San Francisco part 2

Day #2-- we arrived in San Francisco Friday around noon, so our first thoughts were "what's for lunch?"  We decided before we left that our eating philosophy would be to nibble our way through San Fran-- and we did just that!

First stop: Blue Mermaid for their award-winning Dungeness Crab and Corn Chowder in a Sourdough Breadbowl (delicious but too small for two people!)

We walked around Ghirardelli Square for a little bit... This place was just precious.  Quaint buildings with a great open grass area.

Of course we had to go to the Ghirardelli Chocolate Shop & Cafe for a bite of chocolate... we got to sample a Pumpkin Spice Caramel Square which was a perfect little taste of fall :)

Then we walked around the piers on Fisherman's Wharf...

And we saw seals!!  They were so cute!  I'm actually not sure if they are seals or sea lions so don't quote me... There were so many of them piled on to these small wooden planks, it was funny seeing them hop all over each other.  (if you think this is a lot, stay tuned for later posts)

With only having a small breadbowl and bite of chocolate, we decided it was time for more lunch... We were walking along Fisherman's Wharf, enjoying the cute shops and restaurants, when we turned the corner and saw pure chaos.  There was this whole strip of men yelling out prices, knives chopping up crab, and people swarming around little seafood stands.  We were a little overwhelmed!  But once we started walking through the area, we decided YEP!  This is lunch!

Every stand had loads of fresh crab and shrimp combinations.

We ended up getting a Dungeness crab as well as a seafood salad sandwich.  It was delicious!

We stumbled into an arcade musem called "Musee Mecanique" which was very fun!  They had games from the early 1900's-- one in particular, The Execution, was quite disturbing.. You paid 25 cents then the curtain goes back and you watch a little plastic figurine get his head chopped off... Really?????  Nathan's favorite was a bowling pinball machine and air hockey.

After we played a bunch of games, we went to the Boudin Bakery in Fisherman's Wharf to get some famous Sourdough bread.

Then we (and by we I mean Nathan) drove down the famous Lombard Street.  Its quick switchbacks, beautiful landscaping, and surrounding mansions make this street so famous.

This is a VERY hilly city!

That afternoon we headed over to the Ferry Building Marketplace -- Nathan read that they have really unique stands throughout the building and is a must-do in San Fran.  We had a cheese tasting, an organic donut, and enjoyed the "organic ambiance" as I like to call it.  There were handmade soaps, beautiful flowers, fresh fruits and vegetables, and tons more to explore.

Cowgirl Creamery-- "award winning makers of artisan cheese and proprietors of three of the best cheese stores in the country" (ferrybuildingmarketplace.com)

After driving around the town some more, we ended up in North Beach aka Little Italy.

We had dinner at the Stinking Rose (B&B ate here on their anniversary trip) where everything is made with garlic, and LOTS of it.  We had sauteed garlic appetizer, Cioppino (fish stew originating in San Fran) and garlic mashed potatoes.  Yum!

As you can tell, we had quite a busy day-- now on to Day #3!