I left my heart in San Francisco

Arriving at LAX 50 minutes before my flight to SFO proved to be a not so good idea. While self check-in is the newest thing in airports, getting your boarding pass is another. Of course you still have to go through the same procedures for checking in your luggage. And speaking of… I got to SFO 45 minutes ahead of my suitcase! It was on the next plane from LA to San Francisco since I checked in too close to the departure time. Sorry naman!

Stanford
A good friend of mine, Djen picked me up from the airport and we headed to Stanford for super late lunch. We visited the University afterwards.

Santana Row (San Jose, CA)
Northern California’s Rodeo Drive, this upscale shopping center in SJ was the next stop for me. Take note, my suitcases were just in Djen’s car! Here I met a few more friends – Paolo (former officemate in PS), Paul (co-editor in DLSU school paper) and Jun-Jun (housemate in college). I thought I’d have a hard time getting them together in one place but everything went smoothly, thank God! New faces were there too - Pete (Paul’s boyfriend) and Mark (Jun’s housemate). We had a few drinks in downtown San Jose then went to a Korean videoke bar.

It was a great Monday to wake up to for me and Paolo. He took the day off from work to be my tour guide. We woke up at about 11AM but I didn’t worry a bit since it’s summer and 8PM means the sun will still be up. I craved for some Pinoy food so we went to downtown Milpitas a few miles away from his place in San Jose. Barrio Fiesta was closed on Mondays for kitchen cleaning so we went to this Filipino restaurant called Kalesa (http://www.mykalesa.com/ ). How can you resist crispy pata and gulay na pinakbet? You just can’t!!! It was just me and Paolo but the food really was good for four starving guys. Reasonably-priced meal at under $30, it was just the carbo-loading we needed for a long day of touring Frisco.
Bay Bridge
Passing through the Bay Bridge in Paolo’s car (with sun-roof open) was just amazing. The weather was so perfect and you could feel the breeze on your face while seeing the skyline of the entire city.
Golden Gate Park
One funny part when Paolo was navigating was when we passed by the Golden Gate Park and he uttered how nice it was to have some photos right there. I was like, yeah it would be and then took a snap shot while the car was moving. We parked about a hundred meters away from the park and I decided to stroll along yet another gorgeous garden. We were planning to leave the car and walk to the bridge but when we checked the map, boy it was too far! Of course the wisest thing to do was to go back and drive.
Golden Gate Bridge
It was quite foggy and breezy when we reached the end of the bridge, I think it was the north end. Anyho, our spot had quite a clear view of the Alcatraz too. I thought I’ve seen Sean Connery’s movie anyway so why bother going there? After all, I’m not really a huge fan of prisons hehe.

Palace of Fine Arts
It was under construction when we were in the area but the ambiance was still captivating.

Victorian Houses
A trip to San Francisco would not be complete if you don’t pay attention to the beautiful Victorian houses. They’re just everywhere!
Lombard Street
Considered to be the “most crooked” one-way street in the world, Lombard is still passable by small to medium-sized vehicles. I’d say the flowers of summer add to the elegance of the said tourist spot. I bet the houses and apartment here are uber expensive.
Pier 39, Fisherman’s Wharf
Here’s another of SFO’s signature spot! There’s a whole bunch of restaurants and shops here for everyone’s delight!
Union Square
If you want to take a good tour of this part of the city, I’ve only got two suggestions – either by foot or by tram but you may find the latter’s route quite limited though. Some tour packages actually include the tram ride to and from the Wharf passing by Lombard then going to Union Square.