San Francisco Trip

This month I had the opportunity to travel to San Francisco for work. During one of the trips I was able to stay over the weekend and Mandi came out to join me! We had such an amazing time. I think about the trip almost every day and wish I could go back. I want you all to get the full affect of this trip so as you are reading the blog please click on the links below and have the songs playing in the background. The first two songs were played as we went across the Golden Gate Bridge and, well, the last song played in my head throughout the trip:)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7I0vkKy504U
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PyxLaHmOaYM
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zx3Zo9t7c8Q


On Friday I was able to finish with work around 1:00 so we were able to start our weekend early! On Saturday we were going on an all day bus tour so we wanted to make all the stops that the bus was not going to take us to see. I was able to drive around the city which was scary at times but exciting!

Our first stop was at Alamo Square to see the Painted Ladies!

Selfie stick amateurs. Why we even snapped the picture is beyond me.  

Painted Ladies

When I first moved to California I immediately wanted to see the Full House home. So this was of course a must see when we went to San Francisco. Mandi and I spent many hours after school on the couch watching our Full House. 

As you can see the house has been painted and a huge tree is covering it. Like they don't want people taking pics out in front of their house or something....strange

It was recommended that we eat at Tony's Pizza Napoletana. The owner buys his ingredients from Italy so it is very authentic. Much to our pleasure we also realized that it was located in Little Italy and we happened to be there on our late Italian Grammy's birthday.

Some of their pizzas are so popular they only make a certain amount per day. It was delicious! Note the pizza sauce dripping from Mandi's face:)

Throughout Little Italy they have the Italian flag colors on all of the light posts. We also of course had to eat gelato. 

And how could we not get a cannoli from the Italian bakery. 

After we were stuffed from Italian delicacies we headed to the "Crookedest Street in the World" - Lombard Street. It was quite terrifying driving up the hills to get to it however the drive down it was oddly exhilarating.

The view from the top of Lombard street was breathtaking. 

The ambassador of Lombard street to this pic. She was so hilarious. 

After Lombard street we headed to, my personal heaven, Ghirardelli Square. Now if you know me well, you know that chocolate is a very important part of my life. Unfortunately we were still so stuffed from dinner (since we basically each ate a pizza) I didn't get anything from Ghirardelli square;  which I regret to this day.  

I wanted to jump in that like the chubby kid jumping in Willy Wonka's chocolate lake. 

In Ghirardelli's square there was a place called Kara's Cupcakes. I mean do we need more of a sign that I belong there. 

We then made our way over to the Fisherman's Wharf. Not much to see; just a lot of shops and nasty sea food.

Oh and also creepy wax figures. I couldn't even get close it was too real. 

Saturday we went on an all day bus trip. It was nice to not have to worry about fighting traffic, loosing your breaks while on the hills, or finding parking. Our drive was a young native to San Francisco. He was so sweet and had a lot of fun tidbits about the city.

We first drove through China Town, which is nasty! Our tour guide said that they are trying to get people to move out of China Town because there are many health code violations occurring. Needless to say Mandi and I did not feel the need to make a special trip to walk around China Town. He then took us up to Billionaire's Row where all the fancy shmancy rich people live.

Do you recognize this house? It's the Mrs. Doubtfire house! The owner is a plastic surgeon who specializes in turning males into females (oh the irony). The door is burnt at the bottom because a past patient was not happy with the work he did so he was going to set the Doubtfire home on fire!

So we had a stop prior to the Golden Gate Bridge but I didn't take any pictures. I'm sure Mandi's blog will have a much more detailed report if you would like further information...

At first I was disappointed that the fog was covering the bridge but the pictures turned out really cool because of it. 

We then drove across the Golden Gate Bridge! After we got across we went to the Muir Woods National Monument for about an hour and a half stop. It was very beautiful and peaceful.

Tallest trees I have ever seen. 

We then went to a little town that's right across the bridge called, Sausalito. It was so cute with quaint little stores and restaurants. It also had a great view of San Francisco. We stopped here for about an hour for lunch. Mandi and I ate at a cute Italian deli and walked around the town. 

I didn't really get any good pictures but here are some of the cute shots. 

The view of San Francisco 

Also during our trip it was Fleet Week so we had an air show throughout the trip. 

We then went back across the bridge and drove through China Town again...yipee.... He then dropped us off for our Alcatraz Tour. I guess now it's a tradition when Mandi and I get together to visit the local penitentiary. 

"Break the rules and you go to prison, break the prison rules and you go to Alcatraz."

The ferry that took us to Alcatraz. 

On the Island

If you can't read it, it says "home of the Indians". Quick educational tip. After they closed down the prison Native Americans occupied the land.  

It looked so much like the penitentiary in West Virginia. 

One of the escapes that took place was in a prison cell such as this. Three prisoners created dummy heads and dug out a hole under their sink and escaped. The three prisoners were never found.....who knows they could be walking among us.....

After Alcatraz we were on our own again. We headed to Pier 39. It was extremely crowded due to Fleet Week. It was fun to be a part of the hustle and bustle. 

We ate bread bowls from Boudin. Mandi got soup all over her jacket...not sure how she did it. They gave me the nickname "Kara Spill" but I think after this tip I passed the torch. 

Seals have taken over Pier 39. Did I mention seals are my new favorite animal after our trip to San Diego? I could watch them for hours. 

Me with the seal statue. 

The San Fran trip was magical. I think I have found a new place I want to live! 

Pittsburgh - Part 2 (A Tribute to The Christmas Story)

Another stop on our trip was Ohio. There we fulfilled a life long dream I never knew I had. We made a visit to The Christmas Story house. I will be honest, as most shows, the scenes were not actually filmed in the house. It was mostly used for the outside shots or when the actors were looking out the window. However, some brilliant man bought the home and has replicated the inside to look just like the movie. We were allowed to touch anything in the house and replicate scenes from that iconic film. I could not wipe the smile off my face during the entire tour. I decided to dedicate an entire post just for this stop. Also because the next stop in Ohio was the Kirtland Temple and I didn't quite know how to make such a transition in one blog post.
Get ready for picture OVERLOAD.

"Ah, there it is. My house. And good old Cleveland Street."

Interesting fact: The film states that Ralphie lived in Indiana however this home is located in Cleveland, Ohio. Thus they named the street 'Cleveland Street' to pay tribute to the location of the home.

 "The snap of a few sparks, a quick wiff of ozone... and the lamp blazed in unparalleled glory."

I noticed B.J.'s face in this then just noticed his hand on the lamp. Haha that B.J.

"Kids its Little Orphan Annie Time."

"Fra-gi-ley. That must be Italian."

"Well it's a blue ball. It's a bowling ball."

"Daddy's gonna kill Ralphie."

 "My mother had not had a hot meal for herself in 15 years."

"Gradually I drifted off to sleep, pranging ducks on the wing and getting off spectacular hip shots."

"Be sure to drink your ovaltine. A crummy commercial."

 "My personal preference is for Lux, but I found the Palmolice had a nice piquant, after-dinner flavor."

Our tour guide said people actually put that in their mouths. Little nasties. 

"You'll shoot your eye out!"

I will end it there. We then went over to the museum which is across the street and has many of the original outfits and props. And of course there was a gift shop. I wanted everything. 

Pittsburgh - Part 1

This summer we went out to Pittsburgh to visit Mandi and Clay. It was soooo much fun; they were awesome hosts. Pops also later joined us (don't worry another 'Pops does' serious will be published on Mandi's blog). This is going to be a long post because we did so many amazing things!!

OHIOPYLE

Our first day we spent in Ohiopyle National Park in Pennsylvania. Mandi and I were quite adventurous if I do say so myself. Many of you don't see us as the 'outdoorsy type'. Well prepared to be amazed....

This is our 'pre-hike' photo shoot by the river.

We then hiked the peninsula. The scenery while we hiked was beautiful! 

Maybe a little sacrilegious but doesn't he look like Joseph Smith in the Sacred Grove. haha 

Since it is a national park they have signs throughout the hike explaining the local animals and plants. One explained that there had been a hotel where we were hiking during the late 1800s and early 1900s. We started to look in the area and we kept finding old thick broken bottles, glass, porcelain, and bricks from the building. Coolest part of the hike. It got us a little turned around and lost but it was totally worth it.

Clay found this marble which we researched and found to be from that same time period. They took it home, hopefully its not some conduit for a creepy spirit. 

After the hike we went on the natural water slides which was incredibly terrifying and fun. 

Then we went to see another waterfall.

Best part about this waterfall. You don't even have to hike to get to it.

The back side of water!! Yep that's Mandi and me right there. Hiked down slippery, treacherous rocks to stand behind the waterfall. After those natural water slides we were feeling invincible. 

Hehe bet they didn't think I would post this. 

 Here we are looking out over the ravine.

WEST VIRGINIA PENITENTIARY

The second day we went to the West Virginia Penitentiary. It is was open from the mid 1800s to 1995. It is rated as the third most violent prison because of the deaths that occurred IN the prison. Over 900 deaths occurred in this prison and only 100 were executions. Get ready for some creepy, gruesome stories. This section is not for the faint of heart. Feel free to skip over if you can't handle it. I think the facial expressions in the picture below show how horrified we were by the stories we heard there. But it was extremely intriguing so I will share a few:)

We started out in a museum area where they talked about different events that occurred at the prison. One particular event was a huge riot that the prisoners created. They took guards has hostages and did horrible and unspeakable things to other prisoners in front of the guards. They were upset by the treatment they were receiving so they demanded to speak to the mayor (or someone like that:) to change conditions. They displayed the weapons they had made out of toothbrushes, socks & bricks, forks, as well as other normal day to day objects. You have to give them one thing they are quite creative. We toured the prison cells, the infirmary, the psych unit, and the sugar shack. Oh and we also went down to the pipe room where one prisoner was decapitated while on the toilet (told you it was bad).

Old Sparky

Mandi gettin her lunch.

In the infirmary they still have medical equipment such as x-ray machines and dental office equipment. It's like they just abandoned the building. Creepy. 

Ok guys there was a horrible presence in this cell. I could barely stand in there long enough to take the picture. This was one of the high security cells for prisoners who were extremely violent. In one of the prisons a man was backed up between the toilet and bed and murdered. Blood pouring out into the halls..... your welcome. 

We got locked in a cell. The tour guide pretended like ours was broken and kept us in there longer than everyone else. Luckily there wasn't a creepy presence in this one. 

The psych ward. Poor people were chained to their beds up here and layed in their own urine for days. So sad. In one room one prisoner did an unspeakable, gruesome thing (message me if you want the details;) and Mandi took a picture inside the room. After she took the picture we kept hearing strange noises. Way to go Mandi, angering the spirits. 

Well I will stop there. But really it was so cool to see. Moral of the story children: don't do bad things or else you will be stuck in a prison with crazy people and have to use the toilet in front of everyone.

PITTSBURGH & PIRATES

Pops joins us! Isn't this a cute picture of Pops. He rarely smiles in photos but he is in this one because he hugged me when he was sweaty....whatever makes him smile I guess. This is a trail by Mandi's house that used to be a railroad. 

After pops joined us we went into the city of Pittsburgh. The rivers, bridges, and skyline make it a unique and beautiful city. We started out at the strip district where they have a lot of cute little Italian grocery stores and restaurants. I had one of the best cannolis there. We then spent time walking around downtown Pittsburgh. After exploring the city we went to a Pirate's game.

The Duquesne Incline. We rode these to get up to a great view of the city. The steel workers would ride these to get to and from work. 

Mister Rogers and me. I love him. 

The beautiful view we had at the baseball game. It was my first baseball game.

This is the end of part 1 of the Pittsburgh adventures. Stay tuned for part 2.