Our hotel and the cable car

Thanks to a generous gift from Faythe and Ryan*, Apollo and I stayed at Handlery Union Square Hotel while in San Fran.

This is the view from Union Square looking towards our Hotel. If you squint, or click on the image, you can see the sign that has a large H on it just behind the cable car. As you can see, this is a busy area.

I'm not sure if Faythe and Ryan provided the champagne and chocolate or if it was a gift from the hotel. Reality is even if it was from the hotel, it's an indirect gift from Faythe and Ryan, thanks again guys!

Speaking of cable cars, at first we avoided them (we couldn't believe it was $5 one way) but eventually we learned it was the lesser of two evils. Once we were waiting for the trolley at Fisherman's Wharf and after about 45 minutes, we gave up and caught a ride with a limo driver that stopped by, trying to make a quick buck while he was on his break. Of course, he charged a bit much at $5 a ride, but it was definitely worth it. It was raining, dark, and we were at the end of the line. We knew it'd be impossible to get a ride on the next trolley that came through.

Eventually, we gave in and took a cable car ride to FisherMan's wharf. This is after we took the trolley to pier 1 and walked to pier 39 the day before. Let's just say we were tired. Oh yeah, and that's when we got the street rumble pics. Anyway, this was Apollo's favorite spot on the cable car, in the back, talking to new people and the person operating the brakes. Both times we took the cable car, he was sure to reserve this spot for himself. Sorry about the sillhouette...but it's hard to take pictures of this man for, well, obvious reasons.

If you know Apollo, you know he's one friendly guy. Every where we go, he knows someone. It doesn't matter if it's Disneyland or Tijuana! He will meet someone that he knows, and not just an acquaintance either. Well, I think this trip was the first time he didn't know anyone. Of course, by the end of our stay, he'd made some friends. This was a German guy that he talked to a lot on one cable car ride. I don't know his name but I'm sure Apollo does. We also met and talked to a family from LA that visits San Diego a lot. Who knows, Apollo may run into one of them this summer. After a couple days, he was doing the the hand pound with almost every employee at the hotel and a few people up and down the street in various shops and deli's.

At one point, the person who controlled the brakes asked for a few people to get off and help push. Apollo was one of the first people (he always likes to do muscley things) to join in and push the car so it could start back up the hill. It's a good thing he was wearing his do-rag. Faythe and I always tease him and act like it's his Black Man cape. We usually play with it and make it stick out in the back like a proper cape does when super-powers are being used and then say "BLACK MAAAAN" real loud. In my head, I'm always imagining some sort of super-hero music too...

Typical touristy shot showing the hill the cable car traveled. At this point I was glad that we paid and didn't opt to walk for exercise.

This is one of my favorite photos from the trip. I love the saturated colors and how they're reflecting off the wet ground.

*probably not a grandma safe site