I wonder why everyone is crowding around Pier 39?
The Sea Lions have caught our eyes (and ears)! Even with just a few, these guys get noisy fast!
Some sea lions were snoozing, while some wanted to pick a fight.
There can be hundreds of sea lions all gathered here at once. Can you imagine?
We had the pier mostly to ourselves today.
Livia perches on Ragna as we board our cable car.
Jaoa, Stefan, and Daniel hang on while Eleonora, Claudia, and Selma find a seat on the car.
Lauren, Kemal, Yekta, and Sara enjoy seats that are safe from the wind.
We <3 San Francisco!
And so do we!!!
A view of Union Square--tons of shopping and fun around here!
We saw a lot of brides while on our City Hall tour. Isn't she lovely?
Andreas, Ragna, Julien, Mo, and Saya in Alamo Square.
Busting out the Thailand flag on Twin Peaks!
It was foggy and windy, but we still got a spectacular view of the city from Twin Peaks.
We're at the bottom of Lombard street--the curviest road in the world!
After a short night and a fabulous
breakfast we started this morning and headed towards San Francisco. Our
destination was the famous Pier 39 and Fishermans Wharf, doubtless the most
popular destination in San Francisco, if not in all of California. It owes its
fame partially to the extensive shopping opportunities, including a Hard Rock Café
along with numerous souvenir shops and “Bubba Gumps” restaurant, a fictitious
restaurant chain based on the Bubba Gump shrimping company featured in the
movie “Forest Gump.” On the other hand, Pier 39 is home to a group of very
special residents. About 20 years ago a clan of pacific sea lions decided that
the pier in the heart of the San Francisco bay harbor is a nicer place to live
than the vast ocean. Since then, those animals and their following generations
just never left, even though they could at any time. This group which during
its peak consist of more than 70 sea lions, became a world famous attraction
and should not be missed by any visitor coming to San Francisco.
Afterwards we took a cable car from
fishermans Wharf, the fishing village situated along the shore, to Union
Square, the true heart of San Francisco’s shopping district. The cable car is
another sight not to be missed by any visitor. At nine miles per hour the
passengers get a unique view of the city and while commuting through the
Victorian neighborhoods feel almost transported back in time before cars and
the daily hustle that dominates our lives today. Once arrived at Union Square
we had the opportunity to do some shopping and get lunch. Along with plenty of
designer and souvenir stores the world’s finest Levi’s jeans store is located
here.
At two o’ clock we met again and
boarded our buses for a city tour. As we were driving through the city our
guide pointed out the diverse neighborhoods as well as significant landmarks.
We stopped at the city hall, a building risen from the ashes of the earthquake
of 1906 and the following fire. Interesting enough the street behind the old
city hall was intentionally blown up to create a wall of debris in order to
stop the fire from advancing further. Because of that, once we crossed into the
neighborhoods behind the city hall, we were able to admire the beautiful
Victorian mansions that once shaped the face of all San Francisco. We drove all
the way to “twin peaks,” the top of a mountain overlooking San Francisco.
Theoretically we would have had a beautiful view of the whole city, but the fog
let us see little more than a wall of clouds. As our city tour continued we
stopped again and walked down what our guide described as San Francisco’s most
crooked street, little more than a narrow lane meandering down a pretty steep
hill with remarkable gardens filling up the spaces along the road. We then
ascended another hill to a catholic church in the Italian neighborhood. At this
church Marilyn Monroe intended to get married, but since she had been divorced
before was denied that privilege. She ended up still taking wedding photos in
front of that very church, creating the impression that she got married there.
One last time we boarded our buses
and headed for Chinatown. San Francisco is home to the biggest Chinatown in all
of the United States. We had time to get inside views into the making of
fortune cookies and then wander around this neighborhood characterized by a
culture so different from our own, or at least for the Europeans. We had dinner
at a restaurant carrying the creative name “Chinatown Restaurant”. The
delicious family style served food was a perfect ending to this long and exciting
day in the world’s coolest city.
Paul V. Naser (Germany)
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