Saturday May 8th
Our last full day in San Francisco! We started the day with breakfast at Café de la presse (so good we had to go back). This time we split pancakes and French toast which was absolutely delicious!
From there we walked through part of China town.
On our way to Coit tower we realized how out of shape we are. We had to walk up a very steep road to get to the base of the 210 foot tower and by the time we made it there we were totally winded. However, the walk was well worth it.
Inside at the base of Coit tower are a number of murals done as part of the Public Works of Art Project.
An old fashioned manned elevator takes you to the top. From there a short spiral stairway leads to an outdoor rotunda with amazing views of the city.
Our next destination was Lombard Street, also known as the crookedest street in the world.
A charming house near Lombard Street.
From there we walked down to the Pier 39 area and rode a street car back to our hotel.
And of course, no trip to San Francisco would be complete without a ride on one of the famous cable cars, which we boarded at the cable car turnaround right next to our hotel.
We hopped off at Mason Street and toured the cable car powerhouse and museum which was very interesting. Inside, the winding wheels can be seen pulling the cables along their tracks.
The cables for each of the 3 lines are pulled along continuously. If one of the strands in the wire becomes frayed an alarm sounds and that night they must cut out the damaged part and splice in new wire. They have a window of a few hours each night in which they can make repairs to the lines.
We tried nearly every means of transportation while we were in the city: subway, taxi, bus, street car, cable car, rental car, and towncar. And to say we did a lot of walking would be an understatement!
In the evening we took a 45 minute bus ride to Twin Peaks and took photos. From the top of the hill the wind was so strong that we had to hold onto everything to prevent it from blowing away. Our new, lightweight tripod, while perfect for carrying around, was no match for the wind and most of our photos came out a bit blurry. In addition to the strong wind, the temperature had to be in the 30's. As a true Floridian I was wearing thick socks, leggings under my jeans, tank top, long sleeved shirt, 2 jackets, mittens, and a scarf and I was still cold!
From there we walked through part of China town.
On our way to Coit tower we realized how out of shape we are. We had to walk up a very steep road to get to the base of the 210 foot tower and by the time we made it there we were totally winded. However, the walk was well worth it.
Inside at the base of Coit tower are a number of murals done as part of the Public Works of Art Project.
Our next destination was Lombard Street, also known as the crookedest street in the world.
A charming house near Lombard Street.
From there we walked down to the Pier 39 area and rode a street car back to our hotel.
This was our view as we walked from Lombard Street towards the Pier, with Alcatraz in the distance.
A Segway tour group passed by. After all of the walking we did we were feeling a bit envious!
Seeing the street cars pass by always made me laugh - they look so old that it makes me feel like I've gone back in time! Every car has the city where it was made stamped on the side. The one we rode on was made in Milan, Italy and it was packed! There were 2 rows of seats on either side of the aisle and 2 rows of people standing down the middle.
And of course, no trip to San Francisco would be complete without a ride on one of the famous cable cars, which we boarded at the cable car turnaround right next to our hotel.
We hopped off at Mason Street and toured the cable car powerhouse and museum which was very interesting. Inside, the winding wheels can be seen pulling the cables along their tracks.
The cables for each of the 3 lines are pulled along continuously. If one of the strands in the wire becomes frayed an alarm sounds and that night they must cut out the damaged part and splice in new wire. They have a window of a few hours each night in which they can make repairs to the lines.
We tried nearly every means of transportation while we were in the city: subway, taxi, bus, street car, cable car, rental car, and towncar. And to say we did a lot of walking would be an understatement!
In the evening we took a 45 minute bus ride to Twin Peaks and took photos. From the top of the hill the wind was so strong that we had to hold onto everything to prevent it from blowing away. Our new, lightweight tripod, while perfect for carrying around, was no match for the wind and most of our photos came out a bit blurry. In addition to the strong wind, the temperature had to be in the 30's. As a true Floridian I was wearing thick socks, leggings under my jeans, tank top, long sleeved shirt, 2 jackets, mittens, and a scarf and I was still cold!
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