San Francisco, CA

Our last day on our West Coast trip started at the nearby Boudin Bakery, where a pastry breakfast got us underway for the day.

At the hotel we did the weirdest thing we had tried in a long time and ordered a Waymo to take us to the Ferry Terminal.  While a long time transportation option in San Francisco, these last few days have been the first time we've seen driverless cars ever.  To get in one was really wierd.  It's merely 2 miles, but while I was in the passenger seat and everyone else was in the back, it just felt awkward.  Having sad that, the ride was smooth and there were no problems.  I know there will come a day when this technology advances further still and no one will be driving.  Eventually that might be a good thing.

We boarded a ferry for Richmond, as we are off to have a barbeque at Shacks place in El Cerrito.  A smooth 35 minute ride across the Bay, sitting outside, taking in all the sites.  Shack met us at the terminal and drove us the 10 minutes back to his and Kat's, his lovely bride we were meeting for the first times, house.  Kat's mom lives with them too, so lunch was a mix of barbeque and Phillipino food.  Shack & Kat were married during Covid, so we attended the wedding virtually, but it's been 5 years till we had the opportunity to me her properly.  The afternoon was spent with a bunch of their friends in the sun in the backyard enjoying the food and the company.  It's always good value hanging with Shack, so you know his wife is going to be a blast as well.

B&L, San Francisco Ferry Terminal, CA

Shack dropped us off at the train station and we caught a train back in to Embarcadero, to do something different.  Not as good us the ferry as we rode under the bay, with nothing to see.  From here we zig zagged back through the city back to the hotel.  

Our last meal for the trip was to be take out from Cilantro SF Tacqueria.  The amount of people fighting for a table, and then the rest of us crammed in to pick up food, told us all we needed to know about this place.  And we weren't disappointed.  Back in the hotel the tacos and burritos went down a treat.

After dinner we walked over to the Aquatic Cove to finally take in the Golden Gate Bridge.  It had been too foggy since we'd been here to get a good view of it.  And to get it with the setting sun was amazing.  While it was below 50 degrees (never happening in summer at home) we hung out and waited for the 4th July fireworks, with what seemed like half of San Francisco.  What a display!  A great half hour of sky high entertainment.  It's been years since I've sone something like this on a holiday.  And this was great - we've got to do this more often.

So it was fireworks that ended our 8 days in Northern California.  Appropriate I would say, after 8 great days it was essential we went out with a bang.

Golden Gate Bridge, CA

DML&B, Aquatic Cove, San Francisco, CA