San Francisco!
July 9, 2005
We are in San Francisco. Our trip yesterday (Akron-Canton > Atlanta > San Francisco) was long, but uneventful. The plane trip from Atlanta to San Francisco alone was 5 hours, somewhat broken up by the in-flight move (Sahara). Fortunately we all brought plenty to entertain ourselves (iPods, GameBoys, books). Despite the terrorist bombings in London on Thursday, we didn't see any real evidence of heightened security. There were a few more uniformed police officers patrolling the BART, which we rode from SFO to the Union Square area of San Francisco. We are staying at the Hotel Union Square, an older establishment very close to the cable car turnaround at Powell & Market streets. If you appreciate places with some "character," you would probably like this hotel. It is not fancy, but the rooms are clean and fairly specious with high ceilings. It definitely has an "old time" feel and counts a ghost among its residents (in room 207 - not where we're staying)!
The weather this morning was cool and a little misty. By the middle of the day it had warmed up considerably, and this afternoon was sunny with temperatures in the low to mid 70s. The climate here is very nice - temperatures don't vary much all year long. It is rarely very hot or cold, and there is little humidity. It can get chilly in the evenings, especially when foggy. After breakfast we road a cable car from the turnaround located at Powell and Market to Fisherman's Wharf. At Fisherman's Wharf we walked around, saw several street performers, and enjoyed views of the bay. We were disappointed that the sea lions that are famous for hanging out at Fisherman's Wharf have migrated south to breed at the Channel Islands. It is believed that they'll return to Fisherman's Wharf in the fall.
We had lunch at one of the many seafood establishments near Fisherman's Wharf (the crabs are piled high at many vendors along the sidewalks), and then walked to Ghirardelli Square. For those who may not know, Ghirardelli Square is located in the old Ghirardelli chocolate factory. Chocolate is not made there any longer, and the buildings and grounds have been transformed into a collection of shops, restaurants, and outdoor entertainers (the kids were particularly amused by a saxophonist who was faking playing the sax to recorded music). From Ghirardelli we walked to The Cannery, which is another collection of shops located in the old Del Monte fruit cannery. At The Cannery there was an outdoor farmer's market taking place, and we tasted, then purchased, some delicious organic California strawberries.
Upon leaving The Cannery, we caught a trolley car and road it up the Embarcardero (where all the big cruise ships dock, although there were none in port today) to the Ferry Building (yet another location that has many shops and eateries). At the Ferry Building, you can catch ferries to other locales, such as Sausalito, around the bay area. After walking around the Ferry Building we bought some beverages, then went outside to the back of the building (which has a nice view of the bay) to drink them and eat our strawberries (they were so sweet they tasted like they had sugar on them)
Leaving the Ferry Building, we walked up Market Street for a mile or so, arriving at one of Apple's showcase stores. This Apple store is actually only located a couple of blocks from our hotel. It was very crowded. Tonight we walked to Chinatown and ate a very good meal at the Cathay House of Cali.
A selection of photos from our trip can be viewed at Flickr. Send us an email by clicking HERE.
We are in San Francisco. Our trip yesterday (Akron-Canton > Atlanta > San Francisco) was long, but uneventful. The plane trip from Atlanta to San Francisco alone was 5 hours, somewhat broken up by the in-flight move (Sahara). Fortunately we all brought plenty to entertain ourselves (iPods, GameBoys, books). Despite the terrorist bombings in London on Thursday, we didn't see any real evidence of heightened security. There were a few more uniformed police officers patrolling the BART, which we rode from SFO to the Union Square area of San Francisco. We are staying at the Hotel Union Square, an older establishment very close to the cable car turnaround at Powell & Market streets. If you appreciate places with some "character," you would probably like this hotel. It is not fancy, but the rooms are clean and fairly specious with high ceilings. It definitely has an "old time" feel and counts a ghost among its residents (in room 207 - not where we're staying)!
The weather this morning was cool and a little misty. By the middle of the day it had warmed up considerably, and this afternoon was sunny with temperatures in the low to mid 70s. The climate here is very nice - temperatures don't vary much all year long. It is rarely very hot or cold, and there is little humidity. It can get chilly in the evenings, especially when foggy. After breakfast we road a cable car from the turnaround located at Powell and Market to Fisherman's Wharf. At Fisherman's Wharf we walked around, saw several street performers, and enjoyed views of the bay. We were disappointed that the sea lions that are famous for hanging out at Fisherman's Wharf have migrated south to breed at the Channel Islands. It is believed that they'll return to Fisherman's Wharf in the fall.
We had lunch at one of the many seafood establishments near Fisherman's Wharf (the crabs are piled high at many vendors along the sidewalks), and then walked to Ghirardelli Square. For those who may not know, Ghirardelli Square is located in the old Ghirardelli chocolate factory. Chocolate is not made there any longer, and the buildings and grounds have been transformed into a collection of shops, restaurants, and outdoor entertainers (the kids were particularly amused by a saxophonist who was faking playing the sax to recorded music). From Ghirardelli we walked to The Cannery, which is another collection of shops located in the old Del Monte fruit cannery. At The Cannery there was an outdoor farmer's market taking place, and we tasted, then purchased, some delicious organic California strawberries.
Upon leaving The Cannery, we caught a trolley car and road it up the Embarcardero (where all the big cruise ships dock, although there were none in port today) to the Ferry Building (yet another location that has many shops and eateries). At the Ferry Building, you can catch ferries to other locales, such as Sausalito, around the bay area. After walking around the Ferry Building we bought some beverages, then went outside to the back of the building (which has a nice view of the bay) to drink them and eat our strawberries (they were so sweet they tasted like they had sugar on them)
Leaving the Ferry Building, we walked up Market Street for a mile or so, arriving at one of Apple's showcase stores. This Apple store is actually only located a couple of blocks from our hotel. It was very crowded. Tonight we walked to Chinatown and ate a very good meal at the Cathay House of Cali.
A selection of photos from our trip can be viewed at Flickr. Send us an email by clicking HERE.
posted by Bill Bauer at 10:46 AM
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