Ride In A Go-Kart

Go-karting on the streets of San Francisco

So my first go-kart experience wasn't typical in any sense of the word.  When planning a trip to visit my friend in San Francisco, she mentioned a go-kart that she had seen a few times roaming the streets of San Francisco.  She said, "It looks like fun!  Wanna do it?"  I'm open to new experiences, and have always wanted to ride in a go-kart, so I figured, "What the hell.  Let's do it!"

We took a bus down to Union Square and found the Go Kart rental place.    We watched a quick video, and got a safety briefing before getting our helmets and hopping into our go-karts.  Our go-kart was equipped with a voice-guided GPS that would take us to some of the most famous landmarks around San Francisco.  We were now off on the open road, and ready to share it with cars, trucks, buses, and trolleys.

 "Zooming down" Fisherman's Wharf...when we were still all smiles

We quickly discovered that we were the tourist attraction!  Tourists were waving at us, and taking our photos...I'm positive I'm on facebook somewhere on this ridiculous contraption.  Five minutes into our little ride our GPS broke.  Are you effin' kidding me?  So we made our way back to the go-kart place and they supposedly "fixed" it.  We were back on the road zooming at a max speed of 30MPH.   Wow...we were speed demons.  We went through Fisherman's Wharf, and then headed to Fort Point to get out and take pictures right under the Golden Gate Bridge.

Parking at Fort Point

After heading back on our go-karts we encountered our first steep hill.  We watched the speedometer go from 25MPH...to 10MPH....to 0!   So I hopped out of the go kart, and had to push the little sucker up the hill a bit before it got enough power to get up the hill.  This happened quite a few more times.   The worst was when we'd be at a stop light on a hill!  When the light would turn green we would rock the go-kart to give it some momentum to move.  I'm sure the cars behind us were cursing all sorts of obscene words at us!  I was really starting to think that agreeing to do a go-kart ride in San Francisco was a TERRIBLE idea.  San Francisco is covered with hills, and some are so steep that I am afraid to drive on them in a normal car!

Then the absolute unthinkable happened.  Our GPS broke again!  I'm not going to lie, I had a bit of a panic attack.  My friend knew how to get back to the general area where the go-kart place was located, but the only way she knew how was on busy, congested streets!  I convinced myself that we were going to die in this thing...and it officially was not fun anymore.  We were lost.  We pulled over on the side of the road, and a man came up to us and helped us find our way.  When we spotted the go-kart place I finally started breathing again.  I was so furious that we had a faulty go-kart, but I was just happy that we survived the trip!

So happy that we made it back in one piece!

Date Accomplished:  June 27th, 2008

Visit The Palace Of Fine Arts

The Palace of Fine arts is a famous structure in San Francisco.  Let me talk about how this made it onto the list....

Remember when I told you about how I love karaoke?  Well growing up, I always saw the Palace of Fine Arts in the corny karaoke videos.    I always told myself that I would visit the place one day.

The Palace of Fine Arts was built in 1915 during the Panama-Pacific Exposition.   Adjacent to the dome is a pretty lagoon, and because of this it is the most photographed spots in San Francisco.  Because it is so photo worthy, the site is a frequent spot for engagement photos and even weddings.

It is such a nice place to just hang out for the day and experience "country" life in a big city! 

Date Accomplished:  March 26th, 2006

See San Francisco From Twin Peaks

San Francisco is one of my favorite cities in the world.   I am always finding more and more things I want to do in the city.

Twin Peaks are two mountains located at the second highest peak in the city.   Because of its high location in the city, you can see some of the best views of San Francisco from this point.   It is a bit of a tourist haven, with tour buses dropping off heaps of tourists at a time.  a

My friend drove us to the top, through the winding roads that made my stomach churn at points.

Unfortunately, I was cursed with the notorious San Francisco fog during my visit.  The clarity wasn't at it's best, but I was still able to see the city from a far distance.

Warning-  It is cold and windy!  Make sure to wear the proper clothing!

Date Accomplished:  June 26th, 2008

Take A Drive Down Lombard Street

Lombard Street is best known as the world's most "crookedest" street.  It took several visits to San Francisco to finally make it to Lombard Street.  The most famous portion of Lombard is in Russian Hill.  The street becomes a one way street with 8 sharp turns.  The speed limit in the area is a whopping 5MPH, and honestly, going any faster would likely give me the heebie jeebies.

The reason for the switchback design is due to the hills steep treacherous slope. It posed as a severe safety hazard back in the day.  If it weren't for the switchbacks people could accidentally be killed walking rolling down the hill.  That is one thrill I would never want to seek.


So after having dinner during my final evening in San Francisco, my friend took me on a drive down Lombard Street. I am trying to remember if I had drinks during dinner, because I sound like a complete moron in the video. It was a short ride, but I imagine it would be extra pretty during the day with the beautiful gardens surrounding the perimeter.

Date Accomplished: June 29th 2008