We went to check out Golden Gate park for the weekend. We started at the west end, with the Queen Wilhelmina Tulip Garden and the Dutch Windmill.
They spelled out "HOPE."
The onto the archery range.
Although it's been a while, so we both cut our hands on the feathers as we released the arrows.
A bird hanging out on the side mirror when we got back to the car.
Ogii and the bird.
Watching the bison eat grass.
The casting pool.
A long tree.
By Spreckels Lake. Sometimes there are people driving model yachts here, but it was too early.
The first time we saw a bunch of cars.
They're all here to play disc golf, even though it's only 8am.
Are these for people to use?
Most of the players had these backpacks customized to hold the disc golf frisbees.
This shows where goals are, but we didn't really know how to read it.
So we just threw in that direction until we saw the basket.
Lloyd Lake.
With the Portals of the Past monument.
A female duck sleeping while the male keeps watch.
A small waterfall.
With lots of bubbly foam at the bottom.
THe stream that runs into it is green.
Ogii with some flowers.
A fuzzy plant.
Us on another twisty tree.
Coyote alert. We had actually seen one walking across the road early in the morning.
The botanical garden.
Spikey plant.
A huge leaf.
Lots of stringy parts.
Berries.
Ogii liked taking pictures of all of the flowers.
A poppy still wrapped up from the night.
Purple flowers.
This area was supposed to have flowers that had strong smells, so of course we had to smell them.
An open area.
A huge tree.
Commemorating the visit of the emperor and empress of Japan in 1975.
This flower is as big as Ogii's head.
The branches curve downward but then curve back up.
Bamboo.
People carved their names in it.
Lots of pinecones still on the branch.
Ogii liked all of the purple flowers.
This was our favorite, though.
It looked like it had lots of ribbons inside. After Googling a bit, it seems to be a Leucospermum, or Scarlet Ribbon.
Ogii on a little patio above water.
Me by some columns.
These palm trees have white trunks.
Entrance to the Japanese Tea Garden.
On a bridge.
With Buddha.
A little restaurant.
Where you can sit outside and eat.
A good fortune.
So many shades of green.
Another little lake.
Big gazebo.
Raked stone garden.
Another little pond.
On a small bridge.
Just outside.
There are a few fairy houses in the park.
This one is in a fallen tree just west of the Japanese Tea Garden.
The park also had a ton of wide-open meadows.
An old log cabin.
Ducks hanging out with a turtle on a log.
We rented a rowboat on Stow Lake.
We went under one bridge.
I got a bit too close to the bank here and was attacked by a tree.
A waterfall.
A gazebo.
Ogii's turn to row.
They also rented paddle boats, and some people would dock them on the little island in the middle and wander around.
Another bridge.
More turtles. The big black ones seemed fake, like they were made out of metal, until they moved.
Good thing we got there early; there was a big line when we returned the boat.
Some food trucks near the Music Concourse.
There are supposed to be two more fairy doors around here somewhere, but there are a ton of trees to look through.
Found one.
People put letters and such inside.
A more natural-colored one.
With some pictures.
Noticed this note on my car when we got back.
Eh, it's a pretty small dent. Google says you can often just pour hot water on it and it will pop out. If not, no big deal, I can just leave it, so I messaged them and said don't worry about it.
We stayed at The Inn San Francisco, an old Victorian mansion which had been turned into a hotel. We can barely get our car doors open in this little space, though.
They had reserved parking across the street in this garage, but it was also very tight in there. Thankfully there wasn't a fifth car, so I managed to turn the Prius around 180 degrees so we didn't have to back out. They had recommended bringing as small of car as possible; they weren't kidding.
Up a few steps.
To the entry room.
And another.
Our room.
And bathroom.
A little patio out back.
And a hot tub.
Up some stairs.
Including some winding ones.
To the roof.
With a panoramic view of the city.
Stained glass.
Nice sculpture.
Less than a block away was Limon, a Peruvian restaurant.
We'll try some specials.
Ogii with a pisco sour and sangria.
The food was really good.
Then we headed to the wharf. Ogii is very lucky with parking; someone had left this meter with enough money to last until you didn't have to pay any more.
And it was the absolute closest spot to the wharf.
I don't remember seeing vendors with hot dogs last time, but there's a ton of them now.
The sea lions.
A couple fighting while a baby scratches its cheek with its tail.
A bunch of locks.
Back at the hotel. It's still an old building, and they ask you to not use these stairs as they creak.
Ogii is too short for the mirror in the bathroom. Then again, so am I.
Breakfast on the patio.
The owner is still there and is very friendly.
A duck by the fireplace.
Shoes.
Candle holder.
Another.
A lamp.
Another.
Another.
A painting.
Old chair.
One more.
The chandalier.
Leaving the garage.
Less than an inch of clearance on each side.
And then you still can't see if cars are coming from either direction. This would be way too much of a pain to deal with every day to live here.
The de Young Museum.
Lots of sculptures.
Trees growing in rocks between buildings.
I bet this is multiple different AIs with different goals all bunched together, where each AI's directives take over the whole alternately.
Yep.
Small elevator, big elevator.
A bathroom for anybody.
Ogii likes jigsaw puzzles, but I don't think she'd like these; they're a solid color but gradient shade.
Various San Francisco books. I wonder of the Instagram one has different people's photos? I'd think that wouldn't be legal.
A big bench.
Sculpture garden.
By a big one.
Made of metal.
A sphere.
Bees.
I don't know if it's really art, though.
Bees get cranky if disturbed.
A bench surrounded by flowers.
Dew droplets on a leaf.
This way to Skyspace.
Down a tunnel.
I guess this is it.
A kind of creepy sculpture of a head.
That's scary.
Gift in memory of her husband. Did she love him or hate him?
Another creeky one of a person.
Again, maybe he hated his mother.
Interesting overhang.
Fat palm trees.
The Califronia Academy of Sciences is just across the way.
They were sold out for the day; too bad for the people hoping to just walk in.
The t-rex has a mask.
Skulls of human ancestors.
Ogii by the penguins.
Me by some giraffes.
Pretty snake.
A collage of animals looks like a hummingbird.
Very colorful.
Ogii petting a tortoise.
Neon fish.
Rays. The really big guy almost never moved.
Variety.
A pond with some snapping turtles and an albino alligator.
We thought it might be fake, but then it swam a bit. We were hoping a turtle would bite its toe and they would fight, but no such luck.
A big aquarium.
Another one.
A fish hiding under a rock.
More neon fish.
Weird growth.
Scorpion fish; don't want to step on them.
Jellyfish.
Living sand dollars.
Some nice fog pictures.
A PB&J sandwich for $9? No thanks.
Lucky plate for an Asian.
Flower sculptures.
I wouldn't want to bicycle up some of the hills in this city.
A video of some of our activities.