Wandering through San Francisco, part one
The big question when spending a day in the city is how to get there. The two main choices are the ferry, which drops you off either at the ferry terminal or Fisherman's warf, or the transbay bus, which drops you off a few blocks off of Market Street downtown.
That morning I was looking around online for things to do in the city that wouldn't involve me walking through the Tenderloin by myself, and finally decided on going to Fort Mason.
I wanted to take the ferry this time since I needed to get to the northern edge of the city. Due to confusion on where to catch the bus to take me there, I ended up just taking the transbay bus anyway. I knew I could get to the same place anyway by taking the F streetcar along the Embarcadero.
As it happened, the streetcar was completely full, so they loaded us in the back door. The good thing was I didn't have to pay to ride, but I was also squashed among my fellow passengers. I finally decided to get off after a block when I saw a sign for a free museum, so I wound up near the ferry building.
It was small, only one room, but it gave a great history of streetcars in the city. Old signs, maps, and posters covered the walls. The man at the counter pointed out some of the oldest streetcars as they passed by. He really seemed to enjoy his job. I also bought a map from there, since I hadn't thought to bring one.
I started at Pier 1 and started walking along the length of the Embarcadero. I felt like such a tourist, but I really didn't want to start wandering streets in a part of the city which was unfamiliar.
After I passed the Ferry building, the crowd of tourists disappeared, and it was just me getting passed by a jogger every few minutes. I was intrigued by the sign pointing the way to chocolate...
It was interesting to see how few of the piers were actually working piers anymore. I think I saw maybe one fishing boat. The rest were home to businesses, law offices, and restaurants.
Strange to run into a circus in the middle of the Embarcadero. I can't believe I didn't take a picture of some of the CREEPY clown pictures they had. Combined with the soft, out of tune circus music, the overall effect was chilling. I'm not sure that's what they were going for.
Around Pier 33 I broke off the Embarcadero and onto Bay St, avoiding the crowded Pier 39. I wandered my way up to Lombard and Taylor, where I had heard there was a coffee shop. Caffe Sapore was a really nice place to sit and relax. Small but not claustrophobic. I ordered an iced mocha and wrote up some travel notes, while enjoying the breeze that came through an open window. I would definitely recommend it to anyone who is in the area.
I would have sat outside but I thought I felt raindrops. It may have been my imagination, because as soon as I sat down by the window, the sun came out.
To be continued...