• San Francisco Ferry Building at Night

    27Apr
    Categories: Architecture, Breakfast, Cheap Fun, Culture, Dinner, Food, Free Fun, Fun, Kids, Lunch, Outdoor, People Watching, Photo Opp, Shopping, Silly, Tourist Activity, View Click Here to Leave a Comment

    San Francisco Ferry Building at Night
    Walking around downtown San Francisco at night is a whole adventure in entertainment all by itself. Walk toward the bay down Market Street, and you’ll find the old/new Ferry Building. My Dad has told me in the past about how busy it used to be, when he lived here in the late 30’s and early 40’s. There used to be two streetcar lines running down Market Street and they were in competition with each other, which seems odd, by today’s standards. Ferries from across the bay - Treasure Island, Tiburon, Sausalito, Alameda, Oakland, and other spots all met here and it was always a source for great people watching. Now, some of the ferries still come to from the same places, but the Ferry Building itself has been refurbished and is now a gourmet’s treasure. It’s a must see while in San Francisco and there’s something for everyone. Big cruise ships used to come into the bay and dock at the piers that run up and down the Embarcadero (the main street that fronts the bay). Walk up or down the Embercadero any time. Either direction is fun. South heads you toward the baseball park and North will lead you toward the Fisherman’s Wharf area. It’s easy to get back downtown using a street car or Muni (the light rail). (PS-I think the Fisherman’s Wharf area is highly over-rated and b o r i n g … unless you REALLY need an over-priced tee-shirt, or a cheezy tin cup about Alcatraz. Spend your time at some of the spots highlighted here on this blog, and you’ll have a much more intereting time. Pier 39 was built for tourists. Don’t bother with it at all. It’s no at all what San Francisco is about.

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  • San Francisco Earthquake Anniversary

    09Apr
    Categories: Architecture, Culture, Free Fun, Fun, Outdoor, Photo Opp, Tourist Activity Click Here to Leave a Comment

    medallion logo 768774 San Francisco Earthquake Anniversary
    April 18th, 1906 was the dreadful day of the devistating San Francisco Earthquake and Fire; so we’re at the the 100th Anniversary milestone.

    If you’d like to see some really wide panorama photos of the damage. These photos are so wide, you have to use your arrow right/left keys to see the whole shot … kind of a 1906 version of a virtual tour … very cool.
    Earthquake Damage Photos

    In commoration, the San Francisco Historical Society has put together some very cool ways to re-trace the steps through many of the effected parts. Embedded in the sidewalks all over town are markers of the trail, and each one points to the next one for a self guided tour.

    Local book stores have books about the Barbary Coast, and maps are easy to find too (there’s one at the site below). If you want a guided tour, it’s $20 per person but you’ll need 16 people, or you can just splurge and pay $320 for a remarkable and quirky vacation experience. All the info you need is at:
    Barbary Coast Trail, which is a non-profit organization.

    Coming this month are downloadable audio tours that you can sync to your iPod, or burn onto CD. Another very cool idea.

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