June 20: back in the swing of SF

Dear Friends and Relatives,

Back in the circuit again, as we both had a great night's sleep.  My leg is now fully operational; my left rib cage is more tolerant with me, and although my sinuses are draining and the voice is scratchy, the tourism gene has kicked back in and I am ready to go once again.  

Before noon, we got started, and our first venue was a wonderful and iconic bakery, Tartine, where Maureen and I shared a pastrami sandwich.  The bread, a "country loaf," was toothy, crisp, and full of flavor, and the portion was just right for the two of us.  It is a small restaurant, so people were also waiting on the sidewalk outside to get in and be served.  Popular place!  After that we went down the street to another iconic place, an ice cream parlor named Bi-Rite, where Maureen had peach ice cream and I had coffee/toffee--an absolutely divine experience!  

From our gustatory pleasures we went on to Fort Point, right next to Golden Gate Bridge.  Fort Point is a masonry seacoast fortification located on the southern side of the Golden Gate Bridge at the entrance to SF Bay.  From its vantage point overlooking the Golden Gate, Fort Point defended SF Bay following California's Gold Rush through WW II.  Maureen and I were eager to see if we could spot any whale spoutings, so we parked and walked all the way to the edge of the point, where we had stunning views of the city, the crashing incoming waves, tankers from faraway places, and about 10 surfers who were riding the waves as they came in.  Although we saw pelicans and seagulls, we were not privy to any whale sitings, though the views more than made up for that lack.  

Then, our next stop was unexpected: the Lincoln Park Steps, at the edge of Lincoln Park on the western end of California Street.  The staircase dates back to the early 1900s.  In 2007 it was renovated, and steps were created by Aileen Barr, who carried out the tile designs.  The 7-year project took care of structural repairs and improvements as well.  The result: a magnificent Beaux Arts-inspired public art installation.  Stunning!

From there, we drove to the Legion of Honor Museum, also at Lincoln Park, to view their splendid Rodins and all the upper level galleries of Medieval, Renaissance, and Mannerist art;  French and Italian Baroque and Rococo art; 17th and 18th century decorative arts; 18th century British art; 17th century European art; Neoclassicism; 19th century European art, and galleries of Impressionist and Post-Impressionist art.  Although I had been to the Legion before, I had seen a traveling exhibit but not the permanent collection, so that was a real treat!

A stop by the grocery store, and then we sauntered home, where we just had a copy of the same dinner as we had last night--in other words, we finished the leftovers.  Looking forward to seeing a special tonight on China, presented on PBS and hosted by the great British art historian Michael Woods.  Perhaps we can also work in another episode of "The Crown" this evening.  Full day, and I think I have regained about 99% of my strength back--thanks be to God!  As ever, Sylvia