Trains, Planes & Automobiles

or rather: streetcars, taxis, cable cars, and subways

We had a great day with our guests today! Peter got a chance to experience 4 different modes of pubic transportation in one day!

We took the "F" Muni Line (which are the antique street cars which go all the way down Market street, and along the Embarcadero) from the beginning of the line (Castro/Market) to Pier 39.

We walked along Pier 39 for just a bit, mostly to check out the beautiful views. I had bought a couple of disposable cameras for Peter yesterday, so today he was able to take photos of Alcatraz, and the Golden Gate Bridge. The weather was great today, and very clear! We walked along and saw the sea lions lounging in the sun, and eventually got lunch (fish & chips) at Aliotos.

By my friend, George's wonderful suggestion, we visited one of my favorite SF attractions to take out-of-town-guests, Musee Mecanique. I was a huge fan of Musee Mecanique when it was housed at the Cliff House, but had not been to its new home at Pier 45. The space was fantastic, and it was quite busy today. Peter really enjoyed playing many of the games there today.

We then strolled along and stopped at Hyde Street Pier. Peter was excited to take a quick walk along the "beach" so that he could dip his finger inside the Bay! :)

We went up to Ghiradelli Square where I had hoped to go into the restaurant to show peter the equipment that they use to make chocolate. Unfortunately, the line was VERY long, so we skipped it.

We were going to take the Cable Car back to Union Square, but once we found out that the line would take over an hour, we came up with a better plan:

We hailed a cab, and had it drop us off at the corner of California and Van Ness. Once there, we boarded a Cable Car, and took it the entire way up California Street back to the Embarcadero.

By this time, we were all pretty tired from all of the walking and excitement of the day. When I say "we", I mean, Dick, Dick's father and I. Peter was still full of energy! We decided to take the underground MUNI, or the subway, as I told Peter, from the Embarcadero back to the Castro Street Station.

We came home just in time to watch a full evening of College Basketball while eating pizza for dinner!

BTW: Yes, North Carolina did win.
Yes, Duke Lost.
No, I didn't watch the game.

I was upstairs for the entire first half or more getting some work done. Then I went downstairs to hear how close the game was. Dick's father and I decided to retire to the kitchen and eat ice-cream sundaes while "listening" to the game (ie: Dick yelling and screaming) while Peter ran in every two minutes to give us the update on the game. Each time he came in, he said, "Trina, don't come in!"

What a nice day.
Tomorrow we plan on covering Chinatown and Union Square.