TUESDAY
AUGUST 14. 2012
The big day finally has arrived to see San Francisco.
The early morning temperature was 52 degrees.
That should have been a clue for us.
We had been warned to bring a "light jacket".
I'm glad I took a sweater, my fleece pullover, and Nylon jacket.
I needed all three when we got out of the bus at the
Golden Gates Bridge to have a walk on it.
The bridge was in a FOG, bigtime.
We could bearly see in front of us.
Who would have expected that at 10 AM.
At each stop we were told how long we had to explore.
Our next stop was in the Golden Gates Park at the de Young Fine Arts Museum,
where we could take a picture from the 9th floor observation deck.
This shows some of the gardens
and buildings in that complex.
This building was completed in 2007,
and had a copper exterior
that shined like a new penny.
It has cured and is now getting a
nice finish, more agreeable to the natives.
Although there is a charge for the Museum,
visitors are allowed to go to the 9th
Floor Observation Deck FREE.
The thrill of the trip was to ride the Cable Car.
Our guide drove us to the top of the hill,
and escorted us to the Cable Car Stop.
She drove the Tour Bus to the bottom of the hill
to pick us up and take us to the
Fisherman's Wharf
where we were on our own for lunch.
The Bridge you can see
in the background
of this picture
is the Oakland Bay Bridge
We decided to treat ourselves to
fine dining at
The Franciscan,
overlooking
San Francisco Bay
and Alcatraz.
Rita's ordered Dungeness Crab Louie
which cost $22.95.
Russ ordered Fish and Chips, for $17.95.
It was so good,
he asked what kind of fish it was.
The waitress informed him it
was from Viet Nam,
and called Basa fish.
Does that make sense?
Here we are at Fisherman's Wharf,
where we expected the fish to
be fresh from the Sea,
but not from so far away.
After lunch our Guide took us
to Chinatown and gave
us 45 minutes to look around.
This scene is one of the first views
I had of Chinatown.
A colorful, unique place.
Portsmouth Square Park adjacent to our drop-off point,
was swarming with groups of men and women,
playing a board game.
It resembled Checkers or Chess,
and seemed to totally absorb the players.
The women were playing cards in one group.
It was like being in another country,
with few folks speaking English.
The signs were in Chinese, and
the store fronts were too.
Another part of our tour was a drive through
Haight/Asbury District
to see the beautifully painted houses.
Many are two family homes,
with one living on the ground and first floor,
and the second family
on the second floor.
As our day came to a close,
our Guide gave us one last chance
to take a picture of the
Golden Gate Bridge,
or at least what was finally
visible as of 5:30 PM.
NOTE: How bundled up both of us are.
It barely reached 60 degrees all day.
The wind chill factor made it feel
like the 30's to me.
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