Northern California, Part Three of Four

San Francisco

Our hotel in San Franciso was just a couple of blocks from Fisherman's Wharf. The weather was beautiful, so we were very comfortable walking along the waterfront. No one goes hungry here. There are dozens of restaurants and sidewalk stands offering just about every kind of seafood, especially clam chowder, shrimp and crab cocktails, seafood sandwiches and steamed crab. We had lunch at Alioto's, where we also had a great view facing the Golden Gate Bridge.

Just another seafood combination at one of the local joints.

Pier 39 is a shopping and dining area not far from Fisherman's Wharf. You can see the financial district in the distance.

Sea lions love to lounge on these platforms in Pier 39's marina.

San Francisco - Chinatown

The gate to Chinatown.

A walk down colorful Grant Street, the main road for tourists in Chinatown.

We had dinner at the Empress of China. Although it's not really a roof garden, it's on the sixth floor and has a lovely view of the city. The presentation is classic, with jacketed waiters and food delivered on rolling carts.

Another Chinatown favorite.

This just doesn't seem right.

Window shopping in Chinatown.

Architectural details.

A typical street light on Grant Street.

San Francisco - Out and About

Alcatraz Island

We drove down Lombard Street, the curviest street in the world.

The place to shop for that hard-to-please convict in your life.

Steve wonders which outfit his new roommate will like best.

Our hotel (not the San Remo) in San Francisco was near Columbus Avenue, which runs through the traditionally Italian section of town. Many lamp posts have bands painted on them in the colors of the Italian flag, and some street signs include a second sign with the name "Corso di Colombo."

The Palace of Fine Arts was built for the 1915 Panama-Pacific Exposition. It was rebuilt in 1965 and more recently received a seismic retrofit.

Details atop the Palace of Fine Arts.

Sea lion sculpture near Pier 39.

San Francisco - Academy of Sciences

At the Academy of Sciences, the "Rainforests of the World" exhibit includes free-flying butterflies and birds.

These cute Poison Dart Frogs are about an inch long. Native to the jungles of Central America, they have toxic skin.

They come in a variety of striking colors.

The white alligator at the Academy of Sciences.

Although we had already seen a lot of fish at the Monterey Bay Aquarium, we enjoyed seeing still more at the Academy's aquarium.

More interesting stuff in the aquarium.

Sausalito

Sausalito is pretty seaside town just a short drive from San Francisco. We stopped there for lunch on our way north.

Some people rent bicycles in San Francisco, pedal across the bridge, and then take the ferry back. Some people.

Looking back toward San Francisco after crossing the Golden Gate Bridge.