Day with MeMe

The boys and Liam spent the morning on Haight St with Liam's aunt, MeMe.  Cormac's big purchase oxford-style Dr Martens -- pretty styling.

I met up with them at the Japanese Tea Garden, which despite the many visitors, retains the serenity it intends.  The giant Buddha statue invokes peace as its raised hand seems to offer benediction to all.

The flora and fauna in this garden only adds to the calm with trickling waterfalls and the combination of  greens and reds (echoed in the pagoda buildings) and giant carp floating in ponds.

From there we took the free elevator ride to Harmon Education Tower Observation Deck (that is quite a name) in the de Young Museum, which offers amazing views of the city. 

Love that low-lying fog

Finally, dinner at Boulevard a restaurant in an area that is completely gentrified now -- the Embarcadero what used to be sordid and dirty has become trendy and fancy.

Bay Bridge lights installation is definitely worth a night-time visit.

Thanks MeMe for a great day!

Off to Tahoe today for family vacation with Liam's aunts, uncles, and cousins and a shift of gears from city fun to country fun.

Shoes and Chinatown

Okay, a little sadly materialistic of me, but shopping is WAY better in San Francisco than Bangor.  I know this is no big surprise to anyone, but after prolonged wandering through the Union Square Macy's where the shoe department is larger than the whole Bangor Macy's store and then going to DSW and finding an entire floor dedicated to shoes I love, the reality of better and more choices was truly apparent.  I know you can buy anything on-line now, but sometimes you don't even know what you want until you can see, touch, and try the options.  So after buying two pairs of shoes and wanting about five more, I tore myself away from spending my children's college funds on footwear to meet up with our Bangor besties who left us and moved to the Bay Area.

We ate a lot of Chinese food then walked through the streets mobbed with tourists, shoppers, hustlers, etc.  Chinatown stores contain the same stuff decade after decade.  Yes, the images, cartoon figures, and words may vary, but the basic merchandise, exactly the same.  We bought the usual -- poppers (tiny firecrackers that snap when thrown to the ground) and rice candy (thanks to our friend Mike who introduced us to these chewy sweets with edible wrappers) and the unusual -- ring for Anna and iTouch case for Declan.  

The architecture still is cheery and fun, no matter how many times you visit.

The murals (new to me) also charmed us.

But nothing beats just time walking and talking with old friends!

or new, like these monkeys

No visit to San Francisco is complete without a walk through Chinatown, where bakeries beckon you to try a custard tart or pork bun; take-out places pause you to stare at hanging, roasted ducks and platters of pigs' hooves, kidneys, and chicken feet; and stores lure you in to buy mini-Buddha statues and plastic swords.  Start at the famous gates at Bush and Grant and window-shop your way along Grant Street until your feet or your pocket gives out.  Be sure to look up and to block sidewalk traffic -- everyone does!

Cars, Buses, Taxis and Planes

Or How to Get to California from Maine

We used maybe every possible mode of transportation to travel from Bangor to San Francisco.  Car to Portland to catch bus to Boston (after bus from Bangor only had two seats left by the time we got there).  Taxi to Meg's house; she graciously allowed us to take over her apartment.

And we made ourselves right at home, enjoying the cool temperature (contrasted to steamy weather outside).  We had dinner with Meg and Elliott and found a giant batard for our early am, pre-flight snack (see Cormac's clutching of the starch).

Then off to San Francisco, where we were greeted with the usual SF weather, beautiful blue skies 

or fog (whichever you prefer)

But you have to love a city where your neighbor's house has art like this 

Hard to see. but these are individual high-heeled shoes

and where in Golden Gate Park, you can see this

and play with these cuties

Our first day culminated with a dinner with Liam's family at Gerri's house, leaving us ready for Day 2: a trip to the Exploratorium for some, a night at the opera for others, and more re-connections with family and friends.

I'm Back

It's been almost a year since we returned from Scotland, and as my life assumed its normal level of tasks, chores, and work, the blog slipped away.  I intended all summer to write a final post about the transition back to the US, but it never happened.  Then, the fall with its usual, back-to-school craziness, winter, spring, and before I even knew it, a year had gone by.  We still traveled, though not as much as in Scotland, so the urge to blog would surface only to be sunken under the to-do list.  But after a family wedding in New Orleans, a sisterly visit to Long Island, and now a return to San Francisco, the desire to document our life is back, so here's the start of my new blog.  Hope you will continue to enjoy the travel tales!