San Francisco

Well, we are back, and have about 2 days to recover from vacay before starting the new job at Angell.
It was all and all a great trip, much more organized and busy then our London attempt, but I will say, WHO KNEW IT WOULD BE SO FREAKING COLD IN SAN FRAN!?
Our first day was kind of warm, but by the second day I had to buy a fleece, and I had to wear it EVERY day of the vacation since with the wind and fog the temp rarely got over 70. Meanwhile Boston was suffering from the worst heat wave in ages.
To summarize our itinerary:
We left Boston on Friday and arrived in San Fran at noon on Friday their time.
Checked in to our hotel. The Grant Plaza Inn, which was on Grant Ave. one block from the entrance in to China Town.
Day 1: Walked down to fisherman's wharf, took in the sites and Pier 39 (my favorite with the sea lions). Grabbed dinner at a huge touristy restaurant with GREAT views of Alcatrez and the ocean.
Day 2: Recovered from the travel. Saw Eclipse at the local movie theater. Wandered around San Fran. Shopped some, (Mark bought new walking shoes that he used a lot on the trip). Grabbed dinner in San Fran's Little Italy (delicious, and great wine). Explored China Town. Explored the financial district. Walked by their MOMA but didn't go in since it was $20 and briefly I was not that interested in their collection.
Day 3: Got a MUNI three day pass for unlimited public transportation. Took the bus to Golden Gate Bridge Park and got lost, spending 2 hours wandering the beautiful park until we made it to the bridge itself and walked half way across. Ordered take out Chinese for dinner (I went to Enjoy Vegetarian Chinese whish was all fake meats and vegan).
Day 4: Took the bus to Golden Gate Park (different from the bridge park). Wandered around through the tea garden and other gardens. Sadly the one museum I wanted to go to, the DeYoung, was closed for the holiday, so no art museum. I went to the zoo on my own from there, walking along the Ocean Beach Coast to get there (Mark was a little exhausted from all our walking at that point). Went to a bar in SOMA for dinner, which I hate to say it while the atmosphere was nice my dish (risotto with mushrooms and spinach, no cheese of course, sucked).
Day 5: Best day of the trip, got a one day bus tour. First stopped off in Muir Woods for one hour to walk among the BEAUTIFUL redwoods, not the biggest and most famous in the state, but still spectacular. Then the trip took us to three different wineries: Cline, Kunde, and Jacuzzi (yes, owned by the hot tub guy). We also stopped off in Sonoma village square for lunch and got tasty ethnic Mexican for lunch. Almost all the wines were phenomenal, and we bought 7 bottles, each for under $12. Can't wait to enjoy them here. Plus the Jacuzzi winery had an Olive making facility, and I brought home two bottles of PHENOMENAL olive oil.
Day 6: With our trip almost over, we wandered a bunch. Went to Fisherman's wharf again and wandered a lot, went to Ghiradelli square and chocolate factory, then had dinner at Green's, which is a famous high end San Fran restaurant that happens to be all vegetarian. While my wine and meal were excellent (a mesquite tofu and veggie kebab with a tasty sauce and cranberry couscous), I was a little unimpressed with their vegan selection (only have of the dishes and only one dessert were vegan). However, it was right on the water and worth it for the meal.
Day 7: This was truly a lazy day, since we checked out of our hotel and then spent most of the day wandering, went bowling for Mark, had dinner at a pub at 5, then went to get our stuff and headed to the airport for our red eye back to Boston.

Overall, a pretty good trip, but I don't think I will be going back to San Fran again unless I have a specific reason. It was too cold, and even for someone like me who likes to walk, a little too spread out. We walked anywhere from 4-8 miles a day (plus I ran every morning) and with all those hills and wind tunnels it got old fast.