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Our return visit to the San Francisco area was a longer one and the weather was just as beautiful as before. Unfortunately, I could only watch the first couple sunny days pass from the window of our RV because I was sick. While we were in Healdsburg our friend Kelly caught a cold from his boss and since Kelly is so kind and generous he shared it with his wife Elaine. Not to be outdone in the giving department Elaine passed it along to me. And it knocked me for a loop! Apparently, I don’t share well because Lance remained healthy as a horse.

We came back to the Bay area so Lance could get together with the rest of the team he is working with (since everyone on the team lives in different places it is rare to get them all in the same room). Tuesday evening Lance took a BART train downtown for a five course, and multiple bottles of wine, working dinner. If only we could all have “meetings” like that! It would certainly drive up the attendance rate. Lance felt it was a very productive evening, with the only downside being the increase in his workload!

So, Wednesday I left Lance and his computers and headed into the city. I got off at the first stop downtown and walked along the Embarcadero (the water front). Interesting to see all the redevelopment going on: the old warehouses and piers are being spruced up as trendy shops and restaurants move in. Walking out on the Ferry Building Pier I had great views across the Bay to Alcatraz and up the hill to Coit Tower.

I braved the tourist trap of Pier 39 in order to see the California Sea Lions at K Dock. These characters are famous. They started showing up after the 1989 Loma Prieta earthquake and they’ve never left. At first the Port Authority and boat owners tried to scare them away but as the numbers grew from 10 to over 500 they gave up. The city and the PA closed the dock and surrounding area to boat traffic. But their work was not over. One year over 900 sea lions showed up and their combined weight collapsed the dock!

When you consider that the males can weigh up to 850lbs that is a lot of weight! So several new, floating docks were built. The neat thing about the floating docks is that they go up and down with the tide, so the sea lions always have a place to rest. In fact, it might be too convenient, instead of migrating out to the Channel Islands to feed in the summer some of the males stay in the Bay year round. Which is fine for people like me who love to watch their antics. I thought they were loud and there were only 50 of them, I can’t imagine what 900 of them sound like!

All their antics made me hungry so I grabbed some delicious fish and greasy chips at nearby Fisherman’s Wharf. The block-long, crowded together seafood stalls and restaurants originated long ago when Italian fishermen sold cups of seafood stew from huge boiling pots, right next to their boats. Most, if not all, of the vendors appear to be Italian, maybe third or fourth generation? The frenzy of the throngs of tourists and the yelling seafood hawkers actually reminded me of Italy.

Refreshed I continued west along the waterfront to the San Francisco Maritime National Historical Park at Hyde Street Pier. This is our nation’s only floating National Park! Besides being interesting, most of the exhibits are free (a free National Park, that’s almost unheard of). I meandered along the Pier, where the ships creaked in their moorings, learning about the historic vessels that played a hand in the development of the west. Hyde Street Pier is of special interest because it was once an official part of US 101. Until the Golden Gate Bridge was completed in 1937, drivers on 101 would have to take the ferry from Hyde Street Pier across the Bay. After sailing on the Bay I can imagine that some of the drivers were a bit green by the time they reached the other side!

I rested my feet on a nearby bench and watched people wade, swim and sculpt the sand; we were all enjoying the warm sun. Above towered the 15’ letters proclaiming the old home of the Ghirardelli Chocolate Company. One of San Francisco’s many immigrant success stories, the Italian Domingo Ghirardelli was lured to America by the Gold Rush of 1849. A lousy miner and hotelier Domingo turned to the family business, confections. His chocolate factory grew rapidly (apparently, the successful miners needed their chocolate fix) and became the largest factory in western North America. The best thing about the multitude of stairs leading up to Ghirardelli Square is the free sample I was given at the chocolate shop. The Square no longer houses the factory but it is home to two Ghirardelli stores along with other shops and restaurants.

As I devoured my chocolate square I caught sight of a cable car going by and decide to catch a ride. So I followed it downhill to the Powell/Hyde cable car turnaround. The line to ride was insanely long so after watching the operators physically turn the car for its uphill trip, I decided to walk. The route is the most popular because it offers great views of the city as it goes straight uphill. It took longer but I relished the view, when I stopped to catch my breath at the top of Lombard Street I watched some crazy drivers as they inched their way through the hairpin turns.

Oh, cruel city of hills! The Cable Car Museum was on the eastern flank of the huge hill I just climbed, I didn’t have to climb the whole thing, I could’ve skirted it. The museum was worth it though. You can see the actual cables that run continuously under the streets plus read up on the invention and history of the cable cars. After visiting the museum I knew my cable cars from street cars from trolleys (cable car people are sensitive about these things).

I hopped on the bus and zoomed down Market Street, where I started this morning, to meet Lance. Lance and I had a half hour to kill before meeting Tim for dinner so we walked over to the Villaincourt Fountain to watch people feed the Parrots of Telegraph Hill. They are actually Cherry-Headed Conures, so noisy, social and colorful. I’m not sure why they are so famous but they do have their own movie!

Tim took us to Osha (warning, Flash-only site), a fantastic Thai restaurant. We were all famished and shared a multitude of reasonably priced dishes. Every single plate went back to the kitchen empty, it was delicious! After dinner we walked over to an Irish pub where some of the guys from Lance’s team were hanging out. It was nice to meet them all but it was difficult to find room inside our tummies for the beer. Lance and I caught the last BART train home, tired but happy.

Photos: San Francisco Day 1.

Dates and notes: We stayed in the San Francisco Bay Area 08/07/06 – 08/11/06 with a nice lodging at Audiss RV Park in El Cerrito (north of Berkeley).