I left my heart...

This is the third time I have traveled to San Francisco, and each time I go I find that I love the city more and more. Despite the fact that I'm not a big fan of urban sprawl, the beautiful architecture and the rich, unique character of the city leaves me yearning for more. Kristen and I noted that despite the fact that our time has been full during both our visits to San Francisco, we still have a very long list of things we want to do and see there.

Our trip began at the Palace of the Legion of Honor, an art museum that can be seen in the Alfred Hitchcock classic Vertigo. The museum has a great collection, a few pictures of which can be seen below.

Center in the courtyard is a cast of what may be French sculptor Auguste Rodin's most famous work, The Thinker. Known as a symbol of philosophy, this cast was made under the direction of the artist around the turn of the century, and is the most visible part of the museum's Rodin collection, the largest outside of the Musee Rodin in France. Though I know a lot less about sculpture than I should, I was moved by the beauty of his work.

The Kiss, 1884.
The Prodigal Son, 1889.

Here are two other works of art that I enjoyed:

Forest Interior, Cezanne, 1898-1899.

After the visit to the Palace of the Legion of Honor, we ate lunch at an Indian Restaraunt. Those of you who know me may find this surprising...I am, after all, someone who prefers my cheeseburgers with cheese and meat only. But Kristen has been pushing me to experience new kinds of food, and I must say that our visit to the India Clay Oven was a great experience. The atmosphere was great and the buffet allowed me to try a number of different dishes. If you're ever in San Francisco, check it out!

One of the best things about our visit to San Francisco was the fact that we spent time before our visit researching and locating the best cheap eats in the city. Instead of eating at chains or whatever was closest, we had our meals at some of the best hole-in-the-wall places in the city. I told Kristen that it was definitely one of the highlights of our trip, and I would recommend the ahead of time research to anyone planning a trip to San Francisco.

Next, we visited the botanical gardens in Golden Gate Park. Because of San Francisco's mild climate, plants from all over the world can be grown there. The park is huge and is laid out by country and region, so you can walk through native Australian flora and next experience an Asian bamboo forest. Here are just a few of the many pictures we took.

On our way back to the hotel, we had to stop and visit the famous "Painted Ladies." Featured on the intro to Full House, these Victorian mansions are beautiful examples of the architecture of the city.

Our second day began with a visit to Grace Cathedral, an imposing Episcopal church between Nob Hill and Union Square. It's a beautiful church, and a landmark of the city.

We're kind of dorks when it comes to Alfred Hitchcock movies, and Vertigo, filmed in San Francisco, is one of our favorites. We spent a little time in the afternoon looking for a real-life piece of the film- the apartment where "Scottie," Jimmy Stewart's character, brings the character played by Kim Novak after she nearly drowns in the bay. Here's the door, painted a different color but mostly unchanged from when the movie was filmed in the mid 50s.

Much of our second day was spent just walking around. We spent some time at the infamous tourist trap Pier 39, and walked through the neighborhoods of North Beach, hiking up to Coit Tower in the afternoon.

Finally, this is what I love about San Francisco so very much. The steep neighborhood streets, unique city skyline and beautiful Victorians are just beautiful in the late afternoon.

So the trip was great, and we did a lot in 2 days. But it was still all too short... I guess now's the time to start planning trip #3!