4.9.16 - Anniversary cruise

The summer after we got married a friend of ours, Nick, gave us a gift card to go on a Hornblower cruise in San Francisco. It was a very generous gift, and very thoughtful. He said he remembered how much I love SF and he knew we weren't going to have a honeymoon so he thought it would be a nice, small replacement.

He didn't know at the time that we were already trying to get pregnant so I wasn't drinking. For that reason we opted to save the gift card for a later date. After we had Clara I wondered if we would ever get a chance to use it, since doing so would require a babysitter for like 8 hours.

Then this year Mom happened to be coming out to visit the weekend before our anniversary, which was perfect. We booked tickets for Saturday and Mom agreed she could watch Clara while we went down to SF.

We listened to Epic Rap Battles the entire way there, re-remembering older battles we forgot we loved. Jack was trying to pick his top three but kept having to adjust his answers as we heard more battles. If I remember right, he was trying to decide between these ones:

I took a nap for part of the drive but woke up in time to go through the newly-named Robin Williams tunnel and over the Golden Gate Bridge. Since we don't have reason or opportunity to visit SF regularly anymore, every time we do make it down I feel very bittersweet wondering if I'll see it again and, if so, how many more times before it's over? I've spent a lot of my life either living in SF or daydreaming about SF, and I can sense that era is pretty much wrapping up. So it's always nice to be down there and enjoy it a little more.

We got to the piers and were prepared to pay for garage or lot parking, since few meters will let you buy more than 1.5 hours at a time and we'd need more time than that. But we forgot that many meters stop charging at 6pm. It was near that time already, so we found street parking near the pier and relaxed in the car until 6. Then we just walked over to the piers without having to pay any parking! Yesss.

Jack was already hungry and we still had an hour before we'd be boarding and Don and Merlene had sent us some cash as an anniversary gift, so we walked around the piers looking for a place to get a quick bite and drink. While we were looking we found a window display of large old photographs of the area from decades past. There was even a photo from before there were cars, showing a bunch of horses tied to posts in front of docked ships. Jack and I joked about how someday people will look at photos from this time period and marvel at how far technology has advanced. "Look, they were still using cars. Can you imagine getting around before teleporters?"

We found a cafe very near the pier for our cruise. It was an overpriced organic place, but the nice thing about that was it was pretty empty, even at dinner time on a Saturday. We got a corner table and ordered drinks and a cheese plate, which was completely delicious. It included foccacia and honey and walnuts too. The restaurant had bare bulbs hanging from the high ceiling, big bright windows, and mason-jar type jugs for water. It was a bit hipster but it was clean and pretty, and I got a little buzz off my cocktail and we had a good time just chatting. And we didn't really have to worry about the bill thanks to Jack's parents. That was really nice.

We finished up right around 7pm, so we just walked straight to the boarding area. It was a little rainy, but they had a canopy. It was also a little chilly. I was really glad I'd brought my winter coat. Some women were dressed up in strapless, backless, or short dresses and while they looked great, I felt cold just seeing them. They were letting people onto the walkway to the boat in groups of a dozen or so at a time, and it felt like the anticipation of waiting for a roller coaster.

We were maybe the fourth bunch to get onto the ramp, and then we saw the delay. A professional photographer was taking pictures of each couple or group in front of the boat. We knew we wouldn't be buying our picture later, so we tried to hurriedly take a selfie in front of the boat ourselves, as our own souveneir.

We got on the first deck and checked in to get our reserved table. There were three decks: first one was largest and they got smaller from there. The second deck had a dance floor in the center. When we first walked onto it there was a bar and a lot of tables for groups of 6 or more. Then there was the dance floor, and then the front was lined with windows and tables for two all around it. All the tables had white linen tablecloths and were already set with the fist course, a wedge salad. 

We had got the anniversary package, so our table included a chilled bottle of champagne, Ghirardelli chocolates, and a wrapped gift and card. The gift was two complimentary champagne flutes with the Hornblower's logo. 

We hadn't even left the docks yet and the view was already gorgeous. The Bay Bridge stretched across the many windows lining the dining area, and then to the right we could see downtown SF.

Our server asked us whether we'd like to take the champagne home or open now. I answered quickly "Oh, we're opening it now" and Jack laughed. So the server opened and poured and we sat and sipped and enjoyed the view waiting for everyone else to board. At first they had a DJ picking songs in the background, but then they switched to a live piano player and accompanying singer, and they were very good. Very old-school swing-ish lounge-ish Peggy Lee type thing.

We felt the boat's engines rev up and Jack looked at me excitedly, and then we were off. Jack pointed out that we should go up and outside on the top deck while there was still light out, and I'm so glad he said that. I was going to wait until later but the best pictures and video we got was definitely at dusk before it was too dark to see.

Also the other passengers hadn't really noticed the deck yet, so we were the only ones out there. It was so beautiful because San Francisco is such a beautiful city!

When we got back to our table we decided to go ahead and order the charcuterie plate since Jack was still pretty hungry. While we waited for it we evaluated the set of Ghirardelli chocolates and picked our favorites and split them to taste test. There was milk chocolate or dark chocolate with mint or caramel or raspberry and more. It was fun to munch on with the champagne.

Sailing away from the Bay Bridge.

Side note: I wanted to sip champagne slowly so it would last all night. Well turns out there was more than enough, and even with sipping all night we didn't finish the bottle. It was a nice mellow buzz the whole time, I loved it.

The music was loud enough that it was hard to hear each other across the table, so Jack moved to sit next to me on the cushioned bench. When he did, the guy at the table next to us joked about how Jack has the right idea (the guy was also sitting next to his date on the cushioned bench). 

At some point the DJ played "Let's Get It On" and us and a lot of other couples got up and started dancing. The couple at the table next to us was up there too. The song was just slow enough that I was having a hard time keeping the beat and Jack and I were laughing pretty hard about it by the end.

After the song Jack went to use the restroom and I sat back down at our table. The guy next to us told me he was prepared to reprimand Jack for not getting up and dancing with me but then he saw we were already on the dance floor (and doing some of our swing moves) so kudos to us. I chatted with them a little bit. They looked to be in their early 60s, a little rough around the edges, ordering a lot of beers, very friendly. Apparently they were from Seattle and I found out later they had just gotten engaged.

Jack got back and we sat side-by-side and enjoyed more champagne. The rest of the night is a blur of delicious food and drink, getting up to dance, going outside to see the view, and repeating it all over again.

Every song we found worth dancing to so did plenty of other people, but at just the right level that the dance floor was occupied but not crowded. We slow danced to "When a Man Loves a Woman" but I spent the whole time talking about how terrible the song lyrics actually are. But then they played "Die a Happy Man" by Thomas Rhett, and that was actually really sweet. I think it's the most "real" slow dance Jack and I have ever done, holding each other close and singing it to each other. And it was surreal because at that point we were turning slowly in circles but the boat was turning around too, so everything was slowly double spinning. It was fun though.

After those slow songs all of the sudden they put on "Apple Bottom Jeans"! Way earlier they had already played "I'm Yours" by Jason Mraz and I had texted Renata to say I was thinking of her. Then they played this and it was actually nostalgic. I texted her again and she and I joked that this should have been our friendship anniversary cruise, haha. She said it would've just ended in blue tongues (AMFs).

Anyway, we stepped outside a few other times. First because we thought we were nearly to the Golden Gate Bridge, but it turned out we were only to Sausalito. It was pretty chilly by then but if we stood at the right place on the steps in front of the...steam outlets...? It actually wasn't that cold. We stepped outside again when we were nearing the Golden Gate, and it actually was that cold, so we went back in and enjoyed our dinners (I had filet mignon medium rare, excellent, and he had pan roasted chicken) as we went under the bridge and then back again. No matter how many times I see it or drive across it or, in this case, sail under it, I'm in love with that bridge and that whole area. So beautiful.

Behind me: the underside of the GGB.

Other small notes: one of the other passengers looked like Oberyn Martell of Game of Thrones, happily wining and dining his date. One of the servers looked like a shorter Eliot Stabler. Jack said he still wouldn't mess with the guy.

I thought we were heading back to the docks but the boat passed right by them and went under the Bay Bridge, something I've never done before. It was like a bonus 45 minutes. It was great. We danced more. At some point they played "Uptown Funk" and we tried to do the dance to it but we don't really know it, so we just laughed and continued on. I know there was also "Twist & Shout" (which Jack didn't realize is sung by John Lennon, but he still likes it) and Ed Sheerhan's "Thinking Out Loud." I really like that song too.

We ended the night with chocolate truffle cake and a fresh fruit tart, but actually I was so full I couldn't even finish. 

They put candles in our desserts in honor of our anniversary.

It was getting warm inside so we took our things and waited outside, watching the downtown SF skyline get closer. It's such a lovely city. I really loved the whole thing.

We deboarded and only then was it really starting to rain. Luckily we had brought our umbrella. We walked the few blocks in the rainy downtown SF night to our car, and Jack took us out of the city while I passed out. I even slept over the Golden Gate, unfortunately. About halfway home we switched, and I listened to my iPod and sang along while driving us the rest of the way home.

Then I told mom all about everything before she went home to her hotel. And she told me about the fun and peaceful time she had with Clara all evening, for which I was glad. And thennn I passed out.

It was a fantastic day.