The City by the Bay
Since my son who lives in San Francisco had no plans to come to Toronto for Christmas, I decided to pay him and his lovely wife a visit instead.
I arrived to glorious sunshine and mild temperatures and the balmy weather continued for the rest of my stay.
The weather was great for walking!
My son’s home is very close to Golden Gate Park which is wonderful for walks, running or biking. I also checked out the park’s Japanese Tea Garden, which was still beautiful even in December, and perhaps even more peaceful without the crowds of summer.
Subdued colour in the Japanese garden
The restaurant scene in San Francisco is hot hot hot. We had the best burgers at Lovely’s pop up in Woods Outbound, the best pizza at Fiorella on 9th Avenue and a delicious dinner at the newly reopened Park Tavern.
My daughter-in-law had arranged tickets for us all to see the SF Ballet production of Tchaikovsky’s Nutcracker at the War Memorial Opera House, a gorgeous Beaux-Arts building downtown. The afternoon performance was a delight - we loved the snow scene (more like a blizzard!), the mechanical-like dancing of the toy ballerina, and the pas de deux with a grown up Clara and the prince.
Of course I managed to squeeze in a little shopping - I love the home goods stores March and Sue Fisher King, and Fillmore Street for browsing shops like Rag and Bone and Paige.
Pausing to enjoy the spectacular views.
All in all it was a fun pre-Christmas treat!
