Day 6...How to dress...?

How to dress...?

The past few days the temperature has been between 16 and 18 degrees Celsius with winds of about 24km/hour. Today's temperature was to be about the same with gusts up to 34 km/hour.

And today, we were headed to a small island in the middle of the Bay, known as the "Rock." We were sure the bone chilling winds would be horrific on Alcatraz, so we added our polars to my backpack.

While we waited for our street car, Hera took off her jacket and tied it around her waist. At the Pier, waiting for our turn to board, the hot sun beating down on me, I took off my jacket as well, and stuffed it into my backpack. Checking the forecast, it had not changed. Current temperature was 16 degrees, and still predicting gusts up to 34 km/hour, but so far, it was feeling like the hottest day since we arrived.

The ferry ride over provided lovely views of the city, and of the approaching Alcatraz Island.

The tour literature warns of the hike up to the cell blocks with an ascent of 130 feet, or the
equivalent of climbing up a 13 story building. It felt like a piece of cake compared to our two blocks climbs to get to our apartment.

Alcatraz is definitely worth the visit. The provided audio guide adds ambiance as we walked through the various parts of the prison.

Besides the prison, the flowers that grow on the island are spectacular. Plants and flowers were planted throughout the various eras of Alcatraz. And the birds... Many paths are closed because of the nesting birds, and we were able to get relatively close to several nesting cormorants.

Photographer's Note:  I have decided that I will photograph in B&W throughout my visit to Alcatraz.  I change it to color only for the two shots you see above. Nothing is edited. Nor cropped. I used 4000 ISO at times due too low light. No tripod. I think it conveys better the mood in that prison. I intend to do an audio visual in the future about my trip to Alcatraz. Therefor I am keeping the best shots for the audio visual.

Hera had befriended a fellow photographer whom we were to meet at 6pm in Chinatown. We still had some time so we decided to take a cable car up the steep hill to Chinatown and walk around a bit.

We came across a tea shop offering a tea tasting so we walked inside and took a seat. Herman, at Ital Tea leaf was very friendly and informative as he showed and prepared various teas. After tasting several delicious teas, we settled on two to buy.

We met up with Warren and Gail, who then took us to some wonderful streets in Chinatown that we had not seen, some bustling outdoor markets, as well as a Fortune Cookie Shop. It was amazing to see how the machine would pour the batter onto the lower plate, the batter would be spread as the top plate came down, and then it would be flame baked as it went around, to emerge as the plates separated as a soft round cooked cookie. A woman would take the soft cookie, place a fortune in the center, and then hand crimp it to the usual fortune cookie shape we are all accustomed with.

Gail then treated us to some Chinese pastries which were delicious.

We ended up in a non descript looking restaurant called New Woey Loy Goey on 699 Jackson Street. She asked what we liked, and we told her that our palate was very wide. Her selection was wonderful. Each plate was delicious and unique. I would be hard pressed to choose which plate I liked the best, as they all were wonderful. Hera's favorite was the large pork patty followed by the shrimp.

To round off the day, they drove us to Twin Peaks for a spectacular view of San Francisco. Up until then, it was our warmest day yet, but at the look out of Twin Peaks, the biting cold wind that we know so well was finally back.

It was a full and memorable day. Thank you Warren and Gail.

 
 

 
Cheers,
 
Hera & Anthony

Day 5...Finance and Shopping in San Francisco

Finance and Shopping in San Francisco


On one of our first days, we walked down Market Street until we got side tracked by a street fair. Today we decided to start at the bottom of Market Street and work our way up.

Starting at Market Street and The Embarcadero, we first perused the outdoor food stalls, and then made our way into the Ferry Building. While many people do indeed commute by ferries, the Ferry Building has been converted into boutique food stores. We sampled several olive oils at two places, some nuts, as well as some chocolate, and finally ended up buying a jar of Burnt Caramel.

We crossed the street and walked through the large Embarcadero Center, then got sidetracked when I saw a cable car. At Fisherman's Wharf there is a huge line up, often an hour long. Here, not touristy at all, it was empty. We hopped on board and road the cable car for a few blocks.

While I often used cable car, street car and tram interchangeably, there is a difference. A cable car operates by a gripman gripping a cable that runs under the street, which then pulls the cable car up the hill. He releases the cable, and applies the brake to stop. You can hear the sounds of the cable running under the streets where cable cars operate.

Our little joy ride on the cable car distracted us from our original plan of walking up Market Street. So we made our way back to Market Street, to explore the financial district.

We entered several buildings, each distinctive in their own right. The most impressive however was walking into the Sheraton Palace Hotel. If in town, you must drop in yourself to take a look. Or maybe even splurge for an afternoon tea.

Above the financial district is the shopping district. Men and women must be wired differently. Yesterday as we rode our street car past the area, we observed a Scandinavian family next to us. The two daughters and mother were almost begging the father, as he rolled his eyes. I knew exactly how he felt.

Hera is quite good. While she does like to shop, she did limit herself to only a few stores, and while I resisted, the only purchases ended up being for me!

Hopping back onto our street car, we rode up Market Street to do some grocery shopping before heading towards home.
 
Cheers,
 
Hera & Anthony

Fourth Day... Balmy California ?

Balmy California ?


After a hearty breakfast, we headed out for the day.

I had already decided to go with my jacket, while Hera said she would go without, and wear it if she got cold. After a moment out the door, she changed her mind, and came back in to wear her jacket as well.

We walked down 17th Street, and looked to see if any brave souls would bare their bodies on this cold day. None were to be seen, and I did not blame them, when the wind blows, it feels very cold.

At Castro Street, we took the 24 bus and headed North, past the Haight Ashbury district, and headed into Pacific Heights. A neighborhood of Victorian houses high on the hill. The views can be spectacular, but was obstructed by the low lying cloud.

For Hera, overcast days are a delight, as colors seem to pop, and no harsh shadows are to be found. She clicked away happily at various flowers, dogs, children, and the vistas that caught her eye. But we both shivered when the wind blew.

We walked along the way, peeking in various shop windows, past cow hollow, as we made our way down to the Marina.

Once there, Hera again delighted as she took various images of flowers, birds, even a jellyfish, not to mention a few of the Golden Gate bridge.

After shivering along the waterfront, we walked east and entered Fort Mason. First taken over during the Civil War, it later served various military functions as the US interests in the Pacific region grew. Today, it is home to various shops and art complexes. But it's Jetties also have some lovely views of Alcatraz and the Golden Gate Bridge which was now shrouded in clouds.

Walking East towards Fisherman's Wharf, we entered Ghiradelli Square. We had to enter the Ghiradelli Chocolate shop. Even though we were cold, we shared a delicious Banana Split then savoured a couple of well made espressos. Before leaving, we perused the chocolate making displays, and then had some trouble deciding on what chocolates to buy. Decisions, decisions, but what a delicious decision.

A bit warmed, we headed back out. Ahead of us, a few teenagers decided to take off their shoes to wet their feet. They shrieked as they felt the cold water, but they were having a blast of fun.

Back in the touristy Fisherman's Wharf, we looked about for a place to have supper. We tend not to eat in such touristy places, and know we could do better elsewhere in the city, but that will be for another day. For now, we wanted a nice warm place to have dinner.

We started with the house salad and shrimp, along with a perfect Italian vinaigrette dressing, then shared a half dozen raw claws. A first for both of us, delicious with a squeeze of lemon, and a tomato and horseradish sauce. Finally we each had a seafood chowder in a bread bowl. Yes, we had had it before, but after such a cold day, a hot chowder was exactly what we needed.

Although it was cold and overcast, and I wore my cap for the better part of the day, I could feel that the sun still managed to get through. I could feel my face, particular my nose to be quite warm. We will have to get some sunscreen soon.

Tired, we found our street car, and made our way back home. Stepping out, we again felt the cold, but we knew our climb up 17th Street would soon warm us up.
 
Cheers,
 

Hera & Anthony