San Francisco With The Girls

On Thursday the 7th of February, Jennifer and Laura and I went over to San Francisco to see the Girl With The Pearl Earring.  The  traveling Dutch Masters Art Exhibit is just wonderful and I wrote about it a few weeks ago when Jim and I went to the preview.  You can read more about it here.  http://tinyurl.com/atqk3nc

We had to be there early as our appointment to view the art was at 9:30.  So we were up early to battle the compute traffic and find a parking place near the De Young.  It was rainy and miserable out.  It was the first day that didn't feel like spring in a long time.   Everything went flawlessly and we got in right on time and the viewing of the painting and some of Rembrandt's etchings and painting was great.  I love how they limit the number of people in the gallery at one time so that you are not knee deep in others.  It really enhances the experience so much to view the paintings with no one in front of you.

The other thing I loved about being with our girls is they enjoy the same pace of museum viewing that I do.  Not to mention any names but...this is not the case when I go with their dad.  We women basically love looking at what we came for and some of the rest of the collection, but do not feel bound by every piece of art and its caption.  Similar pacing is essential when doing museums and shopping with others.  We three are single-minded on both of these which makes for a perfect day, each and every time we do it. 

 I enjoy being with them so much and I love to watch them interact with each other.  Sometimes it feels like they have their own special language.  When they are together it is like no time has passed.  They are such a blessing to me and the closest thing to having my own sisters that I will ever experience in this life.  There is always a longing for them within me when we are all in separate places.  But that does make each and every time we are together all the more special.

We were all going to wear Pearl Earrings

 to the exhibit but none of us actually did!

Note it was not even threatening rain when we came out of the museum.  The clouds parted and it was sunny and bright the rest of the day.  Our next stop was The Ferry Building.  The girls love to go there so we did whatever they wanted to do.  You know me, I enjoy it all.

The Ferry Building is right on the water and has the big clock on the front of it.  It faces the Bay and Treasure Island and Oakland.  It was once the place where people caught the ferries to cross the bay or they disembarked here after coming west from Oakland.  It has been turned into a shoppers delight for all things gourmet, fresh cut flowers, chocolate, baked goodies and one of a kind gift items. 

 It has also got some fun little eateries and a nice deck overlooking the bay.  We sampled a few little things they had.  Each weekend morning the whole place is alive with a big farmer's market and music and people cooking all kinds of wonderful breakfasts served on paper plates from portable carts out on the Embarcadero deck.  It is honestly so delightful with the early morning sea breezes and the wafting aroma of outdoor cooking and the squawking seagulls.  It is one of our favorite places to take pictures.

Here are some shots of the inside of the historic building.  This was taken on a different trip quite early in the morning.  By the time the girls and I arrived it was teaming with City dwellers out enjoying the day.

The California Seal tiled on the floor.

A recently added mural

Truffles, the mushrooms from Italy, 
not the chocolate...
are all the rage in fancy cooking these days. 
 We saw them every where all week long! 
Extremely pricey!

The knit shop...

It is not good to be cute in everything you touch... 
So glad I am not afflicted with this curse.

Did you know that San Francisco is only 3 miles east to west and 7 miles north to south.  It is a tiny City with a big impact.  So even though we were on the further most eastern point at the Ferry Building, it didn't take us long to go to the ocean where we had lunch at the Beach Chalet.  This is one of our favorite places as the view of the ocean on a good day is spectacular and the prices are reasonable and the food is very nice.

The Beach Chalet

The ground floor of the restaurant is a little art gallery of murals that have been painted years ago reflecting life in the old days in San Francisco.  They are very pretty and cover the eight foot walls.  Times have changed indeed. Note, not a skinny person in the lot of 'em!

Below...upstairs to the dining room

The view!

The Club Salad with Filet Mignon.  Yummy!

It was a nice relaxing lunch/dinner and then we headed for home for instant jammies and the movie about The Girl With the Pearl Earring.  We all loved the movie and thinking about having just seen it that very morning.  We were all amazed by the resemblance between Scarlett Johansson and The Girl.  And dessert was, Mr. Darcy!  Is there a woman alive that doesn't find Colin Firth delightful in any role?  He was good as Vermeer.  A perfect ending to an incredible day.  Ahhh, I miss the girls.