A to Z 2021 – G is for Golden Gate Bridge and Ghirardelli Square

Posted on April 8, 2021 by scr4pl80

We have coloring pages for this letter!

I have written about this before but it’s been about five years so I thought I’d refresh everyone’s memory. When I turned 60 I realized that I had never walked across the Golden Gate Bridge so that’s what I wanted to do for my birthday. We drove across and parked on the Sausalito side of the bridge. After a mimosa toast, we started across to the San Francisco side.

  • Driving across to the Sausalito side
  • From the rest area on the SF side.
  • Mimosa’s first
  • A toast
  • My mom at 93
  • At the SF side there is an area with a gift shop and the history.
  • The Red and White Fleet tour going under

All along the fencing you could see these locks. It was fun to look at the dates. I had never heard of doing that before.

It took us a couple hours to walk from one side to the other and back again but it was fun. The weather was kind of overcast but it wasn’t that cold. As I mentioned, my mom was 93 so we walked slow for her. She didn’t even really need the walker she rented! I definitely want to do that again. When we were done, we went to a restaurant in Sausalito and had lunch. Great way to spend a birthday for sure.

“G” is also for Ghirardelli Square.

Another place that I have been to but not for many years. I really need to get out more! This is where they make Ghirardelli Chocolate of course. Well, used to make it. When Mr. Ghirardelli bought the whole block in 1893 they used it for the factory to make chocolate. In the early 60’s Ghirardelli Chocolate was bought by Golden Grain and they moved the plant across the bay.

However, some San Francisco residents, William M. Roth and his mother bought the land so that it wouldn’t be turned into apartment buildings. They had the square designed to hold different shops and restaurants.

  • Some cool rainbow steps going up to the shopping area.

There is a video of them replacing the big marquee here. Inside the square are lots of shops and a courtyard with a fountain statue of a mermaid and her babies. Now I wish I had gone up into the courtyard but I had limited time. That’s what I get for not starting the pictures for this project in February when I knew that I was going to base my A to Z on San Francisco. Oh well, add one more to the list.

This little area is directly across from Ghirardelli Square so you could go into the candy shop, get an ice cream and then walk across and sit here to watch the bay. So nice!

Wow, 7 letters already. Time is sure going by fast. I know I will appreciate Sunday as a day of rest. Please forgive me if I haven’t stopped by your posts yet, I’m going as fast as I can! Hope to see you tomorrow for “H.”

Disclaimer notice. The coloring book pages are from the inserts the San Francisco Chronicle put out and I mentioned them in my theme reveal so you can go to that to get the info about the artists if you are interested. I did the coloring and took the pictures.

About scr4pl80

I'm a 60-ish, married, mom to 3, creative soul looking to make the world a better place one smile at a time.
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35 Responses to A to Z 2021 – G is for Golden Gate Bridge and Ghirardelli Square

  1. cassmob says:
    May 6, 2021 at 2:57 am

    What a fabulous idea for a big birthday…sounds like you had fun! And didn’t your Mum do well to manage it?!
    One of our San Francisco regrets is that we didn’t get off the bus on the Sausalito side and get photos while the weather was perfect! Silly us because later it was foggy, surprise, surprise.

    Ginger, Gadgets and Gender roles

    Liked by 1 person

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  4. Felicia Denise says:
    April 13, 2021 at 12:36 pm

    There’s that bridge again! LOL!

    Liked by 1 person

  5. debscarey says:
    April 12, 2021 at 2:40 am

    Janet, your mother is remarkable 🙂

    A-Zing from Fiction Can Be Fun
    Normally found at Debs Despatches

    Liked by 1 person

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  7. Unishta says:
    April 9, 2021 at 8:05 pm

    I didn’t realise it would take so long to walk across the bridge. I remember crossing the bridge twice in my life time and the last time was a nightmare because the car broke down at one end and we caused a traffic jam! It was not only embarassing but also scary as we didn’t know how we would be able to get out of the mess. And Ghiradelli – I can never forget that wonderful sunny day way back in 2000 when my daughters and I spent a day at the waterfront and enjoyed the chocolates we munched …..

    Like

  8. galeriaredelius says:
    April 9, 2021 at 10:44 am

    It sounds amazing to walk the Golden Gate! Perhaps something that can turn into a birthday tradition?

    Liked by 1 person

  9. Tamara says:
    April 9, 2021 at 9:51 am

    What a fabulous way to celebrate your birthday! Surrounded by your family, especially your brave Mom!

    I distinctly remember my very first time I saw the GGB. We wanted to spend the day at Universal Studios, and it was POURING! Talk about “It never rains in Southern California”! We pretty much spent the day driving up North. Booked a room at the Wharf, from where one should see the Bridge. Right? The rain and the fog said NO, and I was bummed. The next day, however? Blue sky, sunshine, all smiles! We drove to Conzelman Rd, from where we had the most splendid view. I felt so happy and privileged to be able to travel and see landmarks like this one.

    https://thethreegerbers.blogspot.com/2021/04/a-z-2021-all-that-glistens-is-not-gold.html

    Liked by 1 person

  10. derrickjknight says:
    April 9, 2021 at 1:36 am

    I think that walk would probably make me queasy 🙂

    Liked by 1 person

  11. John Holton says:
    April 8, 2021 at 8:58 pm

    Looks like a great time! Those are some great sites. Remember this one?

    Liked by 1 person

  12. Weekends in Maine says:
    April 8, 2021 at 7:54 pm

    What a fun thing to do for your birthday – so memorable.

    I do remember having sundaes at an ice cream place at Ghirardelli Square. I love chocolate.

    Weekends In Maine

    Liked by 1 person

  13. Liam says:
    April 8, 2021 at 5:05 pm

    I’m happy to have walked – and biked – across the Golden Gate Bridge. Such an exhilarating experience!

    Liked by 1 person

  14. J-Dub says:
    April 8, 2021 at 5:00 pm

    How special! Loved to see all of your smiling faces.

    Liked by 1 person

  15. Arlee Bird says:
    April 8, 2021 at 3:05 pm

    I’ve driven the bridge, but never walked which sounds like something that I’d like to do. Probably couldn’t convince my wife to do it though. However we’d both be up for some ice cream and chocolate at Ghiradelli Square.

    Arlee Bird
    Tossing It Out

    Liked by 1 person

  16. Deborah Weber says:
    April 8, 2021 at 2:56 pm

    Oh, how fun to walk the bridge Janet – it sounds like a wonderful way to celebrate a birthday. It doesn’t seem right that Ghiradelli was bought and moved across the bay. We have a chocolate factory in Chicago, and depending on where you are in the city you can sometimes smell that delicious scent.

    Liked by 1 person

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