The weekend air show during Fleet Week is probably one of my favorite San Francisco activities…
On Friday I went for a run down along Marina Green, just as the Blue Angels were finishing up… incredible. It was quite hectic trying to dodge in and out of all the people, but so cool to be running along to the engulfing noise of their engines!
For the Saturday show we decided we would watch from our rooftop with a picnic lunch from Cheese Plus.
Quite the line!
It was worth the wait… I had the Parma, as always, with some baked barbeque kettle chips and pink bubbly!
So, you are forewarned… I took a lot of photos.
first up were the Snowbirds
then the United 747 airplane flew by
it’s a little scary seeing a passenger jet so close to the ground
the Hornet was my favorite
Look closely… see that donut shaped blur in the sky? That is a sonic boom, my friends. insane!! You can see the beginnings of one in the above photo as well.
This cute little prop jet (I’m sorry I don’t know the official name) makes a whole lot of noise!
check out this crazy roof party… so many people!
Fat Albert!
the show finished with the Blue Angels
they’re everywhere!
the dolphin trick… not a technical term, just what it reminds me of!
1, 2, 3, 4
It was a fantastic show… I was so happy I could watch it all over again the next day!
Sunday we woke up to a bit of a white out… oh no! They’ve cancelled Fleet Week in the past due to the fog, so I was a bit worried. Luckily it burned off, and we packed up our picnic gear and headed down to Fort Mason.
Fort Mason is a great spot to view the show… It’s less chaotic than Marina Green or Crissy Field and you don’t have to wake up a the crack of dawn to stake out a good spot. We stopped at Back Yard Kitchen for a sandwich on the way (they’re huge… you can split one between two) and brought down some more pink bubbly to cheers with. We weren’t the only one with this idea… take a look at this homeless man… do you see it?? To his right? Yes… it’s bubbles!! Mr. Homeless Man obviously comes prepared.
A bit scary, but he shook up the bottle and then took out his knife to help open it… POP! He later showed up with an additional bike, quite possibly stolen from some poor person who didn’t lock it up properly.
Our friends Cassie, Jeff, & Pam joined us for the air show fun
Um, guys? The show is up in the air!
This is the point where I am going to show you lots and lots of photos from our day…
Where’d the bridge go? Sadly the fog started to roll in right when the Blue Angels were supposed to start. Sadness. BTW, did you see the picnickers with the tetherball? So fun. Since the Blue Angels weren’t coming back, we decided to pack up and head to Umami for their happy hour… half price bottles of wine and appetizers! We ordered one of each…
edamame hummus
yuzu-shichimi seasoned soy beans with freshly griddled scallion cakes
shibuya sliders
seasoned masami ranch ground kobe beef, spicy aioli, crispy shallots & gingered pickles on steamed buns
potstickers
pan-fried, minced chicken & shiitake gyoza with rice vinegar-soy dipping sauce & sesame-pickled beets
seasonal kakiage tempura
sweet corn, green bean, summer squash, gypsy pepper & torpedo onion fritters with traditional dipping sauce
japanese fried rice
spring vegetables with scallions, scrambled eggs & “yakimeshi” sauce
a fabulous end to a fabulous weekend… can’t wait for next year’s show!!
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(nerdy, but so useful!) and headed down to Fort Mason to lay down some blankets and save some space for our friends who were meeting up with us later. Well, at 10 am, we just a teensy bit premature as we were the only people there! But not to worry, the sun was out and the fog was clearing, and we did end up with the best viewing spot on the field! Soon enough the air was filled with fighter jets and prop planes showing us their tricks overhead. And our picnic wasn’t half bad either! The six Blue Angels finished up the show with an insanely awesome performance (see the video above). I’m pretty sad that we have to wait a full year till we get to see them again.
