Jon and I met Dad and Helen at their house for a quick coffee, bagel, macerated strawberries and papaya juice and hit the road. We had to make it to City Segway Tours in Fisherman’s Wharf by 9:45. We were there a bit early and met Johannes….a lively, gray-haired man with a slim physique. He would be our tour guide for the next 3 hours. We started off by viewing a short video on how to ride a Segway and followed the video with a practice session. After the session, our group took off. We had an intimate group….it was Jon, me, another couple, and Johannes. We started our trek in Fisherman’s Wharf. He showed us everything…and was full of information and interesting tidbits about the area. We had great weather and picture-perfect views of the Golden Gate Bridge, Alcatraz, and the San Francisco Bay. Riding a Segway is like nothing I’ve ever done before. The key to riding a Segway is pretty simple….you just step onto the Segway and stand straight while holding onto the handle bars. Turning is super easy….and backing up only involves leaning back ever-so-slightly. When going up hills, you lean forward…going down, you lean back slightly. You can play on them as well, making fun slalom-like moves and 360 degree turns. When we finally got back, we felt pretty confident with our Segway skills. We both really enjoyed this tour. It was a great way to see the city, for sure!

Afterwards, we headed over to the enormous Boudin Bakery which has a bakery, giftshop, cafe and restaurant upstairs. We had a wonderful lunch…I had the crab and corn bisque in a sourdough bread bowl. The Boudin Bakery was the first bakery to make sourdough bread. I grew up on this sourdough bread and no other bread company really compares. It is the best….something to do with the water and yeast! After lunch, we drove up to Coit Tower on Telegraph Hill. I was hoping to see the infamous wild parrots. If you haven’t already seen the documentary film, The Wild Parrots of Telegraph Hill, do yourself a favor and rent it. Johannes, our Segway tour guide had mentioned that the parrots are still around and that they have multiplied in numbers. Unfortunately, we didn’t see any.

We drove over to Japantown afterwards and perused the unique shops. Jon bought some interesting shoes and I purchased beautiful origami paper. We stopped at the mochi goshi bakery (see bottom picture to the left) and Dad & Helen bought some mochi goshi. Growing up as a child, this was one of my favorite desserts during the holidays. It’s basically a sweet, glutenous rice paste filled with a sweet bean paste and lightly coated with powdered sugar. It sounds bizarre, but it’s wonderful in every sense.

We decided to have dinner at this Moroccan restaurant on 32nd and Clement. I can’t remember the name, but it was AMAZING. The exterior of the restaurant had beautiful tile work and as you stepped inside, you felt like you were stepping into Morocco. There were plush, low couches everywhere with low round tables and small poufs to sit on, as well. All the walls and ceilings were draped in colorful fabrics. Our server came out with a giant tea kettle and poured warm water over our hands so that we could clean them. He gave us each a towel to dry our hands and keep for the rest of the evening. There were no utensils…we would be eating with our hands or scooping up food with slices of bread. We started our meal off with a delicious lentil soup. Each of us cleaned our bowl. The next dish was a platter which included marinated carrots & cucumbers, an eggplant tapanade and a tomato relish. Again, we consumed the entire platter. The next dish included a puff pastry filled with chicken and veggies and topped off with powdered sugar….WOW. Again, we devoured the dish. It reminded me of funnel cake or fried dough that was stuffed with a savory filling. I ordered the fish tagine special for my main meal which was made up of baked seabass, lemon, olives, capers, and a delicious red sauce chock full of wonderful herbs and spices. It was served with couscous on the side. Jon had ordered the chicken, onions and sweet raisin entree which he loved. My Dad and Helen loved their dishes, as well. For dessert, they brought out another platter that had deep-fried banana fritters and a paper-thin pastry with sweet cream and honey, I believe…not quite sure exactly. It was a wonderful Moroccan feast and we thoroughly enjoyed every minute of it! After dessert, he brought out hot, mint tea which was a great way to end the meal. While sipping the mint tea, a beautiful belly dancer came out into the restaurant and starting dancing…it was mesmerizing, not only to the men, but to the small children and women! I really enjoyed the belly-dancing and I think my Dad and Jon enjoyed it that much more!

All in all, it was an incredible day….one that we will remember forever! My Dad and Helen were extremely gracious hosts, as always, and I’m glad we were finally able to come out to San Francisco to see them again. Next time, we won’t wait 4 years. I have to say, still to this day, San Francisco is by far, the best city…from the attractions, scenic views, the weather, to the unbelievable selection of fabulous restaurants. I really miss this place! Time to pack up…first breakfast at The Cliffhouse with Dad & Helen, than we continue our journey back to Vermont.

Yesterday was a fantastic day! We ended up having our favorite food in San Francisco…Dim Sum with Dad and Helen!!! Yummy! If any of you don’t know what Dim Sum is….it’s a style of Chinese cuisine where they come out and you select various small plates of food which might include sticky rice, steamed pork buns, steamed scallop dumplings, spinach and shrimp dumplings, egg rolls, flat egg noodles stuffed with pork and veggies….and the list goes on! If you have never had Dim Sum…you are missing out on one of life’s greatest culinary delights! So, after consuming more than we probably should, we headed over to Golden Gate Park to the California Academy of Sciences and spent about 2 hours completely enthralled. I don’t know what was more fascinating….the 4-story rainforest or the aquarium! I loved the rainforest….it was filled with interesting flora and fauna, gorgeous butterflies, parrots, and various tree frogs and lizards. A butterfly landed on my pinkie finger as I was taking a photo of another butterfly! It was heavenly. The aquarium was amazing too! You really have to see this place. We headed over to the Japanese Tea Garden afterwards. I had never visited this garden while growing up in SF, but I’m glad I was finally able to see it now since I have a greater appreciation for gardening and landscaping. We checked out the gift shop after perusing the lush gardens and we met Helen’s brother…Uncle Benh! I hadn’t seen him in decades! He volunteers at this gift shop, as well as, the wonderful bakery in Japantown where they sell mochi goshi (not sure of correct spelling). After an epic day in Golden Gate Park, we ended the evening at Bella’s…a nice Italian restaurant fairly close to where my Dad and Helen live, in the Richmond District. Jon got his favorite dish, gnocci, while I opted for my Dad’s recommendation, the lobster ravioli. What a perfect day! Could it get any better than this?