Wonderful Time in San Francisco!

We decided to take the bus to San Francisco, because parking is at a premium in SF, and it costs $6 for a car just to cross the Golden Gate Bridge. The bus cost us $8.40 each, one way, to ride.
Nevertheless, it was great to just sit back and let someone else worry about the traffic. We dressed warmy, knowing that it can be very chilly in SF at times. Not to worry...the weather was fabulous with a light cool breeze and warm sun.

We got off the bus on Mission Street. There were beggars, street performers, and just plain weird looking people wandering around. Our plan was to take the cable car to Fishermans Wharf. We bought a $13 day pass so we could ride any bus or cable car in the city. There were long lines waiting for the cable cars, but we finally got on one, packed on with many other folks. We didn't hang on the side; I thought that was pretty scary. The cable cars pass dangerously close to trucks, other cable cars, etc., and the stops and starts can be pretty jerky.
We arrived at Fishermans Wharf and went through the Maritime Museum. That area is now a National Park. We toured the Balclutha, a ship which was built in Glasgow, Scotland, in 1889. It was huge. Reading about the problems incurred by sailors back then, it's a wonder that any ship ever made it to port. That's Gary you see in the lower right corner with his trusty Nikon.

Of course, the second picture is Alcatraz.

By this time, it was noon, and we ate at Alioto's, on the recommendation of a friendly bystander. They had a large menu and the food was reasonably priced. I splurged and had fried shrimp, french fries, and sourdough bread. I also paid the price for it, gaining one pound this morning, despite all the walking we did yesterday. Rats, I just can't cheat at all!

After visiting every place we wanted there, and buying a couple of tee shirts, we took off walking to catch another cable car. This one was even more crowded than the other. We got off at Lombard Street, intending to walk up the supposed "crookedest street in the world". Actually, it's not. After we got off the cable car, I looked up and saw one of the steepest hills I'd ever seen ahead of us. We trudged up the hill, about 3 blocks, to the end of the switchbacks. We decided to just take pictures of it, and went back down the hill and caught another cable car. The last picture you see was taken on the way down. It is Coit Tower, a famous landmark in San Francisco. We only saw it from a distance, and by that time, we were beat and wanting to catch our bus back to our home base.

Traffic on the 101 was not bad, with a few stop-and-go areas, but we decided it wasn't as bad as Austin traffic on I-35. We got back to Petaluma at 5 pm, happy to survive riding the bus and knowing when to request a stop!

Today we're going to drive down the 101 to Sausalito, where I lived in the early 80's. I should have some majestic pictures of SF and the Golden Gate Bridge tomorrow!