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Images of San Francisco
Tristyn and I returned from San Francisco early Tuesday morning. Photos from the trip follow. (Full San Francisco thread here.)
Saturday we took a cable car to the farmer's market at the Ferry Building. Locally grown produce is sold outside, and shops selling housewares and food are inside.
They're very serious about recycling: there are even compost bins. And a political satire of the famous kids' book.
Across the street is an artists' market. Stalls are only allowed to sell their own work. We bought a handmade glass tray similar to the black and white one on the left.
From there we took another cable car to the Cable Car Museum. Until then I did not realize that cable cars have no propulsion of their own - rather they "grip" a steel cable that constantly runs (at 9 1/2 MPH) under the ground. The city-wide cable is driven from these engines in the museum:
I assume this was from after the 1906 earthquake/fire that destroyed the city:
We had lunch at the Gallery Cafe cafe across the street, which offered free wifi and private glass alcoves.
Next we went to Vesuvio's, a bar popular in the 50s with Beats like Kerouac and Ginsberg. It was only fitting to drink a 'Jack Kerouac.'
We stopped by Grace Cathedral. The outside looks like Notre Dame, and the inside is similarly Gothic - except that the ceiling arches don't actually hold up the structure, as in real Gothic structures, but simply add decoration to a steel frame that does. Maybe that makes it more earthquake-proof, but it looked a little redundant.
We had dinner at Mel's Drive-In - not really a drive-in anymore, but still a good diner. Across the street is Tommy's Joynt, where we ate the next night.
On Sunday, we went to Fisherman's Wharf and Alcatraz Island. It was Fleet Week, so the Blue Angels and other squadrons were flying overhead in acrobatic formations all day. Thousands of boats were on the water to see the show.
Tristyn and me at Fisherman's Wharf after a big meal.
From the Wharf, we hiked up steep roads to see the Coit Tower. A statue of Christoper Columbus - fitting for Columbus Day weekend - stands outside the tower.
The view in two different foci from the trail near the tower.
For dinner, we went back to The Stinking Rose: A Garlic Restaurant. I agree with the guidebook that their cuisine isn't particularly exceptional, but I do like garlic and the place is fun. The vanilla-garlic ice cream, however - which I didn't try two years ago but was determined to try this time - was (not surprisingly) pretty awful. The ceiling was adorned with wine bottles decorated like garlic bulbs.
On Monday we spent the day in a park near the Civic Center. I read Yann Martel's wonderful book Life of Pi and T studied for classes the next day. A man there was flying a hopeful kite.
Saturday we took a cable car to the farmer's market at the Ferry Building. Locally grown produce is sold outside, and shops selling housewares and food are inside.
They're very serious about recycling: there are even compost bins. And a political satire of the famous kids' book.
Across the street is an artists' market. Stalls are only allowed to sell their own work. We bought a handmade glass tray similar to the black and white one on the left.
From there we took another cable car to the Cable Car Museum. Until then I did not realize that cable cars have no propulsion of their own - rather they "grip" a steel cable that constantly runs (at 9 1/2 MPH) under the ground. The city-wide cable is driven from these engines in the museum:
I assume this was from after the 1906 earthquake/fire that destroyed the city:
We had lunch at the Gallery Cafe cafe across the street, which offered free wifi and private glass alcoves.
Next we went to Vesuvio's, a bar popular in the 50s with Beats like Kerouac and Ginsberg. It was only fitting to drink a 'Jack Kerouac.'
We stopped by Grace Cathedral. The outside looks like Notre Dame, and the inside is similarly Gothic - except that the ceiling arches don't actually hold up the structure, as in real Gothic structures, but simply add decoration to a steel frame that does. Maybe that makes it more earthquake-proof, but it looked a little redundant.
We had dinner at Mel's Drive-In - not really a drive-in anymore, but still a good diner. Across the street is Tommy's Joynt, where we ate the next night.
On Sunday, we went to Fisherman's Wharf and Alcatraz Island. It was Fleet Week, so the Blue Angels and other squadrons were flying overhead in acrobatic formations all day. Thousands of boats were on the water to see the show.
Tristyn and me at Fisherman's Wharf after a big meal.
From the Wharf, we hiked up steep roads to see the Coit Tower. A statue of Christoper Columbus - fitting for Columbus Day weekend - stands outside the tower.
The view in two different foci from the trail near the tower.
For dinner, we went back to The Stinking Rose: A Garlic Restaurant. I agree with the guidebook that their cuisine isn't particularly exceptional, but I do like garlic and the place is fun. The vanilla-garlic ice cream, however - which I didn't try two years ago but was determined to try this time - was (not surprisingly) pretty awful. The ceiling was adorned with wine bottles decorated like garlic bulbs.
On Monday we spent the day in a park near the Civic Center. I read Yann Martel's wonderful book Life of Pi and T studied for classes the next day. A man there was flying a hopeful kite.