SF 5th: Cheesecake & Grubstake (5.16.07) (album)

I had a luncheon date with Bong Pagunsan, a dear friend from the crazy case-studies days at grad school. That morning, I was also, by sheer luck, able to talk to Kaiyen after leaving a message on her phone. She called me back and we agreed to meet for dinner.

This is the day I got the most exercise out of my whole trip (well aside from the Alcatraz trekathon). It is how I paid for my free lunch and dinner and unplanned stay at Kaiyen's house hahaha!

I walked everywhere except for the last part late afternoon when I had to meet Kaiyen back at Ghirardelli Square where she would be picking me up for our dinner together. Shortly after I left the BART station,  I lost my map somewhere during my walk, but I luckily remembered there was a SF Tourist Information Agency in Powell Station and walked back again *sigh*

These were some of the places I visited that day: a Walgreens store, Macy's department store especially women's section, Cheesecake factory  - where I had lunch with Bong (my fellow Bisdak, who is from Iloilo), Victoria's Secret shop (some goodies for my mommy), Disney (just a pose with the gargoyle), the Sunglass Hut (?), and scrounging around different Chinatown shops for owls and gifts to take home to the Philippines, then more walking around till I almost reached Pier 39 again!

But then I huffed all the way back to where I had previously passed because I remembered there was the Cable Car museum somewhere thereabouts, then Grace Cathedral where I wanted to take a photo of myself up front...and this is where Kaiyen at last was able to contact me for the dinner that night. Since SF is hilly, you can imagine me puffing along up and down the streets.

I was almost at Ghirardelli Square again but since I really, really wanted to have a cable car ride, I ran downwards (thank God for gravity) back to Powell Station where I caught the cable car to the other side of town - Beach St. (near The Cannery)...which was just a stone's throw away from where Kaiyen would pick me up.

I almost gave in to my temptation to buy another couple of boxes of chocolates but then Kaiyen arrived and saved me from the unscupulously tempting little devils. I think though that Rustan's in Makati carries a couple of Ghirardelli bars.

Going around the streets where I had also walked (this is funny..and exhausting to think about), Kaiyen debated on two restos recommended by her friend. We finally settled in Grubstake. We had a Portuguese style dinner..rose wine for me and a beer I think for Kaiyen (correct me if am wrong).

Then, I hypnotized her with the porkchop bone (we shared our dinner as Filipinos are wont to do) and she pressed me to accompany her to her home so she could call in sick tomorrow and take me around Sta. Rosa.

She was the perfect hostess and her hubby Steve was a very thoughtful guy with possibly a sweet tooth, who baked some huge chocolate-chip cookies and left them to cool on the kitchen counter for us!...since we didn't eat dessert anymore at the resto. Wow, thats my kind of guy...a guy who bakes and cooks wins my vote everytime...*munch, crunch, munch, crunch* Way to go Kaiyen!

So I didn't have any extra clothes but...I'm a cowgirl..and just borrowed a towel and used Kaiyen's toothbrush..hahaha..kidding! She bought me the usual frills that a girl needs for an overnight stay. More pictures and mods on this description later...one thing I noticed though, I think I had more videos than pictures on this day and I have some missing ones which I have to look for.

 -  - Jun 16, '07 3:55 AM