surprise, surprise!

This weekend we double-downed on surprise dates.  

Friday night was Ryan's treat. 

We kicked off Ryan's impromptu surprise date night by biking to Ocean Beach to enjoy a couple of PBRs and a sunset.  Following some ocean viewing, we headed to SOMA StrEAT Food Park for dinner with some friends.  With such a huge selection, and so many places to cozy up, this is a great option for a cheap date.  It also helped that we sneaked in our own beers.  

Sunday brought the real deal, as in, my long awaited surprise date.  I took Ryan to Stable Cafe for brunch.  I have been dying to try this place since it opened in 2010.  It's close to home, but one of those places I just never remember until I'm biking by and it's closed.  

It had yummy, affordable brunch choices, tasty coffee, a cozy interior, and an abundance of outdoor seating.  We ate outside, until the fog rolled in, then headed upstairs to people watch and warm-up.  

Post brunch, we continued on our bikes to Fisherman's Wharf.  Now, this is my least favorite part of San Francisco.  It baffles me that tourists love this part of town.  It's crowded, dirty, and overpriced.  When I told Ryan it was time to lockup our bikes, he was clearly distressed, and needed consoling.  There was no reason to worry though, we would be skipping over the tourist trap.  

We were going to Musee Mecanique, a hidden gem.  Although the Wharf was bustling, the museum was not.  

Musee Mecanique is a collection of vintage arcade games.  Admittance to the museum is free, and the games are between $.25-$.50 a play.  Ryan went into full boy mode.  He was raring to play.  I changed in a five dollar bill, and we got started.  There are such an assortment of wonderments.  You can give a drink to the mechanized local drunk, or you can peep a burlesque show.  You can shoot bb guns, or you can challenge your friend to a miniature game of bowling.  Laughing Sal will surely haunt your dreams, and when you get tired you can get a massage from the vibrating magic chair.

Laughing Sal

This was confusing.  If you want to know what I saw, you'll have to pay $.10.

Just doing some car racing.  No big deal.

Ryan was in boy heaven

Bowling

The museum also has three photo booths.  We got a little crazy and went to two of them.  Who doesn't love a photo booth?

We capped the day off with a beer at Dear Mom, a newish bar in the Mission.  The best part of Dear Mom is that it serves food, something of a bar anomaly in San Francisco, although we did not partake.  Also, this bar may be the epicenter of hipsterness.

Stable: $29.78
Transportation: Free (bikes are awesome!)
Musee Mecanique: Free
Arcade games: $7 in quarters
Photo Booth: $8
Beers: $11

Total:  $55.78

Not too shabby for a full day of fun and games.