So I am finally uploading photos from my San Francisco trip with my mom. We had a relatively great time. From Fisherman's Warf, to Pier 39, to Ghirardelli Square to California Museum of Sciences to the Redwoods, we pretty much saw it all. My mom and I met up with my mom's old friend, Vivian, who lives in the East Bay. We went to Pier 39 and had a fishy lunch and visited the Aquairum of the Bay. Lots of interesting facts and fish to look at, as well as an incredibly smart octopus! There were a bunch of sardines all traveling in a group and my mom and Vivian commented on how it looked like something you'd see on a trip. And I'm not talking about a family vacation. We also watched a video of an octopus trying to reach a bunch of food in a science beaker. They have the mental capacity of a three year old and love to be given puzzles to figure out. It was really fascinating to view all the different species that live in the ocean that I didn't know even existed.
The visa application was simple enough, although I was nervous they wouldn't accept part of my application because it was somehow incomplete. I didn't have any problems though, so I was overjoyed about that. An attractive Frenchman was helping me with my application and he seemed very nice, that was a plus.
We stayed at the Hotel Astoria, which was ride outside the gate of Chinatown. Although I was stoked about the location, the Chinese restaurant we went to on the first night was less than stellar. It was called Bow Hon. I recommend NEVER going there. Some of our food was raw, although it didn't look like it from the outside. I'll never eat in Chinatown again, although if you do, look for places with a lot of Chinese people eating there. That's a good sign.
We also took a day to go see the California Museum of Sciences, which I absolutely loved! There were so many fascinating things there, including a Tyrannosaurus Rex skeleton. We went on what we learned was "Free Wednesday". The line to get in could be compared to the line at Splash Mountain (or some other similarly popular ride) at Disneyland. Once in, we explored around in the aquarium (can you tell I love water?). We skipped the Rainforest dome because the line was also a mile long. Tickets were long sold out for the planetarium and the Reptiles exhibit, but I still managed to have a blast. Museums are the best place to actively learn about the world around you, and I don't think I've ever been bored in a museum. There was an eco-friendly garden blanketing the rooftop, where it kept the electricity cost down, and also served as a learning facility. Across the road there was the de Young Museum, which housed a temporary tribute to Picasso.
We managed to get lost on public transport and had to walk most of the way (take a taxi, despite the cost). The food is insanely expensive ($20 for a sandwich which was mediocre at best, bottle of diet coke, and a cookie) so bring your own. And don't go on Free Wednesdays unless you adore screaming and crying kids with sticky fingers.
We took the 101 home and stopped in the Redwoods. I love the area and wanted to stop at the Trees of Mystery and drive through the Avenue of the Giants. I'm glad we did. Trees of Mystery weren't crowded and we got to take our time. For those who haven't been, you're greeted at the entrance by a 50ft tall statue of Paul Bunyan and his blue ox, Babe. The best part is, he talks. And not just some repeated schmaltz about the trees, it's a guy somewhere (I won't say where, but I do know :p) talking back to you. Fantastically entertaining. In the photo on the left, you can see I'm sitting on his foot. As we made our way through the trees, there are audio lectures you can listen to about the unique trees and their weird shapes. Some trees have grown out of the branches of a parent tree, so each branch has at least on separate tree growing straight up out of it. It's something you'd see on Star War's forest moon of Endor (I'll leave it to you to get the joke). We bought my dad a Coastal Redwood (sequoia sempervirens) because he already has multiple giant seqouias (sequoia giganteum) growing on our property. I also got some Native American earrings from the small Native American Museum that was nearby. I can't resist sampling some of my heritage! :)
The Trees of Mystery has one of my favorite quotes:
After that, I needed to drive because my mom was exhausted (although I had been driving 95% of the way so far). We ended up at home around 9pm, a couple hours later than anticipated, but that didn't matter. I got my visa applied for, I saw some great San Francisco landmarks, visited the mighty Redwoods, and had a nice drive home with my mommy. I love traveling :D
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