Category: Exhibit
365 Adventures in 2011: Day 318 – Winchester Mystery House
Another busy San Francisco vacation day first took me to the Full House house, the “Painted Ladies” row of colored houses at Alamo Square (with an incredible view of the city), Lombard Street (fun to drive on!), a ride on a cable car (fun to ride on!), and lunch at a HRD Coffee Shop, an excellent Korean fusion restaurant recommended by Guy Fieri on “Diners, Drive-Ins & Dives.” But after all those quick stops it was time for a trip to San Jose to visit the Winchester Mystery House, where we received a private tour and got completely confused while wandering the bizarre mansion. It’s somewhere Imagineers visited to get inspiration for The Haunted Mansion and the resemblance is pretty clear when looking at rooms like the one pictured here. After finishing up there, we realized were down the street from Apple, so we paid a visit to 1 Infinite Loop and bought a few things at the company store. Then dinner was back in San Francisco at Q, another place recommended on “Diners, Drive-Ins & Dives,” which offered some of the best food we’d eaten on our trip.
365 Adventures in 2011: Day 317 – Alcatraz
I spent some time inside a prison cell in Alcatraz. And it was fun. But more fun than walking around the now-national park was the ferry boat ride there and back, surrounded by the bay, offering wonderful views of San Francisco and its iconic bridges. It’s all a bit touristy, but still a great experience. It was also a day filled with activities once again, with ride on a street car, a visit to the Ferry Building Market with some amazing food, a stroll by Occupy San Francisco (certainly some interesting aromas coming out of there), a trip to Fisherman’s Wharf / Pier 39 (the clam chowder is great and the sea lions are hilarious), and some In-N-Out for dinner to finish it off. A great day.
365 Adventures in 2011: Day 316 – Walt Disney Family Museum
It was tough to pick just one photo for this day, as I did so many new things. I visited the Golden Gate Bridge, the Yoda statue/fountain at Lucasfilm, the Palace of Fine Arts, and chef Hubert Keller’s Fleur de Lys restaurant. But the bulk of the day was spent in the Presidio to visit the Walt Disney Family Museum, which was a fantastic experience that deserves more than a single day’s visit. I even learned a thing or three I didn’t know about Disney. It’s a must-see for any Disney fan interested in knowing more about Walt and his family.
365 Adventures in 2011: Day 314 – Horror Nights up close
I previewed an exhibit at the Orange County Regional History Center showcasing years of artwork from Universal Orlando, with many excellent Halloween Horror Nights pieces. It was great to get a bit more HHN fun even after this year’s event has ended. And it’s a wonderful exhibit that’s sticking around through April. More info here.
365 Adventures in 2011: Day 231 – It’s a Squawk World After All
My favorite characters from Disney’s “it’s a small world” ride are the geese that honk along to the attraction’s famous song. And one of them was on display in the Nordstrom store at the D23 Expo. The store is selling a line of merchandise inspired by “small world” and I had to get my picture with the goose. But I couldn’t buy him.
