City By The Bay

Thursday, 8/21/08

We arrived in San Fransisco before lunch and decided to spend the day in the Pier 39/ Fisherman’s Wharf area. From the top of the parking garage, we caught our first glimpse of Alcatraz and the vibrant activity in the street below. People moved in and out of shops, got on boat tours, sat with coffee or ice cream, and admired floating platforms covered with barking seals.

The sun was warm and the breeze was cool-- a perfect combination for walking around, taking in the sights and ducking into the occasional store in search of interesting wares and, of course, stickers. We settled into The Crab House for lunch to sample the infamous Dungeness Crab, a San Fransisco specialty. We felt a little odd tying on the bibs, but they certainly came in handy. Our Russian waitress reminded us that we did need to use our hands, and she brought wet naps for when we were done. As usual, they were a lot of work, but well worth it.

We left the city at sunset and crossed the Golden Gate Bridge to the viewing area on the other side. This offered spectacular views of the city and a perfect place to photograph the bridge. Travelers and visitors from all over the world converge here just as Steinbeck did almost 50 years ago. We even saw a troop of Irish bikers who had shipped their bikes here to travel the Pacific Coast Highway. After one last look at the majestic span, we pointed the Egg northeast toward Fairfield for the night.