San Francisco - Pier 39
28 September 2017
Glenda Kidston and I spent a wonderful 4 nights together right in the heart of San Francisco. Pier 39 is where many of the attractions, restaurants, and tourists congregate. Included in that is one dock that has been set aside for the California Sea Lions. These 10' long behemoths sleep on the dock. Or at least 90% of them do. A couple always seems to be playing a game of my spot where they bark and fight over the perfect spot to sleep in. This goes on day and night. The introverted ones escape the hoards and come over to our dock where they are generally quiet and peaceful. One night they kept us awake until I armored myself with a boat hook and fended them off our dock. They were not pleased but we slept better afterwards. The three of us slept, ate and were thoroughly entertained for a few days in sunny warm weather.
Glenda and Kidston went through the SF Museum of Modern Art and returned awe filled.
The three of us went to the California Academy of the Sciences which housed an aquarium, rainforest (closed for maintenance) and planetarium. The planetarium show was on Dark Matter and I was again awed by how little we are in the universe. Fascinating. A delightful place.
We went back to the Fringe and saw Dandy Darkly again with Kidston (hey, it was the best of the fringe, eh?) and another less notable offering.
Another day trip was to the Muir Woods, a national monument for California Redwood trees. It was a great hike and the trees are amazing. These ones were mere youngsters at some 500 - 900 years old but they can get to 2000 years old. We took the shuttle back to Sausalito and then the ferry back to Pier 39 for a complete day.
San Francisco has many transit options. Uber is great, although I worry about the drivers making a living wage. BART, underground subway, buses, trams cars, bike share, and of course the famous cable cars. Driving a car seems like a waste of time, but based on the freeway traffic jams I have seen, most people still seem to be glued to their automobiles; climate change be damned.
After Kidston left, I spent Sunday morning at the first Unitarian Church (see separate post) and wondering about town. It was time for a haircut, so called around until I found a barber with drop in privileges. when I arrived, I realized I was in the sketchy part of town. It was run by 4 or 5 East Asian gentlemen and they moved everyone through there quickly and efficiently. My hair was cut, and no hassles at all.
As I write this, Kidston went home yesterday and Glenda today. I am catching up on chores and writing and preparing for the next leg which I will do on my own. Down the California coast to visit the wonders of such famous destinations as Monterey, Carmel, and Long Beach with the hopes of reaching San Diego by about October 12.
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