Saturday, August 14, 2021
In the morning, Inna and I woke up at 8:30 and took a short stroll to Le Marais Bakery, where we purchased pastries and coffee. We were surprised by a longer-than-expected order line and the number of people on the street. The bakery was much busier than on weekdays.
We ordered the following items:
- Boris: Mocha, Croissant with Almonds
- Inna: Mocha, Kouign-Amann
We enjoyed our mochas and pastries and witnessed many poodles, Labradoodles, and golden retrievers. Walking by with their owners.
After breakfast, we walked by the Palace of Fine Arts (where Inna took a few more photos of birds) to Crissy Field, where we observed wind foilers getting ready to race. We continued our stroll toward Golden Gate Bridge, noticing many people running, jogging, and biking. It looked like all of San Francisco's youth was out exercising.
On the way back, we noticed the wind foiler racing team competing in the bay, flying past yellow buoys on the water. The wind was increasing, and the iWindsurf forecast predicted a windy day.
After we returned home, we noticed that Alex had woken up, and we decided to try eating lunch at Rose's Cafe, about 15 minutes away on 2298 Union Street.
At Rose's Cafe, we ordered the following brunch items:
- Alex: Margherita Pizza, Lemonade
- Boris: Smoked Salmon Pizza, Cafe Mocha
- Inna: Blue Cheese Special Salad, Lavender Lemonade
I really enjoyed the Smoked Salmon and egg Pizza on delicious flatbread. We also liked the Blue Cheese Special Salad.
Alex wanted his Margherita Pizza.
After brunch, we walked to the nearby GIO Gelati for a few bites of sweetness. We ordered the following:
- Alex:?
- Inna: Cappuccino, Vanilla & Fig in a small cup
Inna really loved the cappuccino, vanilla, and fig flavors.
From here, we decided to walk to the Walt Disney Family Museum in Presidio. After a 30-minute walk to Presido, we were disappointed to learn that all the tickets had been sold out and that we needed to pre-purchase tickets online.
We continued our walk to Crissy Field, where we observed many kiteboarders and wing foilers skimming on the water.
We decided to eat dinner at home, and Inna prepared the leftover Ravioli from Lucca and reheated Alex's dinner from Zazie. She also added potato salad and chicken salad.
For dessert, we returned to Zazie and ordered the following dessert sweets:
- Alex: Baked Hot Chocolate, Jasmine Green Tea
- Boris: Crumble aux Fruits, Earl Grey Tea
- Inna: Les Deux Cremes, Earl Grey Tea
I enjoyed the Crumble, and Inna liked her Creme Brulee and chocolate mousse (Les Deux Cremes). Alex liked his Baked Hot Chocolate but wasn't as impressed. He prefers the European Hot Chocolate from Dandelion Chocolate.
Sunday, August 15, 2021
In the morning, I woke up at 7:00 and decided to shower, shave, and eat a small breakfast of yogurt before heading to Crissy Field to watch the Escape from Alcatraz Triathlon.
When I arrived at Crissy at around 7:30, the athletes were already swimming toward Crissy from Alcatraz (they jumped off the Hornblower Cruises boat into the cold, murky waters off Alcatraz for the 1.5-mile ocean swim to shore). Many people eagerly awaited the first swimmers, and I climbed over the rocks at St. Francis Yacht Club to get a closer view of the swimmers.
At just past 08:00, Ben Kanute, the previous triathlon 3-time winner, emerged from the cold San Francisco bay waters to take the lead. He swam fast, and no one was behind him for a long time. Jason West followed him about a minute later.
It was amazing to see the vast differences in swimming speeds. Ben Kanute covered the 1.5m mile distance in 33:16, while many other athletes took over 120 minutes for the same distance!
The swimmers had run 0.5 miles to warm up and mount their road bikes for the 18-mile ride to Golden Gate Park over multiple hills. After the bike ride, only the 8-mile run remained to complete the triathlon.
Inna and I watched Ben Kanute cross the finish line, with a total time of 2:10:11, while Jason West came second, with a total time of 2:12:16. While Ben had already finished, many athletes were only starting on their bicycle ride!
After watching many athletes, Inna and I ate breakfast at Equator Coffees nearby. We walked down to Fort Mason and stood in a short line for coffee. Inna ordered me a regular coffee and a few pastries (as mochas would have a 25-minute wait).
On the way home, we ran into Alex, walking on Marina Boulevard. We told him about the events he had missed.
When home, I did some work for my company and waited for our friends Iltcho and Tzvetana to meet us at our Airbnb address (3038 Baker Street). When they arrived at 13:30 with Maya and Bella (shelties), we talked and decided to eat brunch at our favorite local French eatery - Cote Ouest Bistro. We ordered the following items:
- Alex: Coffee, Croque Monsieur (with egg)
- Boris: Coffee, Quiche du Jour (salmon)
- Inna: Latte, French Toast, Eggs Benedict
- Iltcho: Mimosa, Eggs Benedict, Brussel Sprouts, Miyagi Oysters (6)
- Tzvetana: Latte, Moules Marinieres
We really enjoyed our brunch. I especially loved the Salmon Quiche, and Tzvetana and Iltcho loved the Miyagi Oysters (local, from San Francisco Bay).
After brunch, we walked to Lyon Steps Podium and continued to Pacific Heights. From there, we continued toward Presidio, stopping by Lover's Lane and Yoda Fountain.
After taking photos of Yoda Fountain, we walked toward the Palace of Fine Arts, looking at various local birds, including Night Herons, Blue Herons, Swans, and Ducks. Afterward, we walked across Marina Boulevard to Crissy Field. However, the wind was mighty and felt like a sandstorm, blinding our eyes, so we turned back.
We decided to revisit the Karaweik Burmese Restaurant at 3317 Steiner Street for dinner. Though it has slow service, the entrees are usually delicious and inexpensive. When we sat down inside (outdoor tables were all taken), we ordered the following items and shared family-style:
- Royal Burmese Milk Tea
- Jasmine Green Tea
- Keema Paratha Lamb (bread)
- Royal Tea Leaf Salad
- Vermicelli with Lemongrass Fish
- Coconut Rice with Beef Curry
This time, waiter service was slow, and the Royal Burmese Milk Tea did not arrive until we finished our entire dinner! We really liked the Royal Tea Leaf Salad and the Keema Paratha Lamb. The Vermicelli was delicious but a bit cold. However, Coconut Rice with Beef Curry was delicious and warm.
After dinner, we returned home, and Inna watched her favorite Grey's Anatomy on Netflix.
Monday, August 16, 2021
Our last full day in San Francisco!
I woke up at 8:00 and walked to Crissy Field in the morning. Unlike most days, it was perfectly sunny with no hint of fog. Many people were running and jogging outside. When I returned home, I ate a small breakfast of yogurt, raspberries, and strawberries.
At lunchtime, Inna and I first stopped for a delicious salad at Souvla, and then we stopped for coffee and pastries at Le Marais Bakery. Once again, Le Marais was out of chocolate, so I ordered a plain coffee instead of a mocha. We shared a delicious plain croissant and a chocolate almond croissant.
In the evening, I decided to windsurf again at Crissy Field. When I arrived, the wind on the water looked intense, with lots of breaking whitecaps. I decided to rig my smallest sail - the Ezzy Elite 4.0. When I sailed out on my Fanatic 105 FSW, the sail did not have enough power to keep me planing. I returned and re-rigged to an Ezzy Elite 5.0. I was fully powered up this time and had many fantastic blasts on the water. It was so much fun!
While I was windsurfing, Inna went for a scooter ride, followed by a walk to Equator Coffees in Fort Mason.
Alex planned to spend whole days with his Bellarmine friends in San Francisco. He had a fabulous time exploring Crissy Field, Salesforce Park, Chinatown, Fisherman's Wharf, and Golden Gate Park.
At dinner, Inna and I decided to go to Roam Burgers on Union Street. We ordered the following items:
- Share: Farmer's Market Salad with Avocado, Zucchini Onion Haystack,
- Boris: Kombucha (Black Current), Sunny Side Beef Burger (with Egg)
- Inna: Prickly Pear Soda, Heritage Bison Pink Burger
We really enjoyed our delicious burgers and the salad!
For dessert, we decided to stop by GIO Gelati to sample a few delicious flavors. We ordered the following:
- Boris: Pistachio, Cappuccino
- Inna: Cappuccino, Bacio
Tuesday, August 17, 2021
The Airbnb checkout day!
I woke up at 8:00 and walked to Crissy Field in the morning. It was perfectly sunny with no hint of fog. Many people were running and jogging outside. When I returned home, I ate a small breakfast of yogurt, raspberries, and strawberries.
Atex, Inna and I ate lunch with coffee and pastries at Le Marais Bakery. At noon, ordered the following lunch delicacies:
- Alex: Mocha, Croque Monsieur
- Boris: Mocha, French Onion Soup
- Inna: Mocha, Croque Madame
- Share: Pain Au Raisin, Matcha Scone
The French Onion soup was different from others I have tasted. It was decent (with many croutons), but it was not my favorite version. The Pain Au Raisin was delicious, but the Scone was a bit dry.
Since Inna had a medical appointment, she drove to see her doctor at around 14:00. During this time, Alex explored San Francisco, and I worked.
I packed my bags in the evening and returned for a short walk to Crissy Field. A few wing dingers and kiters were sailing, but the westerly wind was much weaker than the day before.
When Alex returned home, we decided to eat dinner at Delarosa Pizzeria. It was busy, though we found a table outdoors. We ordered the following items:
- Alex: Margherita pizza
- Boris: Pappardelle with Napoletana Sugo
- To Go: Pizza Funghi (for Inna)
Alex really liked his Margherita Pizza, but my pasta was unexceptional.
We returned to our Airbnb, loaded it with the remaining items, and drove home to San Jose after dinner.
- Convenient Marina District location on Chestnut Street
- Very close to Presidio, Crissy Field, Palace of Fine Arts, and Fort Mason
- The washer & dryer were modern
- The refrigerator was modern
- The heater worked well
- WiFi worked well
- Lots of street noise day and night (and loud foghorn on foggy days)
- Next door neighbor had constant trucks coming in for home improvement/repairs
- The kitchen's stove oven did not work well (the kitchen stove is of ancient, obsolete design and should have been upgraded)
- Low quality of all living room and bedroom furniture
- The main bedroom is missing a headboard on its bed
- All doors have frosted windows that leak light (making it difficult to sleep when others have lights on)
- The kitchen was a bit dirty when we moved in
- The garage is very inconvenient for 2 cars but is roomy for 1 car (a bit narrow)
- Extremely expensive for the low quality of accommodations provided
- Tiny old televisions in the living room and bedroom
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