We started the day today with the best breakfast that either of us has had in a long time. We have been trying to go to Dottie's True Blue Cafe since we got here, but it's been closed or we haven't had time to wait for a table. We waited about half an hour today, but it was well worth it. We had coconut white chocolate french toast with pecans (sounds too sweet, but wasn't) and an omelet. Bill says the coffee was great. It's closed tomorrow for some unknown reason, but we are planning to go back on Friday morning before we leave town.
We left straight from Dottie's for the Aquarium of the Bay. We took the F train to Pier 39 in the Embarcadero. The aquarium was interesting, but much smaller than those in Long Beach and Monterey. The way it was set up is cool - we walked through these long Plexiglass tunnels, one of which was filled with critters from the bay, and the other with ocean animals. Liam seemed less impressed with the giant sharks than he was with the smaller brightly colored fish. It was worth seeing since we had the CityPass for free admission, but I wouldn't pay to see it. I guess I would rather look at really cool fish from far away than the dull ones that live around here.
We wandered Pier 39, did a bit of shopping, and checked out the sea lions. We had seen them last year, but wanted to give Liam a chance to see and hear them. He was disinterested, the smell was foul, and the wind cold off the bay, so we headed up to the Musee Mecanique on Pier 45.
They basically had all kinds of coin-operated entertainment from about the last 100 years. It was free to get in, but of course all of the various machines, games, and attractions required quarters. They had some really old stuff, like those things that you lean your eyes against to see moving pictures from the early 1900's, and some more recent games like Centipede. They had an original Midway "Pong" game, 4 player upright, in stunning black and white! Liam slept through most of this, not surprisingly.
After we finished at Fisherman's Wharf, we caught the bus to North Beach, the "Little Italy" area of San Francisco. We ate at Caffe Baonecci and found again that the Yelp online review site provided good information. Yelp has been a mixed bag for us, but was also right about Honey Honey and Dottie's, so overall it has been pretty reliable. At Baonecci we met a nice group of people from Denmark (mother, daughter, and daughter's boyfriend) along with their guide from Santa Rosa. The guide and the mother originally met in Washington, DC as kids when his family hosted her as an exchange student. They were in their 60s and have been lifelong friends. We enjoyed talking to them and watched some drama as a car was towed for having a counterfeit Disabled Person placard. Man, were those people mad when they saw their car leaving without them!
Another bus ride back to the hotel, and we took a few minutes to unwind before heading back out for dinner with our good friend Mig, who we had not seen since some time before Liam was born. Mig treated us to dinner at Sears Fine Foods (thanks, Mig) and everything was really tasty. We would definitely eat there again. Some nice employee even took a picture of us all as we headed out. Back at the hotel, Liam had his first tub bath! Bill had to climb in with him, which was fine as they both really needed some soap and water. More tomorrow.
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