Jetsetter STC does San Fransisco

 How dare HH decide to go overseas without me!  I have become the resident celebrity on this blog and in the daily life of Hanworth House - so when I discovered she was going to the USA without even the decency to ask if I wanted to accompany her, I took matters into my own hands... and took over this holiday blog too!

 

Armed with a passport and Jonathan Adler travel bag (HH and I LOVE Jonathan Adler), I snuck into her carry on and guess what - my first overseas trip. So excited! USA here I come!

I felt quite at home in this great hotel in San Fransisco - you would swear I was a seasoned traveller !

Look how nice the nautical decor is (Captain Heath who built Hanworth  was the first Portmaster of Brisbane so would have approved of the hotel choice) including its location right next  to Fishermans Wharf with great views of San Francisco Bay

I wasted no time checking out Fishermans Wharf and Boudin - OMG this place has sourdough to die for!

We knew this because our beautiful M (who HH and I both adore and who is running Hanworth in our absence), is from San Fransisco

Hi Michelle - hope you are missing me to bits!

 I fraternised with the beautiful flora on Fishermans Wharf

and fell in love with these Californian Sea Lions at Pier 39

Like a true tourist I rode the historic trolley cars

and admired the streets which I had only ever seen on TV

including this very famous section of Lombard Street on Russian Hill, the eight sharp turns deemed to make it the crookedest street in the world.

Took a long walk though Chinatown

Sought out this very famous group of Victorian houses referred to as the "Painted ladies" or "Postcard Row" in Steiner Street across from Alamo Square park in Pacific Heights

 

The houses appear frequently in movies and TV including the opening credits of Full House. This gorgeous house is in the same street - do you recognise it?

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It was the house used for the filming of Mrs Doubtfire. I love that movie (I bet she had a teapot and teacosy!).  Oh and can you believe that Hanworth House and the house used in the movie share something which is not so great in common? An arsonist set fire to the Mrs Doubtfire house in January this year - fortunately only the front door and mat was affected, unlike Hanworth.

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Had a quiet reflective moment for Robin Williams. Did you know he was a long term resident of San Fransisco (Marin County - at the other side of the Golden Gate Bridge)? And was apparently a wonderful local resident - so sad.

This being a tourist was tiring me out so was ever so grateful when we stumbled onto the Ghirardelli Chocolate Factory, America's oldest continuously operating Chocolate factory -  started even before Hanworth was built in 1852.

I made great friends there with all the fabulous chocolate displays

 After that chocolate overload,  I needed a coffee and (don't keel over) found a great one at Starbucks. You know HH loves to go in search of superb coffee (often challenging in the States) but she even remarked that the flat white has come to Starbucks  - look!

 And it was not that bad (she said!) You know I am a competitive soul and can't really endorse coffee drinking - but I did go in search of tea emporiums. This took us to the oh so interesting Castro district.

Where we stumbled on this amazing new place Samovar Tea i

Not a tea cosy in sight which vexed me to no end ! There were test tubes instead heaven forbid! But I guess that is progress! I spent time educating the guys here on how we USED to do tea!

And here I am being photographed no less in the coffee roasting place Four Barrels! I have decided to become more tolerant of alternative beverages of late.

After so much consumption, we had to get on our bikes and have a bit of a workout

We spent a glorious 3 hours riding the Golden Gate Bridge, the single suspension bridge opened in 1937 spanning the three mile channel between San Fransisco and Marin County  

It is beautiful at sunset too

 

On our ride we passed Alcatraz (often referred to as The Rock). This small island, which was a military prison in 1868, was operating the same time  Hanworth was newly built. ,

 

I did not appreciate HH's comments that I belonged here!

But we agreed to put out differences aside and make up and pose for this momentous photo together at this amazing bridge!

Stay tuned for San Fransisco (the journey continues)... in which I visit Tiburon and the Napa Valley - you know how much HH loves wine so should be a blast!

 

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I love San Fransisco. I love being a tourist!

XX STC