Hey guys,

After a long and busy day of playing tourist, I am back at my hotel resting. Today is also my dad's birthday, and while we celebrated before coming here, where else would one rather spend their birthday if not in the beautiful Bay? 

For this post in particular I made sure to include a lot of pictures. My goal is that you all will feel like you were here on this day with us, too!

My dad and I started our day around 10:30, where we both decided to go to Chinatown and walk around for a bit. Besides needing to get my mom some new nesting dolls (We got her a red one last time, and she asked that we get her another one this time around) I also wanted to go into some of the shops and just look around. 



Even though I have very fond memories of Chinatown, I have to say that this time around it felt a little bit different. Maybe it's because we went on a Thursday, or maybe it's because I've already been here before, but this time I noticed some slight differences in the Chinatown today versus the Chinatown yesterday. The most noticeable of differences was the trash everywhere. Trash doesn't bother me, and I'm not saying it bothered me this time, but it was clear that the streets had not been cleaned in a while. There was food and garbage all over the sidewalks, and I could not believe how different this was compared to the time I had been previously, where there was little to no garbage on the sidewalks. Ultimately trash on the ground isn't going to make me not want to go back, but it definitely made me realize why San Francisco's Chinatown gets certain yelp reviews. 

After browsing through Chinatowns eclectic variety of shops, we then began walking towards the Embarcadero. Of course neither of us have ever done this, so really it consisted of us just walking down the same sidewalk until we felt it necessary to look at our map, which then confirmed that we had been going the right way. After walking for awhile we finally made it to where we saw Pier 9; from here we knew we were close. A little bit farther and we stopped to get breakfast, later changed to lunch as we noticed it was 11:30 and no place was selling breakfast anymore, at a place called Eagles Cafe. Located right on Pier 39 at the top left, parallel to the Hard Rock Cafe, we both ordered bread bowls with chowder. The food was delivered much faster than anticipated and, as a result, our time in the restaurant was brief. 



The bread bowl was, to put it simply, interesting. Obviously the bread is going to be sourdough (C'mon, this is San Francisco we're talking about) and the soup was clam chowder. Now I'm personally a big fan of sourdough bread, but I've never actually had clam chowder before. For $12, I would recommend that one order this. The bowl itself is very big, albeit very hard, and the soup is, for the most part, filling. The ratio of soup to bread is a little small, but I think you're paying for the bowl more than the soup. Feel free to correct me if I'm wrong. I would definitely order this again, but for those of you who won't, the restaurant also had sandwiches and fish options to try as well. 


After brunch we walked some more of the pier. We watched the sea lions, saw Alcatraz, and even saw the Golden Gate Bridge. Contrary to our weather apps, the weather today was very clear and sunny. Out of all the times that I have been to the Bay, this was the only time the wind wasn't too strong and the sky was perfectly clear. I have never seen Alcatraz so clearly before! Not to mention the Golden Gate Bridge appeared very bright and long, the opposite of what I've seen of it before. I'm thankful the weather was so nice, and I was anticipating it being quite poor. But I guess compared to what we were leaving behind the weather here was near perfect. 




Once we left the pier we stopped at a nearby park to plan out the rest of our day. While the weather was nice, there was still a chill in the air, so we began walking to find a coffee shop where we could get something to, hopefully, warm us up. With our coffee in hand, we warmed up a bit and then head off to Coit Tower. I'm not sure why it's famous, but there has to be a reason, as once we got up to the tower there was a line wrapped throughout the inside just to get into the elevator. Because of how old the place is, my dad and I decided we wouldn't risk it and take an elevator to the top. I did, however, get some nice pictures from the viewing spots that could be found all along the base of the tower. 




By now the time was 3:00 and, instead of going back to the hotel only to then turn around and get dinner, we decided to get a ride to dinner early. I really like this one sushi restaurant called Sanraku, located at the corner of Sutter and Taylor St, and so we decided to eat there. I ordered the San Francisco rolls and my dad got the combo meal with salmon. When we finished eating we were once again given a fruit dish (I'm curious as to why they do this. Is it a desert or just a kind gesture?) and then on our way. 

Walking up approximately three blocks and to our right was the Grace Cathedral. I had wanted to see the inside of it, and so we walked up quite a few stairs to make it here. With just our luck, the time was 5:00, only 15 minutes before mass started. However, neither of us wanted to actually stay for a mass, so we quickly admired the architecture and were on our way. I haven't been to many cathedrals, in fact I think my last one was St. Patricks, but this one was, I think, one worth seeing. Forewarning, in case you decide to stop by, be prepared to 'donate'. The cathedral is a donation based building and they expect you to leave what you can before fully entering the building. 


This brings us to now, with us back in the hotel preparing for our departures tomorrow. Like I've said so many times before, I am blown away at how quickly time is passing. I am excited to return to school and see all my friends again, but I am reminded once again that nothing is permanent and life goes on. Being home was nice, but was another reminder that my time home cannot last forever and that I must return to the island and finish up my first year. I am very excited to be back, and can only hope everyone else is, too. 

Here's to what the next few months hold!

Until next time,

Aislinn