More than a week later

and I still haven't written about our 3rd and final day in SF.



We fully intended to go to Alcatraz Island, so we got up early as we had read that you need to book the ferry in advance. So our intention was to go in the afternoon. However, on arrival we discovered that even if we had tried to book on the day we arrived we would have been out of luck as the day time ferries were booked 7 days ahead and the night time ferries were even worse, booking 11 days ahead!

So that sort of left us stumped for a bit, however we soon got over our disappointment and decided to go on an hour cruise of the Bay. It included a trip up the Golden Gate Bridge coming back around Alcatraz. The bridge was magical as there was a persistent mist throughout of the day and we got close enough to Alcatraz to get a good idea of what a desolate place it must have been.

In the pm we made our way to the Presidio Area to see an Hawaiian Festival. Well we never got to see the festival as we came across the Palace of Fine Arts first


and then we walked along Marina Blvd to the Golden Gate Bridge and Fort Point at the base of the Bridge.

To be honest the Fort was a much better destination than the festival and we were in luck that some volunteers were dressed up, acting out parts of its history.

All too soon our trip was coming to an end but there was just one more thing I needed to do before we left. Look around the galleries which were literally around the corner from the hotel we were staying at. When I was younger and lived in London, I was always intimated by the private galleries, especially the ones in the west end of London (Cork St in particular). As I have gotten older and wiser (debatable the last word), I have come to see that they are no more or less than shops that sell art, so why should I be intimated? I had a great time looking around the galleries and just wished we could have bought something. We worked out that if we didn't pay college fees plus living expenses, we could actually buy at least one good piece of work each year. Now that would be a pleasure and hopefully an investment, so maybe in a few year times, it will actually happen.

Miro at the Weinstein Gallery
Chagall at the Weinstein Gallery


Enrico Donati at the Weinstien Gallery

Dali at the Christopher Clark Fine Art Gallery.

After a meal at an Indian restaurant, we had one final walk around the area the hotel was in which was was near Union Square. Of course I couldn't leave without taking a couple of pictures of the hearts I had seen around and about.

This person most definitely left her heart in San Francisco

San Francisco was Brilliant! - part 2

We spent most of our time on the first day, investigating the Fisherman's Wharf area and ended our tour at the Fort Mason area.

View from the Hill looking down on to Fort Mason

On our self navigated walking tour, we came across a really great little musuem which displayed old time penny arcade machines. Believe it or not this was one of them.

Penny Arcade Game

It also included a couple of fortune telling machines, just like the one in the Tom Hanks' movie "Big". Of course I couldn't resist spending 50c on one of them. Here is my fortune:

You are keenly critical but

tactful. Your memory is excellent

and retentive - guard against

worry. Take more open air

exercise. Keep smiling

At the end of our walk we managed to find a bus route to take us back to downtown. As we were sitting on the bus it became clear that it would be going through Chinatown, so that was our next port of call.

I have never been to place like Chinatown, it was amazing. It really is a Asian town in the middle of a USA town. It was incredibly crowded and busy with people buying all sorts of what we would think was exotic but no doubt normal food to them. I even saw a fish flapping away as it was to be shown to a customer, the shopper keeper with a cleaver in hand about to sever its head.

A shop window and view from the bus of the main street of China Town.

We walked around for an hour or so, before we returned to the hotel for a much needed rest before dinner. It was brilliant first day.

San Francisco was Brilliant!

We arrived in the early hours of Thursday morning and were up, bright and breezy, by 9am. Our first port of call was the Diner opposite the hotel where we had a huge breakfast which lasted us for the rest of the day.

After we had eaten ourselves silly we did a quick sortie of the place which was in the heart of San Francisco, just five minutes from Market St. We found the information centre and made the wise decision to purchase a travel card for 3 days. They were well worth the money!

We then decided to make our way to Fisherman's wharf. We were going to take a tram but it quickly became obvious that they were way too popular as everyone that went pass was filled to brimming. So despite my lack of delight in hills (there are plenty in SF) we made our way up and over the hill. Much to my surprise I was not too out of breathe, so all that dog walking must be doing me good.

Fisherman's wharf was mobbed! The one thing that surprised us was that fact it was cool, in fact so people might even consider it cold (ie Gordon). I will be watching movies and TV shows with a renewed eye now. As we were walking around the pier we became aware of a strange noise and it quickly became evident was it was - seals - about 50-75 of them, lying on the floating docks.

The rest of the next few hours we just wondered around the area, taking in all the sights and shops, relishing the cool weather.

More tomorrow.

Well, we were going to Mexico City

until we realised we needed to get some important jags (shots) before going. Maybe next year. We are going away (Gordon and I) for a few days at the beginning of August to celebrate our birthdays , mine on the 3rd, Gordon's on the 6th ( he will be 49, a youngen) and our 22nd Wedding Anniversary.

It had been a toss up between Mexico City and San Francisco as both have direct flights from Austin. I had really wanted to go to Mexico City as there is a major exhibition of Frida Kahlo's work to celebrate 100 yrs since her birth. She was an amazing woman and a brilliant artist, so I would really like to see her work in person but at least next year we can see her studio.

So now I am looking for information on San Francisco, in particular art, as I so rarely see Art other than on the Internet. I occasionally go to Austin to see the galleries there but to be honest there really isn't much there, which is kind of surprising given its the capital of the State. Things have improved immensely since the opening of the new Blanton Museum building in April 2006 and for its size the Austin Museum of Art does well. I always remember the first time I visited the museum and thinking "is this it?" Despite looking fairly large from outside, it is actually only one floor of limited space.

I supposed I was fairly spoilt in that I was brought up in the centre of London ( Westminster) and had all the National art galleries to visit. I would just pop in for a lunch time break, marvelling at all the beautiful work and wishing I could be half so good. It was only once I moved out of London permanently in the mid 1980's that I really appreciated how lucky I had been and wished I had used them more. One day I will be back and boy! am I looking forward to that day! However, have to get the kids through college and get a job which pays well before that happens.

Anyway, as its just me and Gordon going to San Francisco, I am sure we will visit a couple of galleries at least. Gordon is not really into art at all but will put up with visiting a few shows without too many sarcastic remarks. I just need to make sure we space it out with a trip to China Town and other things. Must admit don't know anything about San Francisco at all except for its trams and wild curving downward streets.