On day 2 of our two-day trip to San Francisco, I woke up early and went shopping at TJ alone for the third time. I didn’t plan to go for the third time but my daughter requested something specific that I didn’t get, so I went. I love that the store is so conveniently located in the city. After I got back, I woke my husband up and we ate breakfast at Pinecrest. I enjoyed my chicken-fried steak on waffles with sausage gravy. It was so much food! If you Google Pinecrest Diner, you might find some interesting tidbits that have happened at this place. After breakfast, we went walking around Union Square. I noticed the Barbary Coast Trail plaques this time and think that this might be something I want to do on my next trip to SF.

On the way back to the hotel, we stood in line to get discount tickets for the play Harry Potter and the Cursed Child at the Curran Theater. When we checked the day before, the box office said a limited number of discount tickets would be available at 11 a.m. on Sunday. So, since I’m part of the hurry-up-and-wait tribe, I got in line at 10:45 and was first in line. They ended up opening at 11:30 and so our wait ended up being 45 minutes instead of 15. But that was ok. We got orchestra-level seating for $40 each! What an amazing deal! The show was fun and full of magic and acrobatics. My husband doesn’t have a background in Harry Potter so he didn’t know much about the characters or storyline. I hadn’t read the books for over 20 years but I still enjoyed it!

After the matinee, we walked to Chinatown where I got some scallop-flavored noodles. We also visited the famous Golden Gate Fortune Cookie Factory and picked up some cookies. As you wait in line, the shop hands out samples of fresh, warm, delicious fortune cookies! We headed to our dinner spot near Chinatown. If you go to San Francisco, I highly recommend you visit AltoVino for Italian food. It was easy to get reservations and the food was outstanding. My favorites of the evening were the ‘Nduja on crusty, grilled bread with pickled red onions and Calabrian chilis in oil and the homemade spaghettoni pasta with San Marzano tomato sugo, roasted guanciale, Calabrian chili, caramelized onion, lots of pecorino romano, and evoo toasted bread crumbs. I’m definitely going to go back to AltoVino on my next visit to SF. I also have a desire to recreate the ‘Nduja dish I ate. I think I can do it! I also have a desire to travel more! This was a fun two days and I need more. Good thing summer is coming up so I have a short break from work and can take a trip that might be a little longer than two days! Living Hilo Style in San Francisco.