Cindy's Many Hobbies: Travelogue: Chinatown San Francisco & Pittsburgh, PA

Since my summer has been fairly lackluster (though my husband and I did manage a week in the Big Apple back in June), I am turning to a couple guest bloggers (well, neither is actually a blogger) who shared their recent adventures with me, and now I'm sharing them with you.

My uncle (who resides in northern CA) shared this recent adventure:

Monday seven of the hikers went to San Francisco for a tour of Chinatown by City Guides. https://sfcityguides.org/tour/chinatown/

According to the website description: San Francisco’s Chinatown rose from the ashes of the 1906 earthquake to evolve into a Chinese community holding fast to its traditions amid a rapidly changing cityscape. Discover the local alleys where this community has continued to flourish for over 150 years, in spite of harsh racial discrimination. Family associations and temples, dim sum, herbal apothecaries and jade jewelry shops built by the local community, all contribute to the vibrancy of this place, one of the oldest Chinese communities outside of China.

One of the guys is of Chinese background and he arranged the tour. We had a perky, enthusiastic guide who took us down some obscure alleys, including one where the fortune cookie factory (https://www.goldengatefortunecookies.com/) was located. Of course there were free samples.

For lunch we had reservations at a dim sum restaurant. Normally you choose items from a cart as it rolls by your table, but the pandemic regulations required ordering from a menu. Randy ordered for all of us and we shared about twenty (!) small plates of various items, mostly steamed. Not the typical Chinese egg rolls, sweet and sour chicken, etc. I had no idea what I was eating most of the time, but it was good.

My parents recently visited Pittsburgh (and the casino there) and absolutely raved about the Bed & Breakfast they stayed at called The Inn on the Mexican War Streets.

http://www.innonthemexicanwarstreets.com/ According to their website it is “…the renovated Boggs Mansion. Once the town home of financier and department store baron Russell H. Boggs, now an elegant Bed & Breakfast rich in character with guest rooms that are charmingly unique.”

My mom enjoyed how gregarious the owners (Karl Kargle & Jeffrey Stasko) were as they shared details about the history of the mansion and many of its contents. Judging from my mom’s video, they had more antiques than a museum, and the house itself was practically a museum. Knowing how much of a people person I am and my appreciation for antiques (which comes from my late aunt and uncle Cummings), my mom said she wished I had been there. Me too. I agree that it would have been quite an experience, and I promised her I would definitely consider staying there someday. If anyone reading this is interested in a visit, might I suggest sooner rather than later, as according to the website, Karl & Jeffrey are retiring and the inn is on the market for any interested buyers out there: http://innonthemexicanwarstreets.info/