From the Mission we took a short bus ride to The Castro which is San Francisco's Gay/ Theater district. Off in the distance we could see the Twin Peaks. It was clouding over a bit when we were here, and this was probably the only time when we didn't have a blue sky while on our trip. The neighborhood is very pleasant, very eclectic, clean and busy. It is a very gentrified area however, there were no shortage of small locally owned shops and boutiques. Of course that building on the corner was a Diesel store. We sat looking at it for a while when we were waiting for a bus to take us towards Haight-Ashbury and the Golden Gate Park. They had a ridiculous ad campaign displayed prominently in their windows. It is called "Be Stupid" (link to a blog showing some of the ads) and I stared at in disbelief.
Here is the famous Castro theater that forms the centerpiece of the community.
Before heading all the way to the Haight, we did stop off to see these Victorians called the painted ladies. Of course, like many of you, I am ashamed to admit that it is the bad TV show "Full House" which comes to mind when I see these. Hey when I was 12, I looked forward to ABC's TGIF line up. What can I say I was a lame only child who didn't have an older brother, and since my father was working either at the golf course or second shift at BIW at the time, he wasn't around to correct my error either. Although he surprisingly always had a high tolerance of his son the sissy. Anyway, I'm getting side tracked. Kate and I sat in Alamo Square Park which has a beautiful location on a hill in the middle of many picturesque Victorian homes and apartment buildings. It was a good time for a little break in the sun, and a chance to watch the people enjoying the neighborhood with their dogs and children.
This Whole Foods is decidedly interesting looking. This is the edge of the Haight-Ashbury district. It seemed old looking at the time, however according to wikipedia Whole Foods did not start expanding west out of Austin Texas where it hails from until 1989.
An interesting wood carving above a doorway in the Haight.
The smell of weed was often in the air, but there are just as many tourists walking these streets as there are counter culture people. Head shops and dispensaries abound, as well as the novelty shops catering to the college/ youth crowds. 
After walking through extensive expanses of this heaven for hippies and granolas we stumbled upon Golden Gate park. Immediately we were greeted with the rhythmic music of a drum circle. A few dozen people were dancing in circa- 1960s flower dresses and hemp ware. Many others were crashed on the grass or blankets, often with small children in tow while the pot smoke was thick in the air. Same beat on the drums over and over and over again. I was just kidding with Kate the other day that Boston really needs a drum circle group, and that perhaps it was my calling. If I did set one up, we would meet in the nicest park in the most pretentious neighborhood around. Perhaps Brookline or Wellesley.
The building below is a Conservatory of Flowers, however we did not make it there in time to see the inside because it closed at 5:00 pm.
I really wanted a snack while in the park however, I wasn't able to find anything satisfactory. We went to several stands which either did not have what I wanted, or were closed. We walked to Stow Lake, which is more of a canal than a lake, because there is a large island in the center that causes the body of water to have a sort of doughnut or "o" shape. We continued walking quite a ways taking in the scenery, however at some point in the interest of saving time we hopped on a Bus to get to Ocean Beach. The windmill seen below is part of Golden Gate Park adjacent to the beach.
The sun was beginning to set when we arrived at the beach. There were several large groups of people there huddled around a few bonfires. Kate's guidebook suggested that this is a popular activity that occurs here.
A look from the beach back towards the city. The neighborhood was very safe, don't be fooled by the prevalence of graffiti on the retaining wall.
Ahhh...
For supper we headed back towards the town center and stopped in the Western Addition on Divisadero St. to go to Little Star Pizza. Little Star makes an excellent deep dish pie. It has a sort of hipster atmosphere and my only complaint about the place was the noise level. Because of the shallow dining room proportions there was a significant echo such that the talking of the patrons made it difficult to hear Kate, as well as the music playing. They had an excellent selection in their jukebox, largely because I felt it was very close to my own music collection. I was tempted to go up there and take notes to see if it could suggest bands and albums that were absent from my own catalog.
Afterwards it was that time of night, and we hopped back on the bus to go back to the Holiday Inn.
The sun was beginning to set when we arrived at the beach. There were several large groups of people there huddled around a few bonfires. Kate's guidebook suggested that this is a popular activity that occurs here.
A look from the beach back towards the city. The neighborhood was very safe, don't be fooled by the prevalence of graffiti on the retaining wall.
Ahhh...
For supper we headed back towards the town center and stopped in the Western Addition on Divisadero St. to go to Little Star Pizza. Little Star makes an excellent deep dish pie. It has a sort of hipster atmosphere and my only complaint about the place was the noise level. Because of the shallow dining room proportions there was a significant echo such that the talking of the patrons made it difficult to hear Kate, as well as the music playing. They had an excellent selection in their jukebox, largely because I felt it was very close to my own music collection. I was tempted to go up there and take notes to see if it could suggest bands and albums that were absent from my own catalog. 
Afterwards it was that time of night, and we hopped back on the bus to go back to the Holiday Inn.
Below is a view out the F train window that we boarded. This train had an interior that reminded me of a school bus. It was really retro, and I really dug it. Through the window you can catch a glimpse of 
The school bus-like interior. Isn't it fantastic?
Typically in this day in age when we hear someone say "Civic Center" we think of some where we might go to see a concert, the circus, the ice capades or watch a hockey game. However in San Francisco the 
This newer and very Spanish looking church is adjacent to the Mission. When we walked by they were holding a wedding. The Mission district is actually named for these structures which lie on the perimeter.
This is a shot of Mission Street. It is a very busy neighborhood, with the type of foot traffic you come to expect in NYC neighborhoods. It is loud, aromatic, and has a edgy, and yet somehow a close knit feel to it. The side walk had accents (colored tiles) much like they often do in various chinatowns. The area is also known for its murals painted on buildings. A McDonalds- the traditional flat one story type, has a location here and is completely covered in murals. 
Some examples of the murals and the colorful store fronts with a Latin flare.
Our guidebook said this place had the best burritos in town. LaTaqueria is said to be a favorite for locals rather than a popular tourist destination. They even had "head" tacos on the menu. I stuck with the carnitas burrito, a side of chips and salsa, which Kate and I split (AWESOME pico de gallo salsa- tons of cilantro and onions!). Kate went with the always good- chicken burrito. We originally wanted to go to a taco truck, but the only ones we saw were Ecuadorian. I'm assuming there are more around on week days.
