marketplace area and then out towards the dock.

 Below is a shot of the Bay Bridge...

JH wondered where the "Golden Bridge" was and I told him we would see it later on. 

In the meantime we spotted this sign that had several languages on it, including Korean. JH inspected it for errors and found many.

After wards we took a look around...things were starting to get windier. 

Mr. Seagull says, "HAPPY NEW YEAR!" And Foreign/er Joy says, "My philosophy for the new year will be just the same as the last." "Do more of what you want to do, and less of what you don't want to do."