Over the bridge and through the woods

A perfect hot chocolate to start the day, which unfortunately also went down the front of my white shirt, but no matter, it was still a good start to my first tour - over the Golden Gate Bridge (it's painted International Orange FYI), a walk through Muir Woods and finally lunch (Chili & fries) at the pretty seaside town of Sausalito.

In the afternoon for a long time I just chilled out at Fisherman's Wharf, soaking up the sun and unsuccessfully tried my first Soduku puzzle. After feeling my skin starting to burn, I took myself off for a walk, soon stumbling across one of my favourite attractions - Ripley's Believe It or Not!

This freak, Chungking, actually cut a hole in his scalp to hold the candle in place.

This is a disturbing but festive designer fantasty coffin which are made in Ghana. Their coffins reflect the occupation of the dead person, which in this case was for a former president of a local bottling plant.

And this happier one is a mural made from shoe laces and old sneakers. The photo doesn't do it justice; it is so colourful and lively in real life!

Finally, with much anticipation, I finished the day off with some real Mexican nachos and a pineapple flavoured soft drink also from Mexico. And it was delicious!

Oh, I also heard a neat story about the bridge today. To celebrate the 50th anniversary of the opening of the Golden Gate bridge in 1987, it was closed to cars in order to let pedestrians cross it en masse. 50,000 people were expected to cross it but on the day about 800,000 people turned up, which is pretty incredible considering the population of San Francisco was 750,000 at the time. The bridge dipped down 10 feet in the middle.

The hills are alive ... with me panting struggling up and down them

My first day in San Francisco, I walked wherever the many steep hilly streets took me. And first up was Fisherman's Wharf which had a great view of the bay, Alcatrez and some very content sea lions. 

Note the boat name! - Kitty Kat :)

Next was Pier 39 which was very touristy and probably a total ripoff but it had a very entertaining atmosphere. Bubba Gump Shrimp Co was there but I didn't take a photo because I didn't want to look *too* touristy. And so was a Leftoriam, which I past once, but couldn't help but take a peek inside. And here started my souvenir purchasing. Something for Paul - it's a bit mean so I didn't buy one for you Mum :) - and something for Dad - you've probably already guessed what it is. ;)

I didn't know much about San Francisco, so this might be old news to everyone else, but 3/4 of San Francisco was burnt down in 1906. Apparently there was an earthquake that burst the gas and water pipes. Fires broke out all over town, fuelled by the gas, and were able to burn for 3 days because there was no water to put it out. The old Victorian buildings were saved by knocking down blocks and blocks of building to act as a fire break. Most of the houses here are made from Redwood timber, so were highly flammable. You'd never guess it though because it's a beautiful city with a very rich and fascinating culture and the buildings are so cute in all different colours.

This striking green building is owned by Francis Ford Coppola with apparently a very good restaurant he owns at ground level. The other building is the tallest building in San Francisco and had to be built in a pyramid shape so it didn't cast too much of a shadow over the rest of the city.

Little Italy for lunch of Funghi Pizza, which was superb!  I also found a totally groovy shop and bought something for Jack (x2), Steve, Paul and me. After Little Italy, I hit Chinatown but thankfully only bought a bracelet made of duck mahjong bone tiles. Don't hurt ducks.

In the afternoon, I only barely was able to drag myself up the massively steep Telegraph Hill to visit art deco Coit Tower which gives a 360 degree view of  the San Francisco area. The main reason I wanted to see it though, was for the 1933-34 Diego Rivera-inspired murals depicting the struggles of working class Americans. The murals are very commanding.

In the evening, Andrew and I went on a night tour of San Francisco - it was very cold and bumpy - but the tour guide, Reed, was really friendly and full of fascinating San Francisco history and local tips (like a fitness centre that operates out of an old cinema, so while you work out you can watch movies on a big screen!).

We had dinner at America's oldest Italian restaurant and, happily, ended up where I always end up - a yummy chocolate shop - and had a lovely flat walk home. 

5 great things about LAX

1. I didn't get shot, stabbed or mugged on my 100m dash between the international to domestic terminal
2. Starbuck's Salted Caramel Hot Chocolate (OMG - total taste sensation!!)
3. Gladstone's "world famous" chowder while watching Gridiron on a widescreen (great service and the best/first chowder I've ever had)
4. American service - turns out Americans are really chatty and polite (so much for the "friendly Australian" sterotype, I was a total grumble-bum going through customs which took *forever*)
5. A vending machines with ... wait for it ... ipods, nintendo ds, phones and cameras!

But you really have to try a Salted Caramel Hot Chocolate yourself, I absolutely insist! Here's a recipe I found on the internets for the extremely delicious drink.

Alice’s Salted Caramel Hot Chocolate Recipe

Ingredients:
3 tablespoons Caramel syrup, heated to luke warm
Hot Chocolate
Canned Whipped Cream
Pinch of Medium Coarse Sea Salt

Directions:
Pour 2 Tablespoons of caramel syrup into a mug so the inside of the mug is coated well.  Add hot chocolate and stir everything.  Top off with with cream, drizzle with remaining caramel, and sprinkle with sea salt.

We won!!!

Last Thursday Andrew, Adam and I discovered that our idea, Play It! Say It!, is one of the winning ideas in the 2010 Bodyshock the Future competition! Thanks big time to everyone who helped us with our entry and who supported our idea by voting for it.

Thrillingly, this means that Andrew and I will be presenting our idea, in person, at The Institute of the Future in Palo Alto next week, 8th October 2010. At the same time, we will have the opportunity to meet with Microsoft and other organisations and people related to gaming and mental health who will help us make Play It! Say It! a reality.

Of course, I'm also looking forward to seeing America for the first time, so I hope you follow me on my two week trip, following our work and fun in California.