6 February

Today began at 6:30 after a long and quiet sleep. For the first time since I left home I slept in a bed which was away from noise and traffic. It seems my choice to stay away from the city was vindicated on at least two counts.
After thinking long and hard about getting up, I finally did so and prepared for the day. I was down at the front desk by 7:15 and asked about the shuttle. It was leaving in a few minutes, so I hung around and boarded it, after a few others did. It turned out he was going to the airport, so I had a scenic ride and a very quick chat with a couple who had three daughters in Hawaii and were going there for a wedding. The other brief chat was with a pilot with SouthWest Airlines – he had been in the USAF and would have liked an overseas posting to Australia, but they weren’t around for Hercules pilots.
It was only a few minutes and I was at the BART station. With BART police and such, I almost expected to see Bart Simpson suddenly appear. No such event happened – I got my ticket, waited for a few minutes (I wish the wait times at home were so short) and was off into San Francisco. I got off at Embarcadero station, went to the surface and caught the F-line, which has old tramcars running on it, from different lines and painted up in the original livery. I found out later they have two Melbourne W-class trams, but they are currently in for maintenance. I took that down to Pier 29 and caught the 9 a.m. departure for Alcatraz.
As an aside, the north-eastern corner of San Francisco is an arc which originally had piers radiating out from it. In the east was Pier 1 and in the north was Pier 47 (there may have been more, but that’s as high as listed currently). Many of them fell into disrepair as shipping diminished in importance and few remain in original condition. At least one (Pier 14) has been replaced with a modern version for recreation but many others have been adapted for different uses, such as markets, parking, storage and ferries. One, Pier 29, is used for Alcatraz. And so I set off. Fortunately (or if you’re an ex-student, unfortunately) I was able to return after, unlike some of the inmates.
We landed on the island, had our little reminders about what we weren’t allowed to do (eat, drink, go into prohibited areas), were told a little of the history of the island and then we (mostly) headed off to three theatrettes to watch a short documentary on the island of Alcatraz. It was interesting and covered from the creation of the island by flooding of the low-lying riverbed, through its different uses and the reasons for them up to its creation as a national park. Then it was a quick look at the static displays and then up to the cell block. Here we each took an audio tour of the block. It was well done (memo: remind commentators of self-guided tours to give further identification of where to go other than just left and right for we dyslexics who had to keep asking guides where the next place really was – you go right, sir – yes, but which right?) and covered all the essential features of the area. I bought a CD of the commentary, so those who have already been there can relive it, and those who haven’t may be able to do so vicariously through the pictures I took, with it. On the trip back I sat on the upper deck and took a few photos from there.
While there I met an English couple and a group travelling from Peru. You’ll see my photo with one from Peru.
Once back I walked along the Embarcadero, south-east, then turned up Greenwich Street to visit the Coit Tower. At the end of the street (one small block), it was steps all the way. I couldn’t believe the houses there, only a mile or so from the heart of San Francisco and only a laneway to access them (no road, so presumably no car) and surrounded by beautiful terraced gardens. It was a real oasis in a desert of asphalt and concrete. Finally I made it to Coit Tower (and know the best way to do it is by bus and then walk down) and, after paying, went up. The tower itself has an interesting history (provided for the city by a benefactor) but what is spectacular is the view. There are small windows all the way around and the views are all different and all stunning. I just hope the photos I took give it justice. If any of you ever visit San Francisco, even if you don’t go anywhere else, go there. The tourists up there were mainly American, and I spoke to one who was in San Francisco for work but had time off. He had “done” Highway 1 the day before and highly recommended it, but this took his breath away. Down the tower and on my way to Lombard Street (opposite direction this time) I met two women who lived here but had never been up here or taken photos there before. They took one of me and I took one of them. Then it was down west on Filbert Street (and down is no exaggeration, as it was steep, even on foot) to Washington Square. Again I met tourists (isn’t there anyone here who actually lives here and works?), this time from Germany. They didn’t even know of “Inspector Rex”, but thought the time I was going to be passing through Germany would be good for scenery. Going up north-west on Columbus, I ran into the English couple again and recommended the Coit Tower to them. When I turned west on Lombard, I couldn’t believe the tourists who were just standing in the road taking photos – even getting out of the car having driven down Lombard Street and just leaving the car while taking photos! For anyone interested, there are 251 steps up Lombard Street.
Having done all that exercise, it was time for another cable-car ride. This time I stood out the back and spoke to the brakeman. There were some interesting insights into how the cars work and how the brakemen work. After getting off at Market Street, I had some lunch and photographed Australia’s revenge – Westfield San Francisco. I looked for the Frank Lloyd Wright building in Maiden Lane but wasn’t sure whether I had found the correct one as there was nothing there to indicate it. Further down Maiden Lane I found two maidens, modelling in the window of a store. The owners had employed them for the launch of a new line of clothing. I smiled, they smiled back, I took my photo, they waved, I waved back and went on. I crossed over Market Street to look at the academic and museum quarter. I couldn’t believe the number of Universities and colleges that were a skyscraper or two. But I suppose that they have the equivalent facilities, just up instead of across. One museum (Californian History) looked very interesting, but they were finishing the display and weren’t open until tomorrow. In their bookshop there were many interesting books, but having to carry or post them stopped me from buying (but one full of old maps with text was very tempting!). Further down was a railway museum, small but extremely interesting. That’s where I found out they have Melbourne trams. I couldn’t resist getting a DVD of the trams.
Then, after getting more information from the guide there, I went back to the piers and went up the back of some, where there is not only full public access but wonderful views over the bay, with nothing in the way. Again I got some people to take photos of me with the bay in the background, but they at least were natives of the area.
By now it was starting to have the sun lower and the temperature lower too, so I took the BART back to Coliseum and called up the shuttle (but it was already on its way, so it arrived literally [okay, wrong use of the term – put that red pen away, Bruna, but everyone knows what I mean] a minute later) and was back at the hotel very soon. I went out to get some sealing plastic bags (my medicines in foil packs have torn the ones I put them in), some soap powder for clothes washing and some confectionary to have as emergency supplies in case I am in a position where I can’t get any food for a time. I went to the Pack’n’save to get these (fifty metres away) and, when the checkout girl asked if I had a Safeway card (yes, you read me right) and I said I didn’t as I was off tomorrow, a woman behind used her card – cut over $3 off the total of the tape – for me. Then I walked back and started the washing. To save time, I wrote this and transferred pictures over while washing and drying.
At 8:45 I have finished the washing, drying, folding and packing. The suitcase is ready for tomorrow and I have to finish packing my backpack tomorrow morning. I’ve booked my room for tomorrow evening near the station in LA and I’m just going to check photos and then go to sleep.
A busy day!