COASTA VISTAS - DAY 3

We Love San Francisco

We had mentioned that one of the benefits of staying at the Ritz Carlton is its location in a very quiet area of San Francisco and we were reminded of that last night.  It was absolutely quiet and we slept very well.  

Keith was up early and he took some photos of the Club Room.  Some of the lights were off since the photos were taken before the staff arrived to set up breakfast.  While we also enjoyed the previous traditional decor of the room, we also like the new look of the room.  The room has all new carpeting and furniture and some physical changes have been made such as removing the bar which provides more room for seating.  

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We had breakfast at the Club Lounge.  

The Club Floor Lounge is open 24 hours a day with items such as coffee, tea, water, and soft drinks available the entire time.  Between 6:00 AM and 10:00 PM one of five food presentations is presented.  This includes:

Breakfast between 6:00 AM and 10:00 AM.

Lunch & Light Snacks between 12:00 Noon and 4:00 PM.

Hors d'Oeuvres & Cocktails between 5:00 PM and 8:00 PM.  Each night there is a different theme such as Napa, Japanese and Chinese.  On the Napa evening which we will miss as it is scheduled for Friday evening, it includes wine tasting.

​Evening Desserts between 8:00 PM and 10:00 PM.

At 7:30 AM  we left the Hotel to continue exploring San Francisco.   

We walked through Chinatown.  It is always nice to walk this area early in the morning as it is not very crowded and we can take it all in.  From there we proceeded to Little Italy which is part of South Beach.  Whenever we walk this area, we can't help but think of the area when its residents were mainly Italian.  There of the DiMaggio's come to mind; Vince, Dom, and of course Joltin Joe DiMaggio who all played Major League Baseball.  

​From there we made our way towards Fisherman's Wharf.  We passed by the Old Cannery Factory and Ghirardelli Square.  We walked by the many outdoor food places where you can get clam chowder in a sourdough bread bowl or crab or a variety of other delicious seafood items.  We then went by Scoma's Restaurant known for its Italian Cuisine.  For us it  brings back many fond memories.  Keith first went to Scoma's for dinner on his first San Francisco business trip.  When Keith was offered a position involving us moving from Virginia to the San Francisco Bay Area we flew to San Francisco with Jennifer and Eric to see if we would like to live here and we ate at Scoma's.  While we lived in the Bay Area when we drove into San Francisco we would have lunch at Scoma's almost always enjoying pasta with clams and of course sourdough bread.   After our move from the Bay Area, when we would return to San Francisco with Jennifer and Eric we would try to have lunch or dinner at Scoma's.  We then walked all around the wharf area and then over to Pier 39.  Yes, Pier 39 is touristy but a fun place to walk around.  We passed by the carousel that Jennifer and Eric would go on.  We viewed the many Sea Lions whom make this area their home.

From Pier 39 we walked along The Embarcadero passing by the various piers including the two piers used for passenger ships and other piers that are used for boat trips to places  including  Alcatraz and Sausalito.  We walked inside the Ferry Building which is home to lots of restaurants and stores.    From the Ferry Building we walked all the way to Union Square.  As we made our way back to the Ritz Carlton we located the Hotel where Eric and Kara will be going to in a couple of weeks to celebrate their five year wedding anniversary.

We had lunch back at the hotel.  

In the afternoon we went on a four hour walk.  We walked in the opposite direction from the route we took in the morning towards a shopping and residential area.  There were times that we had to walk up sharp inclines.  We took in beautiful views including the Marina District.   At one point we made our way to Steiner Street and to the intersection of Jackson and Steiner which is the name of our Grandson.  We stopped by the St. Dominics Catholic Church.  The Church was established in 1873 and was rebuilt following the San Francisco earthquake of 1906.  The weather was absolutely perfect.  All in all another wonderful day in San Francisco.

We picked up a salad entree for dinner and brought it back to the room.

All in all we had enjoyed our first full day in San Francisco.

Keith & Anne Marie