Tourist in my Own City - San Francisco with ChRi

After PMX, ChRi came up to San Francisco for a few days! We'd made plans to spend the day together on Thursday, the 10th.

I picked her up at her hostel and we headed toward the Golden Gate Bridge for breakfast. We ate at a wonderfully priced cafe called The Art Bistro. I highly recommend it!

We then drove across the Golden Gate Bridge. Fog hung lightly in the air. We stopped at Vista Point to enjoy a breathtaking view of the Bay Area. We then drove to Fort Point, a location featured in Alfred Hitchcock's movie Vertigo, which is a movie that I personally have yet to see but ChRi adores.  It was directly underneath the Golden Gate Bridge. We explored the fort, taking photos inside and out, even when we climbed to the very, very windy top.

Right after we got out of the car, we were greeted by the splash of waves.

The view from the bottom of the fort.

The view from the top of the fort.

ChRi looks out a window.

Alcatraz in the distance.

The underside of the Golden Gate bridge, as viewable from a high window inside the fort.

The Golden Gate Bridge from a different window.

My dear car stares at the bridge.

Afterwards, we went to the Palace of Fine Arts, which was very close nearby. We walked around the grounds, admiring the birds, wildlife, and magnificent architecture.

A panorama of the Palace of Fine Arts.

Inside the Palace.

A close-up.

An exit of the palace.

The surrounding pillars.

We even saw a swan bathing!

We then noticed a modern-looking building beside the Palace. It was a new museum called the Innovation Hangar, just recently opened in 2014. We learned about 3D printing, looked at incredible pieces of modern artwork, and enjoyed an "art station", where construction paper tablecloths were laid out for visitors to doodle on.

My doodle...

...and Chri's! 

We then made one final stop in Japantown, where we visited the New People building that houses Baby, the Stars Shine Bright and MaruQ. We ate dinner at Mifune, shopped at Daiso, then I dropped her off and drove home.

It was such a fun-filled, adventurous day!