SAN FRANCISCO 2-12

We stayed in the Hotel Mayflower, the same place we stayed a few years ago when we came before. It's a very historic building- anyway, it's very old! I like the ambiance. We mostly took the stairs, but the elevators are ancient. They have doors that actually open with a door knob and an expandable gate. They're only big enough to hold about four people! The rooms have a little kitchenette and a walk-in closet. The first night, however, was very disappointing. The room was on the fourth floor, facing the street, so it was noisy. But worse than that, the light-colored carpet was very dirty and stained-looking. Most hotels probably have dirty carpet, but at least it's a dark color, so you can't tell! The towels and linens were colored, but old and faded. The upholstered desk chair was filthy. When we complained about it, they offered to move us to a different room, but not until the next day. We took them up on it, and moved into a much nicer room on the second floor, in the back, where it was quiet. After changing rooms, we enjoyed our stay very much!

Thursday night, our "illustrious" president came to SF for a fund-raiser. The location was only a few blocks from where we stayed, and we were on our way back from dinner, so stopped by to see what all the street closures, police cars, and foot traffic were all about. The fund-raiser was at the Masonic Hall, just across the street from a huge church- the Grace Cathedral. Camped almost on their front steps were a group of protesters- only they were protesting the fact that marijuana is not totally legal. We walked through, and would probably have gotten high if we stayed very long, the air was so filled with pot smoke! Pretty much anything goes in SF! I have to say though, for the most part, the people we came across were very nice and friendly. If we asked someone to take our picture, they were happy to do it. If we needed directions, there was always someone willing to help us out. When we went out on our morning walks, it wasn't scary, even though it was still dark!

This is the inside of the Grace Cathedral. This is Benjamin Bufano's sculpture, a perfect symbol of the cathedral- a "welcoming house of prayer for all people."

Below are a couple more views of the inside of the building. It's descended from the historic Grace Church, built in the Gold Rush year of 1849, and the imposing structure on the corner of California and Stockton streets that was destroyed in the 1906 earthquake and fire. San Francisco's Crocker family gave their Nob Hill property, destroyed by the fire, for he building of a new cathedral.

It is, by the way, Episcopal, and very open-minded. They welcome everyone and inclusion is expected for people of all faiths. They perform services for same-sex unions and they have an AIDS interfaith chapel.

Here's Charles at Fisherman's Wharf. We enjoyed the sights and atmosphere, and especially not having to walk there! We bought day passes for all of the municipal transportation that day, so rode cable cars, street cars, and buses. We still ended up doing a fair amount of walking in order to find the right stops. The cable cars are especially fun. No matter what age I am, I think I'll always love to ride them. Years ago, when I was expecting Katy, my mom took me, Jacob, and Ben to SF. While riding on a trolley, Mom dropped her purse. She leapt off of the car to retrieve it and incurred a severe chastisement from the conductor for doing so. What else could she have done though? I'm sure that purse had all of her money and everything in it! Needless to say, I held onto mine tightly!

We rode a bus to the Golden Gate Bridge and walked about halfway across it. It was very cold and windy, which made my hair look really bad for the rest of the evening, but it was worth it. Charles (Dad) got me this fine necklace at the Embarcadero. It's made of abalone shell that's been cut into a rectangle and colored red. It's very pretty- a little brighter than what I usually wear, but I like it.

How do people with enough talent to play all these instruments in their one-man band end up on the streets like this? The guy was really impressive, but you have to wonder how he ended up there! It's pretty sad, seeing people sleeping wrapped up in blankets in store doorways or people with no legs sitting in wheelchairs on street corners asking for money.

We rode the elevator up to the "Top of the Mark", where there's a view of the entire city. They let us walk around in the restaurant so we could get the full effect!