April 29

Someone that Len works with told him that we should drive up to Muir Woods (http://www.nps.gov/muwo/index.htm) while we were in San Francisco. It is located 11 miles north of the Golden Gate bridge. We decided to make a day trip up to see it. We had breakfast at the hotel - and it was very good. It took a while to get the car from the valet parking garage - started to push Len's thermostat up - but we loaded up our day pack, filled our water bottles, and headed off. We picked the day that they were demolishing a bridge next to (near?) the Golden Gate, which resulted in crazy traffic, so it took us over an hour to reach Muir Woods. It was National Parks Week, so admission was free - and the park was very crowded. There is a short wooden boardwalk trail that gives you a feel for the redwood forest. It was packed with people in flip-flops and other inappropriate outfits for hiking. We decided to head up one of the longer trails. I agreed to one that was about 2 miles and said it was a moderate hike. We headed off. We hiked for over 2 hours - magnificent trees, magnificent views, the silence is lovely, the scent of the redwoods is mesmerizing. For about an hour, we hiked up and up and up and up, millions :) of stairs carved into the hillsides (mountains!). Len gave several lectures on the merits of a healthy lifestyle and a fit body (he works out every day - I do not). I had to stop now and again to regain my composure (and breath). He was as patient as he is able to be. We went up one trail and crossed over to another on a trail named "Lost Trail" which was the hardest (all uphill) part of the trek. I didn't have significant problems with the brace because the trails are mostly level, it was difficult in spots, but we did it. We celebrated with lunch in the on-site cafe which was serving local organic and vegetarian options. We had grilled cheese and vegan tomato soup (I have no idea what that was made with - tofu? not bad though). We took an alternate route back to bridge, the traffic had died down some, and took an afternoon nap. For dinner we headed out to an upscale vegetarian restaurant called Millennium (http://www.millenniumrestaurant.com/restaurant/index.html). It is located in the lobby of a Best Western Hotel. We found it fascinating that a vegetarian restaurant was packed with people of all sorts; an older couple, a yoga instructor and a woman who looked like she would be having dinner with a yoga instructor, a multi-generation group that looked like a family celebrating some life cycle event. Toto ,we are not in NJ any more! We opted for the $40 fixed price option (next time we will do the $75 tasting menu with wine - the couple next to us did and I was envious). The food was imaginative, fresh, and tasty, with complex flavors and multiple ingredients and spices. The only disappointment was my dessert - I opted for the nightly special which was a vegan strawberry cake - the cake was too heavy and there were not enough strawberries.

April 28

The limo was scheduled to pick us up at 5:30am, he was 5 minutes late and Len was getting antsy. I was just calling him when he arrived. The trip to the airport was smooth. Security was quick and easy. We grabbed breakfasr in the airport. The first leg of our trip, Southwest airlines flight 612 to Denver left on time and mostly empty. Southwest is great. No charge for 2 checked bags, snacks and drinks. Arrived in Denver on time. Lunch in the airport, then off to San Francisco. We picked up our SUV and drove to the Orchard Garden hotel (www.theorchardhotel.com) I choose it because it is a green hotel, as in eco-conscious. Our room is on the 10th floor, very nice, king bed, enormous bathroom with two sinks, shower and tub. The room key has to sit in a slot to turn the electricity on in the room. The guy at the front desk told us that the system paid for itself in about 6 months. There is a rooftop garden a small exercise room, a business center, and a restaurant that uses organic/local ingredients. After a brief rest, we head out to see a little of the city. A two block walk, up hill of course,to the trolley stop where we waited with a lady sporting grey dredlocks adorned with pink ribbons and her companions, all three of them carrying cameras and tri-pods. I overheard her tell another tourist on that they were in SF to learn to do photography. She is now on my list of idols, even thought I don't know her name, because she is doing and learning and wearing dreadlocks and she is definitely over 50. We squeezed on to the crowded trolley and headed up the hill. The first thing we saw was a group of college kids? Girls had their shirts off and the guy mooned us, and I am talking about a full moon! Len says he didn't notice the guy. We walked along the water and through Ghiradelli Square and had dinner at Loris diner and dessert at a Ghiradeli sweet shop, then walked down to the other end of the touristy area neat the Cannery and Pier 39. Lots of people, street musicians, and energy. We got a little lost trying to find the street car stop, I finally asked a limo/taxi? driver waiting by the curb. We rode a streetcar back to the hotel. Very cool. The street cars were "rescued" from cities all over the world and now operate in SF. It was a nice opening evening.