Well the holidays have come and gone, and we were scheduled to leave the island on the 27th of December via ferry for our holiday adventure in California. The post deployment holiday I was planning for several months. So, where do I start.
We were up early and ready to go when the sailing cancellation arrived due to fog, followed by the frenzy of trying to get OFF this island, with no success via BC Ferries. After all, it was just after Christmas and if the pandemic has taught us anything, it was that now adays, a ferry reservation is required. No exception for this trip.
We were headed to Seattle to take an early morning flight on the 28th to San Francisco so we needed off the rock. Well despite all my diligent planning, I “forgot” to factor in BC Ferries and cancellations. Been there before. Should of known better. So we packed up our luggage and went to Blackball Ferries to see if we could get one of the non reservable spots on the Port Angeles ferry which only departs twice daily. When we arrived, there was no room on the 1030 am (surprise surprise) but we were encouraged to arrive back at 1120 am to see if we could get onto the 1600 ferry. We went for breakfast across the street and returned at 1120 to successful get a spot on the 1600 without a reservation. The downside: we essentially had 5 hours to kill while we waited. But we did, and we crossed over to Port Angeles via the Coho ferry and arrived safely in Seattle to catch our early morning flight to San Francisco to begin our adventure!
San Francisco is a beautiful city, I think. I say I think, because we greeted to a myriad of weather conditions during our stay. Well actually during our entire holiday. But we made the most of it and just enjoyed our time together.
We spent the first few days of our adventure in San Francisco exploring the streets of Chinatown, the oldest Chinatown in North America covering 24 city blocks, and climbing those ridiculous and epic hills of San Francisco. We walked Fisherman’s Wharf where we were greeted to rain and fog. Because of the weather, we didn’t venture off to Alcatraz and have left that experience for a future trip, along with one of those famous San Francisco trolly car rides. It just didn’t seem worth it to stand in the rain in a line to ride a troller and get wetter. So something to have us to return to the City for. We also spent some time visiting the Chinese Historical Society of America and viewed the “We are Bruce Lee” exhibit.
Our last night in the City was New Years Eve and we indulged in our New Years Eve celebration at an amazing Italian Joint called Fino (finoristorante.squarespace.com) located on Post Street. Absolutely amazing and I would recommend that if you ever find yourself looking for a special meal that you give it a try. I tried some fancy holiday cocktail still on the menu from Christmas, and we shared steamed mussels and a caesar salad to start. Will enjoyed his dark beer and of course, opted for a veal dish, while I chose an entre off the special New Years menu: a ravioli dish with seared scallops. Absolutely incredible food. We left deciding where to go for New Years dinner until the last minute, so we did something unusual for us which was to dine later in the evening, but we returned to our hotel in time to enjoy Andy Cohen and Anderson Cooper ring in the new year and enjoyed our incredible affordable find of the Trader Joe’s Cabernet Sauvignon. As usual, we slept with money in our sock seeking a new year of financial prosperity and good fortune. Although honestly, when your lucky in love, your the richest girl in the world.
Again, if ever in the San Francisco area, I recommend a lovely boutique hotel in Union Square called Hotel Abri and restaurant Fino for an excellent Italian inspired meal. You won’t go wrong.
