8/19 San Francisco Day 1: Chinatown, N. Beach, Fisherman's Wharf, Golden Gate, Alcatraz

On Tuesday morning, Aleks and I rode the BART from Martinez into the city. But before that happened, we saw next to the BART station an Iraq War memorial, where protesters have set up crosses for every dead soldier so far. So check that out on your commute!



We arrived in the city and checked into the Grant Hotel at 11. The quaint hotel, run by some quiet Asians, gave us a room that had a window view of a brick wall, and it was situated next to a Nude Male Revue. However, it was very close to Chinatown, where we walked around and had Dim Sum at 4 Seas Restaurant. Later, we walked up to N. Beach and Washington Park and saw the church where Joe DiMaggio and Marilyn Monroe got married.

Around 1, we walked further up to the tourist trap Fisherman's Wharf, where we stopped by to play early 20th century arcade games at the Musee Mechanique. Best of all, two young hippie wannabes gave us 2 free tickets (totaling $44) to ride the Red & White tour boat. (We later repaid these benevolent hippies by buying them beer once on board). The tour ride was windy, but nice because it allowed us to see the city from the water along with the Golden Gate Bridge and Alcatraz.

When we arrived back on land, we walked over to Pier 39 to see the lazy seals that barked continuously and pushed each other off their docks.



By 4:00, we were tired from walking and rested at Melt, a wine bar in North Beach before we headed back to the hotel and prepared for dinner. We had dinner at the Foreign Cinema in the Mission District, the dirtiest bum-ridden neighborhood I saw in SF, and it reminded me of the East Village or downtown New Orleans, post-Mardi Gras. Still, the food at the restaurant was terrific: gazpacho, calamari, chicken, and free cocktails--all while watching a vulgar French film.