The City by the Bay

My first work day took me into the city by the bay.  It has been quite a long time since I was in the city and I recalled all the times when I was young of driving with my family into the city each weekend.


I was directed to take the BART into the city to save aggravation in driving across the bridge as well as finding parking.  It was a painless process even with the reserved parking at the BART station for $3.00.  The fair was $3.90 each direction and after finishing my work obligation I went to meet up with a friend I haven't seen in a while and did a bit of sightseeing.


Of course, I got on the wrong train at first - I tend to do this due to some strange whim of my brain stating that I must get on the first train and the sense of urgency is undeniable.  I had to hop off at the next stop and patiently wait for the right train.


I got off at close to the courthouse and had to ask directions from some passerbys to walk in the right direction.  Here are some pictures I took on my walk on the cold San Francisco morning.

After successfully completing my assignment, my friend Margaret picked me up and we headed to Little Italy for a bite to eat.  She took me for seafood at Sotto Mare and I had my favorite clam chowder and a crab appetizer.  I think only Boston has better clam chowder.

Next she took me for a drive down Lombard Street which is very twisty.  At the top of the hill I was able to get a picture of Alcatraz.

This is the view from atop the hill.

The houses along Lombard were very fancy and I can't imagine the cost of living there.  The driveways come right out the the curves on the street.

Margaret dropped me off and I walked down the street and she picked me up at the bottom of the hill.

We next hit Telegraph Hill and got some panoramic views of the city.

They had a public bathroom on the Hill and it was very interesting.  It is a self contained kiosk that self cleans itself.  You push the button and the door slides open and you go in with the door sliding close.  After your business, you come out and the door closes again and the unit goes into self-cleaning mode.  When the green light comes back on, it is ready for the next use.  The toilet seat is tiny in comparison and the floors are cleaned after each use.  There is also no charge to use the restroom.

After a bit of shopping in Chinatown - bakery goods and stuff from the dollar store, we also stopped by the fortune cookies factory where I bought two bags of defects.  Then I was back on the BART headed back to the East Bay.

The factory is in a small alleyway and I would not have been able to find it myself.  There was a charge for taking photos in the factory so I didn't get any, but the cookie press was awesomely efficient with a person sitting right in front of it taking warm cookies and folding them with fortunes inside.