San Francisco

I really don't know the first thing about architecture but I've always appreciated buildings that make me stop and look and even take a picture. Having been to Chicago a few months ago, you could say I'm even more attuned to them than before. My girlfriends were more than happy to stop to let me take a few shots along our long walk to brunch this morning.

I like the varied heights of the rooflines on this one. The very top looks like a blue glass lion head. Or what do you see?

This metal sculpture of a reclined figure at the front of the W caught my eye. I wonder if the subject of the piece was deliberate? It is a hotel, after all.

This one feels like a big stained glass window to me. The shapes appear symmetrical but the entire building feels like it's bulging out of it's rectangular box shape or is that an illusion?

Transbay Transit Center

This is a transit hub that spans five city blocks but is topped by a 5.4 acre public park. This perforated aluminum screen is composed of 4,486 conjoined panels and clads the exterior above the ground floor.

We walked through the park from end to end. It was clean and most of the people enjoying the park were either eating lunch or just relaxing and enjoying the green space. It reminded me a lot of the High Line park in New York City.

Maison Nico

After a long walk we finally made it to the breakfast place, Maison Nico. In contrast to this picture I pulled off the internet, this place was hopping! There were tables full on the sidewalk, a line up out the door. The few tables inside were jamming! But of course, there was never any question we were going to wait. When it was our turn, we had the whole counter to ourselves for as long as we needed until check out. It was a nice touch not to have to jockey for position to see the contents of the glass cases. The pastries were worth the wait and the quiche was delicious.

After brunch we decided to head to the Presidio National Park and former Army base. It is also a part of the Golden Gate National Recreation Area. After shopping at the gift shop, Kimber wanted to rent e-bikes to allow us to see more of the park. We could have used some 20-somethings to help us navigate the payment but we finally figured it out. I can't tell you how many decades it's been since I rode a bike. But other than the fact that the e-bike is quite a bit heavier, it was really fun to ride. The hills were so much easier!

View from the park

Golden Gate Bridge

After a lovely afternoon at the park, we headed back to the hotel to get ready for dinner. Coincidentally, Rebecca had made reservations at a restaurant owned by friends of David & Dawn's, The Progress, it was delicious of course. Rebecca my foodie friend rarely disappoints. 

This was our favorite dish. It was the star by far, corn and black pepper ricotta cavatelli with mascarpone, sun-gold tomatoes and figs. So frickin' good!

A dopo!