San Francisco Day 1 Part 1
Hmm. I usually stop first at the AIDS chapel at Grace Cathedral at the beginning of any San Francisco trip, but it opens at 10 AM. My breakfast place opens at 7 AM. So I need to stall for a while.
My hotel is on a great street for people-watching. I saw a really cute guy waiting for my DoorDash yesterday. I guess that I'm seeing the sights :)
Wow. I have some large bruises on my left arm. I have no idea what happened.
I'm looking at other train trips that I could take. I told Dad that I might take the train to Washington DC to see the museums. We got into a conversation about the Smithsonian. New York is another possibility. Hmm, I wonder if I could swing a short trip next year.
I also told Dad that I wanted to go to London and see the museums. He said that he never wanted to go to London. Then we talked about Paris, and he encouraged me to go. I'd want to brush up on my French though.
I need to charge my FitBit watch, so I have more time to kill. I removed my nail polish because it was chipping. I like how it looked, though, so I'm going to pick some up at Walgreens. I got my camera strap attached to my camera with the help of YouTube. Hmm, now I'm looking at a nail salon near Union Square, but I don't know its hours.
I stopped at Walgreens and bought some nail polish and makeup brushes. The person working there loaded me up with freebies, even though I told her that I was traveling and had limited space.
I found the breakfast place. It's crowded, which is a good sign. I had Smoked Salmon Benedict, and it was perfection.
I made it up Nob Hill, stopping to rest a few times. I made it to Grace Cathedral. Apparently they're charging for entrance now, which annoyed me slightly but whatever. I sat in the AIDS chapel for a long time. It is still a peaceful place. But this time I felt a message of survival. It seems wrong in a way, given how many people died, including two of my friends. But the world keeps on turning, which is reassuring. I also walked the labyrinth outside. I like how it brings you close to the center and brings you back out. Like life.
The following picture is of the Keith Haring triptych at the AIDS chapel. I felt a little guilty taking a picture inside Grace Cathedral, but no one else was there and no one stopped me.
I went to Chinatown and shopped until I dropped. I bought a sweatshirt that said "The City" (what locals call San Francisco). An incense burner, a bracelet, and a kite. And an amber necklace. Now I've stopped for lunch in a Chinese restaurant. The waitress didn't understand me--I was the only non-Asian person in the place--so I wound up with crab soup. It was good though. And I brought the leftovers back with me. I need to pick up some utensils.
I went to City Lights, and got a pile of books, mostly on Buddhism and one about the social construction of the self, which sounded interesting. I'm glad that I bought a pile of books because I want the bookstore to stay in business.
Then I had way too many bags to walk back. I ordered an Uber, and a guy showed up in a Tesla! Only in California :) I gave him the wrong address though, so I had to walk up the street to my hotel.
I need to find a post office or UPS store and mail packages back to myself. There is a UPS store in the Fairmont Hotel that's open tomorrow. Excellent.
7818 steps so far :)
Now I think that it's nap time.
The outside of Grace Cathedral
Chinatown
