Since Steve had to work last Saturday and we didn't do any sightseeing, we decided we had to go and see something on our 'To Do' list. So today we decided on Coit Tower as it was relatively easy to get to by getting the tram to Fisherman's Wharf and then walking to the tower.

Coit Tower is just one of the many tall landmark buildings that dominate the San Francisco skyline. It is perched on Telegraph Hill and orientates you towards North Beach/Little Italy. It is an Art Deco sentinel, which takes the form of a 63-metre fluted column and is reminiscent of Renaissance towers.

The walk up to the tower is quite steep as it is at the top of a hill, but we'd read that the views would be breathtaking from the top of the tower so we hoped the climb would be worth it. As we got closer we could hear a band playing and there were old fashioned fire engines and cars on display in the carpark. It looked like they were celebrating something but it wasn't until we got inside that we discovered we'd decided to visit on the 75th Anniversary of the completion of the tower! Hence the crowds of people queuing to get the lift (I nearly wrote elevator!! Must... resist... Americanisation...) to the top. So we had to queue for about half an hour, but on the plus side we didn't have to pay $4.50 each because of the special day. Coit Tower is also "famous" for its murals which decorate the ground level, so we at least had something to look at whilst we waited. Local artists did these frescoes in 1934 during the Depression era and they depict various events of California at the time.

Eventually our turn to take the lift up to the top came and we squeezed into the tiny old lift with about 8 other people and the tiny old lift operator. It only took about a minute to travel to the top and we knew we'd reached the top as the lift clunked to a halt. We all bundled out and then saw we had to walk up some winding steps and squeeze past people walking down to get the lift back down to the bottom.

To be honest, Coit Tower was a disappointment. We thought that the arched openings at the top would be where we could see the view, but the viewing platform is actually on the level below and instead there are small windows to look through. So it was more difficult to take photos because of the reflections from the windows and also the number of people trying to peek through. I think maybe if we hadn't been in SF for 2 months already, then the view would have been more spectacular, but Steve took quite a few photos so he could do a 360 panorama. Whilst he was trying to take a photo of me this man asked Steve to pose for him and then he asked for his email address so that he could send it to him. Steve gave him his email as at the time he seemed friendly and harmless as he asked us where we were from and asked if we'd come especially for the 75th Anniversary, as he had done. But later when we thought about it, he did seem a bit strange. He could have asked us if we wanted him to take a photo with one of our cameras and therefore he wouldn't need to email us a photo, or most people ask if a couple wants their photo taken together. So we think Steve will be appearing on the Internet somewhere dodgy soon!

After Coit Tower we headed to Little Italy to get some lunch. There are tons of restaurants and cafes in Little Italy but we couldn't decide what we wanted to eat or where to eat. I thought most of the places looked pretentious and intimidating, which isn't how I want to feel when eating. It was also scorching hot that day, so I didn't have much of an appetite, I just really needed to get out of the sun. So we walked down one of the shadier streets (as in 'not so much sun', not 'ghetto') and spotted a place called US Restaurant. Not very Italian-sounding but looking inside I had a good feeling about this place and the menu looked nice so we went in. It wasn't very busy so we were promptly seated and given free bread and water. Whilst we were perusing the choices on the menu, this lovely old waitress came to ask if we were ready to order but there was so much to choose from that we needed more time. Then the two ladies at the table next to us got their food brought to their table and it looked and smelt delicious so we ordered what they had. I had the Chicken in mushroom marsala wine sauce with scalloped potatoes and veggies and Steve had Fettucine Alfredo pasta with Shrimp. I really liked mine but Steve was a little bit disappointed with his, but only because the sauce was a little bit bland. It was after 3pm so we paid dinner time prices but I think it was worth it, even just to see the chef with the thickest moustache we've ever seen, who Steve nicknamed Mario from the Nintendo game. The place was packed by the time we left, although there were only 10 tables in the small restaurant! I would recommend the place as the staff and service were great and so was the food. I later found out that I'd read about this place in my guidebook but it didn't click at the time!

It had cooled down quite a bit so we decided to walk home through Chinatown. It was a lot less crowded than the other times we've been there, so it was much nicer to have a stroll and do some window shopping.