Day 5: The Reason We Are Here!

Today was the big day- the Nebraska vs. UCLA game at the Foster Farms Bowl.  This is what prompted our trip.  Kirk wanted to go to the bowl game and got a ticket, so off we went!  Cathy is not interested in football enough at all so she opted out and spent the day doing other things.

We started the day together and ate lunch at a chain called the San Francisco Soup Company.  It was okay.

Kirk looking forward to the game.

Kirk took a bus, then a train, then a tram over 2.5 hours to get to the game in Santa Clara. It was a nice relaxing way to get there. Kirk then hooked up with members of a Husker message board where Chipotle was provided gratis.

Yummy Chipotle bowl. Thanks HuskerMax!

Then it was on to the game. The stands weren't full, but there was probably equal numbers of UCLA fans and Husker fans, so that was a good showing for Big Red compared to the locals (LA being 5 hours away). The game was a good one as the Huskers were behind, then got a good lead, then had to fend off a UCLA come back to hold on for a 37-29 win. Kirk had a great time.

Kirk poses in front of Levi Stadium.

UCLA marching band

Nebraska marching band (the N stands for knowledge).

Victory is ours!

Meanwhile, back in San Francisco, Cathy was attempting to go to the GLBT History Museum. According to the website, it was open, so she hopped on a bus to the Castro District.

The F line to Castro was a pretty quick trip, and the museum is only a short walk from the stop.  The website did not mention that they were closed for the holiday on the 26th, so she did not get to go in.  It looked like an interesting museum, so she is adding it to her "next time" list.

All Cathy got to see. 

Since she did not get to go in the museum, she spent her time walking around the Castro District. There were lots of really cute shops and resale stores.  Many were closed for the holiday, but there was enough to keep Cathy busy for the afternoon.

She also dropped by Harvey Milk's camera shop and home, which is now a Human Rights Campaign Action Center and  store.

We're so close, yet so far.

Rainbow Crosswalks

In the evening, Cathy took a Holiday Lights bus tour that she bought on Groupon.  (Pro Tip: Check out Groupon in cities you plan to visit.  We've gotten half price museum tickets and such using this tactic. Also, our trip to Peru was a Groupon deal!) 

The Holiday Lights was a bit of a misnomer, as there were not really many holiday lights.  However, it was a decent tour of San Francisco, and they took us across to Treasure Island to view the night view of downtown.  It was really beautiful!  Cathy did not take any pictures, as her cell phone camera is not great at night photography, but she did enjoy it. 

Pre-tour optimism.  The bus was decorated for Christmas! 

It was a double decker bus tour, with the top exposed.  Wear lots of layers if you do the top, as it gets COLD!  She was very grateful for her down jacket and hat, and wished she'd thought to bring gloves.  The woman beside her just had a sweater and froze the whole time.  

Artist's depiction of the cold, mid-tour.

The tour lasted two hours.  We stopped halfway through for a break.

Gas station hot chocolate has never tasted so good.

Another excellent day!