Not to mention on our way back down the grand steps back to our car we ran into a large party of people traveling together that asked us to take their picture. We gladly did (for some reason Doug and I love making people’s day with taking their pictures) and they asked where we were from. When we replied “Pittsburgh” there was an uproar (literally! I think these people had already had a few tastings). Turns out a bunch of them were from the greater Pittsburgh area and they thought it was hilarious to run into other Burgh residents. After that stop we continued on to the historic downtown of Napa. It is a much bigger city area than Sonoma has and it has been built up a lot more now with all the tourism this area has attracted. It was interesting and pretty, but we both liked the authenticity and simplicity of the little square in Sonoma a lot more. Doug had read and heard about a few must-see’s including the Ox Bow Market. It’s a covered hall of shops and restaurants which reminded me of a smaller version of Fanieul Hall in Boston. We hadn’t eaten anything yet, so we settled into this authentic Italian Bistro and split a breakfast pizza (so good!) where we counted up that we have had some type of pizza 4 times already on this trip…can you tell it’s our favorite food? After our brunch we walked around a little more and then jumped back in the car to head on towards the city. Doug decided we should check out Berkeley quickly since it was right on our way into the city. We pulled in and grabbed some gelato and took a walk around the neighborhood. It felt like a Pacific version of Oakland back home. Very diverse, lots of students, many small shops and restaurants. We didn’t stay long, but it was nice to have seen the area. We jumped back on the highway and crossed the intense Bay Bridge (this is the bridge that cracked up in the 1989 earthquake, so I was praying across the whole thing, I’m not a huge fan of bridges, not to mention one that has already been compromised). Doug dropped me off at the hotel. He had asked the Sonoma hotel to call here and let them know it was our 10th anniversary and see if they could put us in a nice room. Well, they certainly did! We have a sitting room with a bump out of 6 huge windows overlooking the city. Here are a few of the views…
I explored a little of the shopping area near our hotel while Doug returned our rental car and rode the BART back into the city. Once he was back we headed out together to explore. We headed up Stockton with a final destination of Little Italy. Here's a view of Coit Tower from the other side of town where we were "hiking" around on our way.
First, we walked through Chinatown and took a little detour to see the Cable Car Museum. It is actually the site where they run the cables. 
We had no idea that is how the Cable Cars worked. Here’s a video of the cables (they are kept running constantly a pace of 9 and ½ miles/hour).
We felt like we were cheating on Koen being there without him, so we left after looking through the gift shop for a cable car for him (still haven’t found the right one).
With our stomachs grumbling we got back on track to walk into Little Italy. Streets are just lined with delicious options (our favorite food type is by far Italian, so this was going to be tough to make a decision!). Doug had the recommendation for one tiny place so we stopped there to share a little appetizer, then we hunted for our entrée spot. We ended up at Calzone’s down and across the street a bit. And of course, we got a calzone and split it. So delicious (writing this makes me want to do this same plan over tonight, but I’m not sure Doug will let that happen). They had these adorable bistro tables outside, so we enjoyed watching all the busyness of the street while we ate our meal (not to mention it is the best advertising for the restaurant having those tables out there, everyone passing by just stares at your plate checking out the food, it’s what sold us on the place!).
We walked back to our hotel (I love all the walking!!) and chilled out for awhile and then headed to the 39th Floor to The View to meet up with some friends that recently moved to the Bay Area from Pittsburgh. It was fun to hang out with other couples and have some great conversation while taking in the view at sunset of this beautiful city.
Well, that’s it for Day 6. Tomorrow is our last full day on vacation. I’m a little sad, but also so excited to get home and see my boys!
Day 7 - Doug and I start our last full day of vacation as usual, with a jog, before the fog lifts. The fog burned off quickly which was fantastic since we had planned to meet up with my cousin Stacey and her husband, Mike, at the Ferry Building. We of course walked to get there (love it!) and met them at 11am. Stacey and I have determined that we have not seen one another since 1993. I was 13 then. A lot has changed since then! We are now both Pastor's wives and moms, so we had a lot to catch up on! We walked around the Ferry Building and eventually all chose something to eat and then we ate on a bench overlooking the Bay.
We also walked along Fisherman's Wharf which Doug a nd I had only briefly passed the other day. It is mostly a large tourist attraction, but it's interesting with its street entertainers and busy market area. My favorite part is Pier 39 where the seals still come to hang out on the docks. They are hilarious!
Here are two videos. They were mostly taken for Koen's benefit, but I think seals are fun to watch, so maybe you will too.
After Stacey and Mike gave us such a generous portion of their day off, they headed home and we headed out to explore some more. It was such a great and almost surreal visit with my cousin. I loved that I was able to reconnect with family on this trip, family that I literally hadn't seen in a decade!
Doug and I walked to Ghirardhelli Square where there is a beautiful view of the tall ships in the Bay and lots of sailboats. We rested a little while in the park (Doug at this point is pretty through with all my enthusiasm for walking, but he's a good sport).
Here's Doug mapping out our plan of attack to get back to the hotel (which included hiking over Russian Hill) and he also wanted to stop in at a Train Hobby Shop on VanNess to see if we could find that cable car for Koen (at this point we've picked up a backup of the plastic kind just in case).
The hike was just that, but look at the exceptional view from the top of the hill!
We went a block or two out of our way to see Lombard Street from above. It was backed up for a block with people waiting to drive down it.
Then we carefully went down a hill as steep as Negley here in the Burgh to get to Van Ness to check out that shop. They were nice in there and it was an impressive hobby shop, but I believe we've determined that there are no cable cars made to fit on wooden train tracks (so therefore I'm thinking this could be a niche market to get into). We kept a good pace back to the hotel, but it was a good 40 minute walk. When we got there we collapsed for awhile and it felt very good (not to mention the beautiful view in there so we still felt like we were taking in the city).
That night despite Doug's request to take a cab, we hoofed it up to the top of Nob Hill for our final dinner out. Here's a picture of us at the top of the historic hill.
The restaurant was a neighborhood Italian spot, seemingly popular with the locals. A tiny restaurant perched on a high corner. It was so good! It was a slow-paced meal and lovely ambiance for a nice long chat. After our wonderful entrees, the server brought us a surprise dessert to say "Happy Anniversary" (our concierge had tipped him off, how fun!, seriously love the Marriott!). We felt very special and it was a celebratory end to our vacation. Well, that and the walk downhill to our hotel. Why not end our night with a refreshing walk through the crisp San Franciscan air? (Doug was not quite as thrilled).
Day 8 - The Trip Home - Doug, and I don't blame the guy, was not interested in jogging before our travel home, but I just had to get out and say goodbye to the city and the bay and get some exercise before sitting for the rest of the day. The fog had actually burnt off before we woke up at 7am, so I enjoyed a sunny jog. Goodbye San Francisco!
Our travels were uneventful and we passed the time on the planes with old black and white movies set in San Francisco. We got in late last night and I'm typing this up at home awaiting finally seeing my sweet boys again. This will be a great reunion for sure (Doug and I did peek in on Koen last night and he woke up and gave us some sweet, sleepy hugs. Ahhhh....). Well, it was a fabulous trip and seems surreal already since we are back here getting into the usual routine. We are both happy to be back though, we are so grateful for the time away and so thankful as well for this normalcy to come back to. Thanks for your prayers for safe travels and for Mom, Dad and Abbie with the boys. They did a tremendous job (more to come on an overview of their time with the boys, waiting on pictures from them before I post).
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