San Francisco Sightseeing

So I am finally getting around to posting the last set of pictures from my anniversary trip to San Francisco with my husband! Getting back from San Francisco and getting into our school schedule has really put me behind on my blogging!

We stayed at the Grand Hyatt Hotel, which had a great view of the city to the north (if you are willing to go out on the fire escape that is... don't tell on me!)

In this picture you can see the Transamerica Pyramid building on the right, and in the distance is Coit Tower. On one of my last days in San Francisco I decided to go to Coit Tower and the Palace of Fine Arts.

I took the Muni so I didn't have to walk all the way there. I loved that for $2 you could ride the bus almost anywhere in San Francisco. On my way to Coit Tower I found the Saints Paul and Peter church. The sun was shining on the golden cross, and I couldn't help but take a picture.

It was a beautiful church, so naturally I went inside. Since it was quiet and mostly unoccupied I snapped a few quick pictures. This one is my favorite.

The church had beautiful architecture and stained glass windows. I was glad that I found it on my path. It was a nice place to take a break before I climbed up all the steps to Coit Tower.

The view from the base of Coit Tower was pretty amazing. I could see the Golden Gate Bridge in the distance, and from the other side I could see the Bay Bridge as well.

You could also see the city for miles around. One thing that was amazing to me during my visit to San Francisco is how EVERYTHING is on a hill. You either go uphill or downhill, there is almost no level ground. If you look at this picture you can see how steep the hills are by the way the rooftops make steps as they go up the hill.

Coit Tower has amazing murals on all the inside walls. They were incredible!

So many different scenes of people and places in California. I could practically devote a whole post to all the pictures that I took there!

I debated paying the $7 fee to go to the top of Coit Tower, but after reading the reviews on Google and Yelp I decided that it wasn't really worth it. Apparently picture taking is not so good from the top of the tower because the view is obscured by windows.

From Coit Tower I caught the bus and headed to the Palace of Fine Arts. Isn't it beautiful?

I loved walking around and taking pictures of the beautiful architecture. I especially loved the inside of the dome.

I really wished I had a wide angle lens because I could not get the entire top of the dome in one picture (even when I was laying on the floor!). The columns were SO tall and the statues of angels at the top are probably life-sized.

There is an Exploratorium at the Palace of Fine arts, but I decided not to go because my kids were not with me and I was not sure how fun it would be for an adult. Instead I noticed on the map that I was within walking distance of Crissy field, so I headed out there.

I was pleasantly surprised to find the beach and the Golden Gate Bridge! Turns out that Crissy field is where they launch sail boats. I got to watch several crews put their boats in the water and sail away on the stiff breeze.

It was really fun to watch. I took my shoes off and walked along the beach. I really loved listening to the sounds of the ocean. I could also hear really loud and low fog horns in the distance. The bottom of the Golden Gate Bridge was completely fogged in! The ships were sounding their horns to avoid running into each other.

After a while I decided to head back to the hotel. Later in the day I went on another excursion. I wanted to go to Postcard Row to see the Painted Ladies.

On my way to catch the bus, I passed by some colorful graffiti. There were some really beautiful murals not too far from Market Street.

I definitely think of this as more "street art" than graffiti. Though we definitely saw some of both on our trip.

Of course I took the bus out to Alamo Square, because we didn't have a car in San Francisco and who can beat $2? I got there at just the right time of day to take my picture.

Apparently this is one of the most photographed locations in San Francisco, and I can see why. I just love this picture! It was fun to hang out in the park for a while and people-watch as well.

On my way back to the hotel I decided to stop at City Hall. It is a pretty ostentatious building, and you definitely can't miss it!

The inside of City Hall was beautiful! I loved all the carvings as well as the beautiful architecture.

This was one more place I wish I had a wide angle lens! Oh well, at least I am not too embarrassed to lay down on the ground to get the best picture I can given my equipment!

I had quite a day of sightseeing! San Francisco really is a lovely place to visit. There is so much to see and do that you can easily stay for a week and not get bored at all. Even when our visit came to an end there were still places that I had not made it to visit. But I did make it to all of the places I wanted to visit the most! I told my husband that I will definitely be going back to the vmworld conference with him another time when it is in San Francisco. Maybe for our 15th anniversary!