We woke up early and had breakfast in the hotel (a nice amenity), then walked to a corner store to buy a brush, which we forgot to pack. We also got conditioner since the hotel didn’t provide any. Then we decided to walk to Chinatown.
Now, for anyone familiar with San Fran–we stayed on Van Ness and Lombard. Chinatown was WAY far. Worse, we had to climb this giant hill to get there. I was sure Fred was trying to kill me, but he said he was just trying to make me hungry enough to eat anything in Chinatown.
It was torture, walking uphill, but walking downhill in my new stretchy Crocs was just as bad. Of course Fred got mad at me for only bringing one pair of shoes, but I was trying to pack light, and they’re usually pretty versatile. Anyway, we walked far, but not long, and ended up in Chinatown, where the fresh fish and produce was laid out, and we were the only tourists. We finally got to the tourist part of Chinatown and took lots of pictures, did some shopping and ate dim sum at a restaurant where the President ate. It was so good! My favorite was this deep-fried taro thing stuffed with beef. We also had spring rolls, bbq pork, green beans and dumplings. SO good! The cool thing was that it seemed to have a lot of regulars, and everything needed chopsticks. I was mostly glad to sit down.
At the top of the hill
Then we walked FARTHER to the financial district with the intention of catching a cable car. We walked down to the park by the Port of San Francisco, then back to the cable cars.
No line, so we jumped on as soon as one pulled up, and paid for a day pass. It would work on buses, too. The plan was, go back to the hotel, rest a bit, then go back to the wharf and take a harbor tour. We rode the cable car up to Hyde St., with the intention of catching another cable car on Hyde and taking it to Lombard, then walking 3 blocks to the hotel.
Fred on the cable car
Guess what? The cable car running that direction wasn’t running, and we couldn’t find a bus. (Remember, we’re from San Antonio, where the public transportation is lacking. We drive everywhere.) So we walked. I was in tears. Everything hurt, especially my hips. We staggered into the hotel and collapsed for a couple of hours, then walked back to the wharf to take a harbor tour.
I definitely recommend the harbor tour, and get there early for the best spot up top, though be aware there may be pushy people trying to nudge you free. We took the Red and White line, got up top in the front, and rode out beneath the Golden Gate Bridge and around Alcatraz. It was a little scary because the water by the bridge was choppy, and when the tour guide said it was over 300 ft deep, I was white-knuckling the rail. But it was a lot of fun, though pretty cold.
Fred on the harbor tour
A picture of the picture we bought 
Afterwards we decided to have a cheap dinner so went to In and Out Burger, then tried to catch the cable car up the hill.
You should have seen the line. 200 people, maybe, and no cars running. So we decided to…you guessed it…walk. We walked through Ghiradelli Square, and got free candy (2 pieces of which we forgot about and they melted), plus avoided the worst hill going up because the square has steps. Honestly, I would have spent a lot more time on the waterfront if we didn’t have those danged hills to climb. Again, we were asleep before the sun went down.
Tomorrow, a long and winding road.
