Our honeymoon was *SO* much fun!! We spent 4 nights (March 2nd-6th) at one of the amazing & cozy Golden Bear Bed & Breakfast Inns in San Francisco! Neither one of us had ever been to the West Coast before and this was definitely the perfect opportunity.

Jay & I on the roof of Alamo Row

The Golden Bear was absolutely AMAZING! Their rooms are gorgeous -- very, very clean and cozy -- and our hosts, Amber & George, were just incredible. They recommended all the best places to eat, Amber laid out a fabulous breakfast every day -- pastries, cereal, toast, fresh fruit, coffee, juice, & tea -- and she also mapped out our travel routes every morning. She even made herself available on her cell phone to us at all times, in case we needed anything or got lost. Our room was very beautiful & cozy and I even got to take a nice, long, hot bath every single night. :-)

After we arrived on Tuesday around 4:00, Amber & George drove us around the city and we got a very detailed tour of the city streets and celebrity homes. They also walked us though all three of their b&b locations, which were all just simply gorgeous! They are all elegantly restored luxury Victorian & Edwardian homes. We stayed in the Pacific Heights location, and they also gave us tours around their North Beach and Alamo Row (Postcard Row) locations. And not only did we get to see INSIDE one of the famous Postcard Row homes, but they also took us up on the roof where we they brought us warm blankets, cheese & crackers, and glass after glass of Merlot!! Now, how many people get an opportunity like that?! We were positively floored by our hosts & accomodations. :-) The Golden Bear exceeded every single expectation we had. I still can't believe it was real -- that we spent the first night of our honeymoon snuggling on a roof-top porch-swing, drinking wine, watching the sun set over the sky line, and listening to the seals barking off in the distance at Fisherman's Wharf. The view of the city from up there was absolutely breathtaking, and Amber & George were just so fabulous!!

After our night on the rooftop, at Amber & George's recommendation, Jay and I visited a fabulous italian restaurant called Sodini's, where we shared a bottle of wine and had absolutely amazing food!!

Our bed & breakfast in Pacific Heights


Our room


The living room / dining room


On our front steps


Alamo Row / Postcard Row

On Wednesday, we visited Japantown, walked down Haight St., ate incredible Japanese food at Ebi Sou's, and then headed to the Golden Gate Park, where we spent hours and hours adventuring through the Strybing Arboretum, Japanese Tea Garden, Stow Lake, and the Conservatory of Flowers/Butterflies. We had a little rain, but for the most part, the weather was gorgeous and we had a great time. There was even a bride & groom doing wedding photos in the Japanese Tea Garden!! Aww!! :-) And then we ate a late dinner at a great little Thai place on Haight St. called Siam Lotus.

Clowning around in Japantown!!


Meow!!


Walking down Haight St.

In the Strybing Arboretum


Strybing Arboretum


Strybing Arboretum


Japanese Tea Garden


Calla Lilies growing in the wild -- My wedding flower!!


Stow Lake


At the flower conservatory


Again... at the flower conservatory

Thursday was just incredible!! We rented a car for the day (a P. T. Cruiser for $35 - LOL!) and headed over the Golden Gate Bridge to visit the Muir Woods. The Redwood Trees were AWESOME!!! Absolutely amazing!! The forest was so beautiful and magical... it took my breath away. We seriously could have hiked for an entire week just on those trails alone. You just feel so small next to those Redwoods... It's an amazing feeling that nothing else will ever quite match....

We then headed further North, pulled off the road on a whim, and got a spectacular view of the Ocean from the Muir Beach Overlook. You felt like you were standing on the edge of the world on that overlook, with the ocean crashing below and nothing out in front of you except for endless white.

We then we grabbed lunch at a place called the Parkside Cafe at Stinson Beach and both tried something new -- a vegetarian plate with Polenta. It was pretty tasty, and I had a completely amazing lemon square. Ha ha.

After lunch, we bundled up in our jackets, rolled up our pant legs, I stuck my toe in the Pacific Ocean, and we walked along the beach for a little while.

The road to and from Stinson Beach was awesome -- reminded me a lot of Greece - steep mountain cliff roads with no guard rails, and a simply fabulous view that could cause you to drive right off the edge without even realizing it! Ha ha!

After we headed back to San Fran, we drove down the Crookedest Street, and then headed to Fisherman's Wharf. I had a ball watching the seals - there were seriously hundreds of seals, all laying on top of each other on these floating rafts in the water. It was adorable! I took about 10 photos of the seals alone! We saw Pier 39, Ghiradelli Square, and then ate at a famous vegetarian restaurant at Port Mason called The Greens. My boss Terri gave us a very generous gift certificate so we had an outstanding dinner there.. :-) I ordered a glass of their finest wine and had a delicious Yellow Curry Dish. Jay had a vegetarian Shepherd's Pie and we both had salads and split a dessert. It was delicious!!

The Golden Gate Bridge


Jay next to a Redwood Tree at the Muir Woods


Tiny Jaime & Giant Redwood


Aren't they incredible!?


Here I am sticking my toe in the Pacific Ocean


Walking on Stinson Beach


The Crookedest Street (Lombard Street)

The Seals at Fisherman's Wharf - Ort! Ort! Ort!

Friday (our last day) we took a Cablecar down to Fisherman's Wharf and we rented bikes for the day. It was soooo much fun! I can't even tell you how much fun we had! We biked 16 miles -- over the Golden Gate Bridge, stopped in Sausalito for lunch, and then all the way to Tiburon. The weather was gorgeous (sunburn in February!) and the bike trails were great. It was like we were in our own little world, away from the cars and the crowds. Neither one of us have biked since High School and we just had so much fun. I can't wait until out next opportunity to do some more biking. Sausalito was a really pretty little town on the water and we ate the most UGLY (yet very delicious) pizza for lunch there. Mine was GREEN (pesto!!) and Jay's was Hawaiian - pineapple & ham.

After we got to Tiburon, we took a ferry ride back to Fisherman's Wharf with our bikes. The ferry was really nice & relaxing, and it sure beat biking all the way back! We had Mexican for dinner at Don Ramone... although honestly compared to NJ/NY Mexican, it was actually really awful! My frozen raspberry margarita tasted like Hawaiian Punch and my Chili Rellanos had like 1 bite of pepper in it. :-( They also put a really awful BBQ-type sauce on my salad - ick!! Oh well. It was our last meal in San Fran and it was probably good that it made us think fondly of being back home again. Ha ha!! :-)

Me biking in front of the Golden Gate Bridge


Sausalito


Aww... Hugging in Sausalito :-)

So yes... our honeymoon was simply fabulous and I will never forget even one moment of it. We will cherish these memories for the rest of our lives and I'm so glad we had the opportunity to spend this amazing week together after our wedding. I love you Jay!! And I definitely want to travel to San Francisco again... maybe for our 1st *real* anniversary on 2/29/08... :-)