So... the general plan was for a few friends I met online (probably not the soundest of ideas) to meet up in SF for a get together. One was visiting from Canadia (I'll call him Mr. J + sister Ms. J) and the rest of us were from the Bay. Three of us would make the drive into SF (Mr. S and Mr. K).
Here's how it all started. I got picked up around 10:30 by Mr. S and then we had to go to Fremont to pick up Mr. K. On the way there, we got lost for a bit (didn't print out mapquest directions) but eventually made our way there. But once we got there (once again because of our lack of mapquest directions), we didn't have a house number. To complicate things, Mr. K wasn't picking up his phone, so we drove around blind for a good 10 mins.
To get to SF from there, Mr. S's idea was to take the Bay Bridge into the city because the plan was to meeting Mr. and Ms. J at this restaurant that was at Pier 49. So we finally get on the road, and it's pretty smooth sailing until we get to the toll gates before the bridge... MAD TRAFFIC. We probably waited 30 mins to get through the toll and finally onto the bridge.
We finally cross the bridge and get on Embarcadero towards Fisherman's Wharf. BAD IDEA. If we thought the bridge was bad... this was WORSE. Even MORE traffic because of Fleet Week had traffic backed up really bad. Large sections of Embarcadero were blocked off with police forcing us to take a detour that had red lights galore. For a 12:30 lunch meeting, we didn't arrive until almost 2.
After lunch, Mr. S asked for directions to Golden Gate Park since Team Canadia had clearly never been. Getting there wasn't so bad, but unfortunately, we couldn't get exactly where we wanted to go because some of the streets were closed by the city. Eventually, we get somewhere where we can take some pictures of the bridge. Funny side note: While there, Mr. S and Mr. J tried to pet this pelican that was hopping along the pier.
Eventually, we leave to go to Japan-town. This would be the only part of trip with zero problems. We left Japan-town to drop of Team Canadia at this broadway theather by the Civic Center called the Orpheum. Trying to get there was hell. There were no right turn on red; no left turn; one way streets; bus & taxi only lanes; awkward intersections; and crisscrossing streets all over the place. It probably took us 45 mins of wandering to get there.
After dropping them off, it was time to head home. While Mr. K suggested getting back on the Bay Bridge, Mr. S said he knew how to get on the 101 S, so I suggested we go a way he was comfortable with. Much of the same pathfinding that went on to get to the Orpheum went on to finally get us on the highway, which probably took another 30 mins or so.
Total time spent in a "Barcelona Red" Prius: 7+ hours
Trying to count the number of times were were "lost": too hard
Labels: Life
