Day 6, February 2, 2010
Happy Groundhog Day. I don’t actually know if we are in for 6 more weeks of winter or not, but I’m hoping for an early spring.
Today was a great last day in San Francisco. We got a somewhat early start from the hotel and headed out on the F-line (street car) along The Embarcadero from the hotel to the Ferry Building. We were hoping to catch the Tuesday morning farmer’s market, but it didn’t open until 10am.
Instead we tried the streetcar museum right there, but it didn’t open until 10am either! So, then, we opted to walk along the Embarcadero towards Fisherman’s Wharf. We started at Pier 1, and ended at Pier 47. The sun was out and the weather was perfect for a stroll.
We stopped to read some of the history signs along the way and learned that the coastline as we walked on it today was actually 100 feet farther into the ocean than the coastline during the Gold Rush. Apparently, there was such a rush to get more land, that the settlers dumped everything they could including old ships, trash, and other junk into the ocean to create more land. Well, that just made me feel safe standing there. =) I’m sure it’s more stable now.
We went out along Pier 39 and watched the Sea Lions bark at each other for a bit. Afterwards we started our history lesson of the shipyards. We viewed the SS Jeremiah O’Brien submarine and then the only Liberty Ship still in existence. We walked over to the NPS Hyde Street Park and Maritime Museum area. There were quite a few ships and boats to look at.
By then it was lunchtime, so we headed back to Boudin for another clam chowder bread bowl. Mmmm, still tasty. We had to be back at the hotel to pick up our bags at 2pm, so we had just enough time to take the cable car to the Cable Car Museum and marvel at the huge spinning wheels that pull the cables across the city. I wish we had more time to spend there and I took pictures of the signs I didn’t have time to read so I could go back and look at them later. All the cables go through this building. We learned how the cable cars operate and how the accelerate and slow down for stops. The brakes have to be replaced every 2-4 days!
Alas, we had to leave, so we took the cable car back to the hotel, grabbed our bags, and then hopped on the BART train that took us to Oakland and then the AirBART bus that took us to the airport.
Today was definitely a day of public transportation. We made it to the gate with 15 minutes to spare before boarding time, so good timing. =)
The flight home was uneventful and now we are back in Houston. It’s always good to be home after a trip. Hopefully I’ll be able to spend some time sorting through my photos and let you know when they are posted for viewing.
Thanks for reading and as always, visit http://markandjoannatravel.blogspot.com for the full blog.