If you're going to San Francisco...

...be sure to wear flowers in your hair!

Ok, so I went to San Fran today with my parents for their anniversary. I've been to SF several times, but I did do a few things that I've never done before. First of all I rode a cable car, that was kinda fun. I decided to hang out on the outside to get the full effect. That was pretty cool. It was definitely cold, not to mention the bizarre experience of having traffic going in the other direction go whizzing by 2-3 feet away. Oh, and the cable cars are REALLY loud.

We also drove through the Castro district...it's one of those things that you do once, mostly just to say that you've done it. Lots of rainbow flags...lots of gay bars.

The other thing we did that I'd never done is we went to a really nice restaurant at Fisherman's Wharf. I've been to Pier 39 before, and Fishman's Wharf is about 1/3 of a mile further down the street. Fisherman's Wharf is very touristy, lots of little one-of-a-kind shops, as well as a few chains (Rocky Mountain Chocolate Factory was one). The thing that was really funny though were the two beggars that I saw. Not that beggars are inherently funny, but these guys made me laugh. The first one was just sitting there holding a sign that said "Why should I lie? I want a beer." At least he was honest. The second one had a sign that said "My wife was kidnapped and I need $1.98 to get her back." Then a little further down it said "P.S. my name is bone-head." I then noticed the nasty-looking bone that was tucked in his headband. He seemed to be in a pretty good mood all things considered.

The restaurant we went to was called Aliotos. Holy...cow. That was some good food. I guess it would have to be considering how much it was. With tip the total came to just shy of $200 for the three of us. I had their specialty Alioto Veal - yeah I know, but I don't care. That veal was amazing! I then made the mistake of ordering Tiramisu for dessert. Now I have nothing against Tiramisu, I love the stuff. But, I have only ever had Tiramisu at reataurants in Utah, and apparently (and unbeknownst to me) Tiramisu is usually served with some sort of coffee-based sauce and I happen to be Mormon (for anyone reading this that doesn't know me). So my $8.50 dessert pretty much went to waste. Took me a while to get the coffee taste from once spoonfull out of my mouth too.