Full House memories
Ok, I hear you: half of you are groaning and the other half are humming the theme song to the wonderfully cheesy 80s TV show.
I loved watching Full House back in the 80s, but come on, I was eight. The fact that it was supposed to take place in San Francisco certainly had something to do with it. As a kid, I grew up in Spokane, WA, but I always felt special because I was born in San Francisco. And here was this show that showed three girls growing up in this idyllic city. Every week, I watched the opening credits of the show,which shows the Painted Ladies and Alamo Square, implying that that was where the family lived.
My friend recently moved a few blocks away from Alamo Square and told me that I should check it out. But like any other local (which I now call myself since I have lived in the South Bay for almost 5 years), I never made it to this tourist spot. This weekend, I finally stopped by on the way to drop off my friend. We jumped out and took a few pictures before the sun went down. And the whole time, I admit, I couldn’t get the Full House theme song out of my head.
What other classic San Francisco activities do us locals never get around to doing, but really should?
The Alcatraz Tour is amazing, and you can never beat walking across the golden gate bridge on a beautiful sunny day.
I agree with the Alcatraz tour. I love walking around the island, taking in the amazing views. Plus you get a boat ride! The only down side is that you have to deal with Fisherman’s Warf to ge there.
And you know what? I don’t think I have ever walked across the bridge! Good idea–I’ll have to do that the next time I am in the city.
The cable cars are pretty cool, and you can use your Fast Pass on them. It’s best to take the California Street line, because it doesn’t go anywhere near Fisherman’s Wharf and therefore isn’t overrun like the Powell lines. I’m planning on going to the Cable Car Muesum later this week and will probably post about it.
If you have a single geeky bone in your body, the Exploratorium is mandatory.
Mission Dolores is well worth seeing too.
Yep, lived here for 30 odd years and only in year 29 did I go to Alcatraz! My mom has lived here far longer and has never been to Alcatraz nor Angel Island.
Some missionites told me they were charged a dollar along with their month pass to ride cable car- are there any other stories of Muni charging more? I frequently get a free ride on the cable cars- I like to think it’s because they can tell I’m a local.
The Japanese are obsessed with Full House; when my friend Hitoshi was here in the fall he walked to Alamo Square every day to grok the Victorian goodness, and he said he often encountered other Japanese visitors drawn to the same spot.
I am not surprised that they like the show. When I was in Japan, the only American show that I could find on TV was “Blossom”!
Sorry, but you can’t call yourself a local if you didn’t grow up here.
Just kidding. I think it’s great to do touristy things around town. So many people who live here never get out and enjoy the “cheesy” things that other people travel from thousands of miles away to enjoy.
Another place I heard and read about and am DYING to go find one of these weekends, is the wave organ in the golden gate recreational area! Look it up, sounds sooo awesome, and you can actually make a day out of the wave organ, palace of fine arts, and the exploratorium, and sitting on the beach…. All with just parking once!