I love cities. I love the tall buildings, the congested streets, the noise, and all the people. I've been to Chicago and now San Francisco in the past few months, and the visits always remind me of my New York City days and how much I miss living in a city. Anyway, I was in San Francisco for a statistics workshop- a 2-day class in logistic regression. I wasn't sure how I would enjoy learning stats in this quick, super condensed format, but I really enjoyed it. I didn't feel rushed, and I was able to focus on learning the material without having any other distractions. The workshop was during the day, so I had the evenings to go out and explore the city.
Here is a recap of my trip: On the first evening, I went to Chinatown. It was fun to walk around and duck into all of the little shops lining the street. This was also my first exposure to all of the hills in San Francisco. They were so, so steep and they reminded me of "Thighmaster Hill" (nicknamed for its steep steps up to the treehouses) from my days working at Girl Scout Camp in Minnesota.
Here is a recap of my trip: On the first evening, I went to Chinatown. It was fun to walk around and duck into all of the little shops lining the street. This was also my first exposure to all of the hills in San Francisco. They were so, so steep and they reminded me of "Thighmaster Hill" (nicknamed for its steep steps up to the treehouses) from my days working at Girl Scout Camp in Minnesota.
I walked through Chinatown a bit in reverse and came upon the entrance on my way out:
The following day, I went to Pier 7, which is supposedly the longest public pier in San Francisco. The view was beautiful!
Afterwards, I went to the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art. I love modern art, especially the kind that makes you scratch your head in confusion. I love absorbing the photographs, the paintings, and the sculptures in an attempt to decipher their many layers of meanings. There was a great photography exhibit, yet another reminder of my art school days in New York. On my last day, I headed up to Fisherman's Wharf. My transportation of choice: the infamous Cable Car. 
My first stop was to the legendary Crookedest Street, named for its 8 hairpin curves. I walked down the street- the homes were beautiful and so were the greenery and flowers. Interestingly, I later learned that my parents had driven down this street about 7 years ago. 
My first stop at Fisherman's Wharf was at Pier 39. Very touristy, there were 2 levels of shops and restaurants.
Pier 39 is also home to the many, many sea lions lounging on the docks. They are so adorable! Okay, this one looks sleepy and calm, but he/she was not the norm- these sea lions were quite rambunctious and noisy!
I toured the SS Jeremiah O'Brien and the USS Pampanito Submarine. I mean, how could I pass up the SS Jeremiah? It was built by Rosie the Riveter! You know, the cultural icon used to empower women to work outside the home to support the war effort, only to be persuaded to return to the home after the war...all right, I digress. The ship and the submarine were fun to explore, but I decided that a sea life isn't for me- it was hard to stay balanced as I walked around and the living arrangements were way too close for comfort for me. 
Okay, so I took this picture the previous evening when I stopped for dinner at the Boudin bakery for the legendary clam chowder in a breadbowl. (In a moment, you will see why I've placed the picture here.) This family bakery was founded in the mid 1800s, and it put sourdough bread on the map. Anyway, the bread was excellent- nice and chewy. The clam chowder was quite good as well.
Fisherman's Wharf houses the Boudin Bakery and Museum. There is a restaurant, a market and gift shop, and a museum complete with a bakery tour. Of course, I could not resist this! Below is a photo of a piece of the bread baking production. I had only one question after this tour: Why are there no woman bakers? I scanned a wall full of photos of all the bakers and I could not find one woman. I digress again... anyway, it was cool to read all about the history of San Francisco and the bakery.
After a long day at Fisherman's Wharf, I took the Cable Car back to my hotel. (On a side note, I learned the hard way that the cable cars aren't so much a mode of transportation as just a fun tourist activity. The line was long, the ride back to the hotel seemed to take forever, and I came very, very close to missing my plane. So close that I got paged to go to the gate immediately for boarding. Yeah, that close.) Anyway, the cable car was still fun, really. This time, I snagged a spot in the front of the standing area. It was almost like being in the first car of a roller coaster. Except not as terrifying.
My quick trip to San Francisco was a lot of fun. I'm ready to head back- hopefully soon!
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