The Coldest Winter...

...I ever had was a summer in San Francisco. We rolled into town yesterday and discovered temperatures in the mid-50s! In August! In California! But our short visit thus far has proven quite lovely, and the trip in was even better.

We departed SLO early yesterday morning, but not before discovering more of our hotel's expansive property. After breakfast, we wandered down to the beach to embark on a photographic tour. Quite an adventure along the rocky coastline!

Then it was time to again hit the PCH. As it turns out, the road is even more treacherous north of SLO. And we found it even harder to resist pulling over every half a mile to take pictures--simply gorgeous terrain.

We stopped for lunch in Big Sur at a restaurant called Nepenthe. The food was pretty good, but the views were incredible. To top it off, the waitress mentioned that we were lucky--it had been foggy and overcast for the prior month and a half. The picture to the right is nearly from our table!

After lunch it was back to the highway for another three hours of beautiful driving. We continued along the coast through Santa Cruz, before rolling into the home of the cable car, San Francisco!

The city really is amazing, and not at all like Southern California. Beyond being much colder, it's hillier, more densely populated, and more European feeling. We're staying at the Inn at Union Square, a cute place right in the heart of the action. We met up with local friends Phil and Aileen for dinner last night at Osha Thai on 2nd Street, and the food was terrific. It was great to catch up with more friends, and our local bottle of wine reminded us that we're only a few short days from Napa!

Today, we're off to Fisherman's Wharf via cable car, and then to the Golden Gate Bridge. Beyond that, it's anybody's guess--we have the whole day in the city!