San Francisco highlights

1. Golden Gate Bridge -- i've been to SF so many times but have only seen it from afar. this time, not only did i walk on it, we drove on it and crossed it 6 times.



2. Ferry Market on Pier 1 -- a foodie heaven. the entire building houses specialty food shops where products are locally grown and mostly organic, and have quaint restaurants that offer gourmet meals using locally grown ingredients at pauper's prices. Recchiutti chocolates ($68 a pound), Acme bread, and Cowgirl Creamery (famous for their cheese) are three of the stores where we spent a lot on. i fell in love with Cowgirl Creamery's clabbered cottage cheese (huge curds and not watery and uses the famous Strauss milk which is also local) unfortunately, they aren't sold outside SF. i just called them and was told they can send me some at $3.95 for a small 8-ounce tub but i'll have to pay for shipping which costs $40!



3. Napa Valley -- i don't drink so it wasn't on my top 10 but my sister (who came with us) needed to get a bottle or two for a friend so i went with her while hubby, the other non-drinker and the designated driver stayed in the rental mini-van with the 5-year old. we went to a couple of non-commercial wineries where their wines are not sold anywhere (not even carried in restaurants) and did the wine-tasting thingy. or course, i became beet-red after just two sips. she did, too. we ended up buying a case of wine for pasalubong including bottles of extra virgin olive oil from locally grown olives and dipping oils and sauces.



4. CIA Culinary Institute of America -- the premier culinary school in the US; a must-see and do for any foodie. We attended a cooking demo ($15 per person) and had lunch at their restaurant. food was great and cooked by current students. It was very pricey. the gift shop is huge and carries just about all the kitchen gadgets you can think of. name brands, too!



5. Chinatown -- we went to a family-owned tea shop where they sell rare oolong teas for $268 a pound! we got to taste said expensive tea during a Chinese tea ceremony with a new friend Peter, the son of the owners of the shop. i ended up spending an exorbitant amount stocking up on my favorite rare loose oolong, green, and white teas. we ate dinner at a Cantonese restaurant which has the best Peking duck i have ever tasted (outside of Hongkong, at least). after dinner, we went for Quickly bubble teas (i first saw this at MegaMall and Robinson's Galleria).



6. SF sourdough bread -- we went crazy over Boudin and Acme bakeries, two of the famous ones in town. SF is famous for sourdough bread because of their use of wild microorganisms in their yeast culture which thrive and can only be found in the Bay Area due to the unique climate.



7. Fisherman's Wharf -- where the action is. lots of places to eat, lots of shops, the Ghirardelli ice-cream shop, seals lounging by the pier, Alcatraz.


8. In-N-Out burgers and Jamba juice -- two of the things we also don't have where we live. the burgers are made fresh and cooked-to-order. they don't have microwaves and freezers. Jamba juice makes concoctions from fresh fruits and added with boosters such as protein and vitamins.

9. Filipino food and goodies -- like I've said, we live in the southern part of the US that although a metropolis, we don't have a single Pinoy restaurant in the entire state. There's one very small Pinoy store but the inventory is pathetic. I have to go to different Asian stores just to get the things I need to cook a single meal. Being in SF, we went to Max's Chicken, Goldilocks, and several other restaurants and bakeries. I ended up bringing back 2 balikbayan boxes full of stuff!



10. Benicia City -- a quaint little town on the water



11. Jelly Belly factory -- free tour and samples; took home 6 kilos of jelly bellies