Welcome To San Francisco: Wednesday and Thursday

Hi gang! I decided that I would just put Wednesday and Thursday’s recaps all in one big post.  It’s just a little bit easier that way when you have so much content and so many pictures to share. :D  So let’s get started!  San Fran through OHC’s eyes!

Wednesday:

I got up bright and early and I mean that honestly.  My day started at 5am because I was so anxious!  I did some last minute emails and then was out the door for a short run when it finally got light outside.  I only did 2.5 miles; I had been hoping for more but time just wouldn’t allow for it.  I had a large breakfast once I was showered and dressed.

Coffee and oats

Pumpkin oats with apple!  But that wasn’t enough for me and I needed something a little more.

Oatbar

I grabbed a homemade oat square.

I knew that due to flying my eating might be off or nonexistent, so I decided that eating while I could would be beneficial.  Not long after that it was time for me to ship off to the airport.  I flew American and I have to say that I was treated really well.  One thing I love about American is the curbside baggage check.  I can check my suitcase and get my boarding pass easy peasy without fuss or wait.  Both times (at Cbus and SanFran) the guys running the check-in were very friendly and helpful.  Once my luggage was checked, I was able to just head through security and right to my terminal.

I grabbed a Starbucks pumpkin latte with soymilk and the lovely folks at the Cbus Starbucks station also filled my water bottle up for me.  I waited to board my flight and passed the time texting with Scott.  I didn’t really want to haul my netbook out because I was more interested in watching my environment and trying to keep my nerves down.  Basically first time flying jitters.

I was soo nervous and because I kept my water intake to a minimum so that I wouldn’t be running to the bathroom every five minutes, those did me in.  Unfortunately, my flight out to SanFran was very rough for me, though not due to turbulence.  Upon take-off, I almost passed out, so I immediately knew something was wrong.  I sort of just sat there and kept my mind off my extremely upset stomach and woozy head.  I was able to read to help pass the time.  Once we landed in Dallas, I was aces and felt so much better!  Whew!

Sadly it was not long-lived.  My flight from Dallas to San Fran was a bigger flight and take-off was a lot smoother.  However, once we started the descent I started getting more ill.  I was just about at my limit and doing the mind over body trick to keep from hurling into the airsick bag.  The landing this time was a lot rougher and the slow descent had a lot of turbulence.  Not a good combo for a tum that was already flip-flopping around.  When I landed, I started feeling better but was still woozy and a bit lightheaded.  Once I got my suitcase and was seated on the hotel shuttle, I texted Lori to tell her I was on my way.  Then I texted Scott and told him I wasn’t flying anymore and that he would just have to come pick me up on Monday morning. ;)  I was just so airsick AND hungry, which created the most odd feeling.

Once I arrived at the hotel, I met with Lori and we headed up to the room.  I chilled for a minute on my bed to get my bearings and then we headed out to eat.  I didn’t care what we ate at this point, I just needed food in my belly and then needed to promptly go to sleep. :p

We went to California Pizza Kitchen because it was close by and open.  I actually had never been to one before!

pizza We split a pizza and I think this was the Spicy Thai Eggplant pizza?  I know the crust was honey whole wheat which was actually really good!  The rest of the pizza was just alright, I thought it could have been cooked a bit longer.

Salad I also got a salad on the side with walnuts, pears, and some sort of fruity vinagrette on top.  I felt bad for Lori because I was seriously crashing and my dinner conversation must have been nothing short of a series of grunts and hand gestures.  Have I mentioned that night was the first time we met?  I was just a peach! :p

We got back to the room and I apologized and informed Lori that I had to go to bed.  It was 9pm Cali time but I clearly was still on EST time and 12am is seriously way past my bedtime.  Thankfully Lori was just coming off a trip touring SE Asia so her bodyclock was all wonky and she was tired too!

Thursday:

We decided that we were going to run Thursday morning.  Our hotel was a bit of a hike from the water, just short of a mile or just about a mile walking.  One of my goals for this trip was to walk as much as I could so I didn’t mind this at all.  We hit The Ferry Building which is right on the water, and just ran.  We didn’t calculate distance, just ran for 30 minutes and then called it quits.  That worked for me because I was still a bit woozy and in need of water and Lori was still on Hong Kong time.

I had my camera with me in my running pants pocket which caused my pants to keep falling down!  It was a bit heavy and I had to hike my pants back up every few feet.  Hawtness!  I snapped a few pictures while we walked back to the Ferry Building.

Boats on the water Sea lions Sea lions

We decided to find breakfast on our way back to the hotel.

We grabbed breakfast at Noah’s Bagels and this was the best breakfast I had all trip.  I’m sure people might be shaking their head in disbelief but it honestly was.  I know this because I’ve been dreaming about it ever since and seeing the pictures makes me want it again even more!

CoffeeI started off with some coffee with cream and sugar.  It was so freaking good!  Sadly I was still a bit dehydrated from my trip so I couldn’t drink much of this coffee; my bod wanted water instead.  I was so bummed to have to toss it!  I didn’t have coffee this good for the rest of the trip.  Boo!

veggie egg wrapThis is a veggie egg wrap and some of the ingredients were a total surprise to me!  When I asked the guy behind the counter what was in it, I’m not sure he knew exactly. :lol:  This was on a whole wheat tortilla and had scrambled eggs, spinach, tomatoes, and hash browns!  SO GOOD!  It was also supposed to come with cheese and mushroom but I asked for that to be taken off.  I also had a banana there in the background for some fruit.  I honestly cannot even begin to tell you how good and awesome this sandwich was.  If you happen up on a Noah’s, try it!  I may just see if I can replicate this myself. ;)

After breakfast we headed up to the hotel to shower and then putz around for a bit before we had to meet up with LouAnn.  We were meeting her for lunch!

Next to our hotel was this little shopping plaza area.  It was covered and had cute shops running along each side.  In the middle was a Farmer’s Market!  It happens every Thursday and was just amazing!

Plaza Farmer's Market Plaza Farmer's Market Lori and I walked around checking out the sights and coveting all the fresh produce that we were unable to have due to space issues.  No fridge in our room except for a very small one filled with mini bar items.  We each did get some apples though to munch on throughout our stay.

While scoping out all the vendors, we met a totally fantastic local who shared with us some places that we must see.  He was running a German Bakery Stand and his name was Byrd.

Byrd He was totally California, dude.  And totally awesome!  He is also the Blues Director for Stanford Radio!  His show is on Saturdays, 9am-Noon and you can check it out here.

I bought some very dense German Black Bread from him which is full of nuts and whole grains.  He also gave Lori and I a sample of a pretzel stick that was baked with onions and cheese!  OH YEAH!

We spent so much time talking and browsing that it was time to head over to meet LouAnn!

Thirsty Bear One of the things that Lori and I wanted to do while in town was hit up a local brewery.  Thankfully The Thirsty Bear was very close to our hotel (be forewarned, if you click on the link there will be music but you can turn it off)!  We were able to meet LouAnn there for a lovely lunch and drinks.

Organic Beers The TB offers organic beers!  This would be my first time having an ogranic beer. I asked right away if they offered a sampler and learned that indeed they did!  I was very excited about it and was deciding  on whether or not to get that when the server automatically brought it out to me.

Thirsty Bear sampler Sampler menu I guess she assumed my enthusiasm was an affirmation. :lol:  Clearly there was no way I could drink 10 samples of beer, especially coming off of being a bit woozy.  But I sampled each and every one, and drank about 4 total.

The most interesting award goes to the Golden Vanilla which is brewed with actual vanilla beans!  The vanilla hits you at the finish and this beer was very smooth.

The favorite award goes to the Brown Bear Ale which tasted exactly like coffee.  It was amazing!

The most disappointing goes to the Koslov Stout which I thought would have more body but ended up being a bit weak.

I tried an IPA for the first time and did not enjoy it at all.  Oooo, I will stick with the darks!

The most surprising was the Valencia Wheat which was a Belgian wheat beer.  Normally I’m just okay with wheat beers but this one was smooth and not beery tasting at all.  Perfect for someone who is new to beer or doesn’t care for the beer taste too much.

The restaurant offers tapas style dishes, I was hungry so I ordered two!

Salad menu Salad The mixed greens salad which was really good but could have used a bit more substance to it.

Empanadas menu Empanadas I clearly had no idea what empanadas were because I wasn’t expecting something fried to come out. :p  But these were so good!  The puree sauces were divine and the inside of these little goodies were fantastic.  I thought about sharing but then ended up stuffing my face.  Sorry ladies!  So good!

Me, LouAnn, and Lori From Left to Right: Me, LouAnn, and Lori.  We had such a fun time chatting and talking about everything.  We chatted for several hours and then had to part ways.  Hopefully we will all get to hang out again!

Lori and I ran to the hotel quick to grab some water and then made our way back down to the Ferry Building to get some more pictures.  It was overcast and starting to get dark by this point, providing some really interesting lighting for pictures.  We walked by all the piers, taking in the sites and gathering ideas for where to look around on Friday as well.

Pretzel stick and bread German Bread On our walked, I munched on my 1/2 pretzel stick and a slice of the German black bread.  Whoa but that bread is dense and filling!  It has a bit of a bitter aftertaste to it that I’m still wondering how to counteract.

The Ferry Building We hit the Ferry Building and cameras came out!  This is right before you cross the street to head into the building.

Street view This is the street the Ferry Building is on.  Love all the palm trees!

Pier 39 Flag Ah the famous Pier 39!

Sea lions A bunch of sea lions!  They are so super smelly, goodness!  But totally adorable and hilarious to watch!

Golden Gate and the sunset Sunset and the Golden Gate.

We walked back through the Ferry Building and stopped by Blue Bottle Coffee.

Blue Bottle Coffee Both of us decided to try some coffee.  I wanted decaf and I think I got a decafe latte but I can’t remember exactly!

Latte It was completely gorgeous to look at but had no substance at all.  I didn’t care for it much and ended up tossing most of it when we got back to the hotel.  We chilled out for a bit and then decided that we were both a bit hungry.  Not full meal hungry but could use a bit of something.  There was a restaurant located in our hotel, Midi.  We had a $5 token to use and decided to check it out.

I would love to show you pictures but it was so dark in there that none of my pictures came out!  I had a glass of red wine which came in a very cute decanter.  Love that!  Lori and I split a cheese plate and some chickpea fries.  Yup, you read that right, chickpea fries.  They were so tasty good!  I could have eaten 10 more plates of them alone!

After we ate, we headed back up to the hotel room.  I showered and then called my love muffin.  Then I crashed out in bed.  Friday was going to be a full day too!

Stay tuned for Chinatown and the arrival of many fellow food bloggers!

12 thoughts on “Welcome To San Francisco: Wednesday and Thursday

    • Amanda, It was nice to get a chance to explore around a bit more. :)

      Meghan, It was nice to meet you too! It’s a bummer we didn’t get a chance to chat a bit more though!

  1. No need to feel bad! I was totally out of it too. Ha, ha! I actually think I get more talkative when I’m I tired though so sorry you had to listen to all that. LOL :)

    Your camera has some serious zoom. I love that close up of the sea lions.

    TN, your comment cracked me up. To be honest after our run I was feeling a bit like them as well. :)

  2. It looks like you had such a wonderful time and you put up some great pictures! Can’t wait for your next installment and p.s. I think i’ll have to try creating that breakfast wrap myself! ;)

  3. Hey you did a fantastic job documenting your trip, I am in awe and you made me look good =)

    Glad you had so much fun checking out the stores, farmers markets, etc. Running is a great way to check out this town. I’m going to have to link to this post when folks want to come visit and need ideas!

    • OysterCulture, Thanks girl! :D
      Lynn, I’m not sure how Rocks would act, but those sea lions sure are smelly. Whew!
      Robin, If I remember right, the chickpeas were pureed and mixed with some flour, shaped and fried. They were good!

Leave a Reply to Lynn (The Actors Diet) Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published.

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.