Yesterday got off to a pretty mediocre start because I have a fairly persistent chest cold and I had classes and labs all morning until noon. After that, though, Jack picked me up and we went back to my place and relaxed having lunch and joking around and watching some West Wing. I already planned to not bother trying to do any homework on his birthday so it was very leisurely, which was enjoyable.Eventually we headed back to SF, taking a small detour at a kid's playground and going for a walk first.
10/2/09 We walked through a playground. Jack found a wall he thinks will be idyllic for Wall Ball, and, fittingly, it had this written on it.
We got back to the city and stopped by Safeway, picking up everything for Symphony brownies and Jack's favorite dinner, tortellini. It was a gorgeous day, btw.Back at Dad's I made Symphony brownies while visiting with Neil, Ellen and Jack in the kitchen. These Symphony brownies are even richer than the normal ones, because in addition to the Symphony and brownie parts, we added globs of cookie dough. It was pretty ridiculous...ly awesome.
Symphony cookie-dough brownies.
Jack and I left for a walk down by the bay, through the park, to Ghirardelli Square. It was nearing sunset, which is gorgeous over the bay. We saw a lot of people out for walks and jogs and bike rides. We also saw the Rock Balancer--a man who, as his name suggests, balances rocks. He does this in seemingly impossible ways. We didn't see him at work; we saw him sitting next to his work reading. I'm pretty sure it was him because a) there were amazingly poised columns of rock all around him and b) the coke can sitting next to him was balanced precariously on the edge of the bench he was sitting on. Ha. Jack had never seen the Rock Balancer or his work before, and didn't really believe he just balanced those rocks. I don't know if he thought there was crazy glue involved or what. Pity we didn't get to see the man in action; I've seen him before and it's impressive to watch.Anyway, we got in the seemingly long line for the trolleys but the wait was pleasant, with a wonderful view of the sunset and the bay. Everyone around us was cheerful and friendly. There was a street performer--a guitarist--playing while we waited. He played some Beatles songs and some blues and swing, Benny Goodman and such. He really added to the atmosphere, so we gave him a dollar. This 3-year-old girl tried to do the same, but her dollar blew away and she had to run after it. She didn't seem to mind. Jack and I did a little bit of mini swing dance. :)
Waiting in line for the trolley.
The line moved more quickly than I anticipated because those trolleys look smaller than they are--they fit quite a few people. We were the very first in line when the conductor said the trolley was full and we'd have to wait for another. We asked him if we could just stand on the outside and hold onto the bars (which is the spot we'd wanted to begin with--why wouldn't you?? Much better view than the crowded inside.) He let us. He was collecting everyone's tickets and I only had cash, and he didn't have change. He said he'd come back to us, but he never did. So the ride was free for both of us. Happy Birthday Jack! Haha.
We got to hang off the outside. According to Jack this is the only proper way to ride a trolley.
The ride went over some of the highest hills so the entire bay--Alcatraz, Angel Island, the Golden Gate--stretched out behind us, and the city stretched out before us. It was dusk (which was exactly what I was hoping for) and the various shops and cafe's we rode past were lighting up, people enjoying dinners in the windows. It was almost Thomas Kinkade, but in the city. Jack was amused by how the trolley stops in the center of an intersection for loading and unloading, so all traffic has to stop and wait for us. What a brat. He also liked hanging off the side to see down the steeper hills, and telling the conductor to floor it. Floor a trolley. Yeah. :-PWe did not ride until the end of the line. We jumped off at Union Square which, being a Friday night, was pretty packed. We followed the flow of the crowd into the Westin St. Francis, a high-end gorgeous hotel. I wouldn't tell Jack why we were going in. We walked to the back and waited a few minutes with quite a few people for the elevator. Happily several arrived at once so we were the first on ours, which Jack could immediately see was made of glass. We stood at the back facing the glass and the cement walls outside of it. I hit the highest floor we can go to. The elevator rose a few floors, stopped to let people out, and rose again. Suddenly the outside cement wall ended and we could see the streets on either side of the hotel, plus the other half of the hotel directly in front of us, rising up past our view. But as the elevator kept rising and rising (no matter how many times I take it, I still feel slightly dizzy) it passed the highest part of the hotel front and the view expanded dramatically to include all of Union Square, downtown, the Transamerica, Coit Tower, the Bay Bridge, and the bay itself, which was now moonlit. It's a completely stunning, and free, view. It was excellent.We got off at the top floor, waited a minute or two, then rode back down, enjoying it again. We went back into Union Square to find an enormous marching band along with it's enormous crowd of fans conducting a pep ralley. The band was pretty good, the whole thing felt pretty festive. Then I felt a little strange, because I realized it was the USC Trojans getting themselves pumped to beat Berkeley in football this weekend. Ha.Jack and I kept walking. We walked through some of the shops downtown, with their ridiculously expensive suits and hats and purses and shoes. We walked past some of the nicer restaurants. We made mental lists of the things we want to experience someday when we have real salaries. It was fun to talk about. I like goals. We walked into a small extension of Chinatown, filled with bright colorful lanterns and window displays. Jack found a store that sells the melon popsicles he now loves.
A statue we found while walking through part of Chinatown.
Eventually we veered back into downtown and, after getting only very slightly lost, found the Mandarin Hotel. We walked through past a nice hotel lounge where people were enjoying pretty drinks and one man rolled sushi while another played piano in the background. We took the elevators to the top again. These elevators are normal, indoor elevators with no view, but the top floor has a glass-encased walkway with an amazing view. It's at least 12 floors higher than the view from the Westin St. Francis, and since it isn't a view from an elevator, we were able to stand up there as long as we liked and take it all in. It spanned away from us in both directions. It's only a few blocks from the Transamerica; we talked about how maybe the very topmost floor of the Transamerica is a broom closet, and how the view from there must be even better. Unfortunately it's been closed to the public since 9/11. I traced our frantically-run scavenger hunt path that we blazed during the 2009 SSRO. That run seems even more insane when you can see it in its entirety.Finally we went back, walked to the base of the Transamerica just in time for Neil to pick us up.We got home and Jack and I made tortellini and French bread while I had a glass of red wine and he had a glass of red wine plus a protein shake. Disgusting, I know. We listened to more Benny Goodman and he kept dancing around the kitchen.
Gross.
Neil and Ellen had dinner with us--great conversations. Of course we sang Jack "Happy Birthday" and he blew out the (all black) candles on his Symphony cookie-dough brownies which, btw, are ridiculously rich. I can only eat about half of before feeling it's way too much.
Jack and I decided to try to watch a movie. We made it about 4 and a half minutes into The Rocketeer--long enough to discover that John Locke is in the movie!!--and then we passed out entirely.
