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Published: September 7th 2014
My first full day in San Francisco dawned cool and damp, with the city’s infamous fog hanging low over everything. I’ve never been here before, so I decide to head to the water and hit up some of the more well-known tourist sites. It’s mid-week and the children are back in school (or should be!) so it shouldn’t be too crowded.
First up was a ride on the cable car. I walked over to Powell where I had seen cable cars the afternoon before. I should have walked up the very steep hill to California Street to catch the correct cable car, but I eventually figured it out.
Just a note: Everything you’ve ever heard about the steepness of San Francisco’s hills is true. Some enterprising soul has even developed an elevation map of the city showing every street, color-coded by grade. You can see it here:
http://www.datapointed.net/2009/11/the-steeps-of-san-francisco/ The steepest hill is listed as having a 31.5%!g(MISSING)rade, the street I walked up to catch the California cable car had a grade of only 24%! (MISSING)
Prior to 1873, people and goods moved up and down the slopes either on foot or in horse-drawn carts. In 1869,
Andrew Hallidie, a manufacturer of wire rope, witnessed a horrible accident involving a heavily laden horse cart. The cobblestones were wet, the hill was steep, and the horse slipped backwards under the heavy load to its death. Hallidie had already invented a system where his wire rope was used to pull heavy ore carts out of underground mines, and an idea was born. In August of 1873, the first cable car using a system of carts attached to an underground cable was tested. The rest, as they say, is history.
Finally ensconced on this marvel of engineering, I rode down to the Ferry Building. Built in 1898 as a transportation hub, it continues to operate as such. Ferries to Sausalito, Oakland and Alameda still leave from here, and it is a stop for cable cars, busses, the BART light rail, and the F-Line historic trolley cars. This classic building with its mosaic floors and barrel-vaulted ceiling was renovated in 1991, and the interior has been turned into an upscale market place. If you are a fan of American cooking shows, you’ve probably heard of some of these vendors, like Cowgirl Creamery, Prather Ranch Meats, Blue Bottle Coffee, and more.
The food is luscious, the prices aren’t exactly bargains, but I make note of a few places to come back and visit later. The Cowgirl Creamery advertises a mozzarella and salami sandwich on a twinkle roll. That stopped me in my tracks. Would a twinkle roll wink at me? Would it sparkle? Would it make me sparkle? A twinkle roll turned out to be a demi-baguette, but it, along with the fresh mozzarella and salami was very good.
The F Line street cars run between The Maritime Museum at Hyde Street Pier and the Ferry Building, and then down to the Castro neighborhood. This line has restored historic street cars from the 1930’s and ‘40’s, and it is a neat way to get around. I took this line down to Fisherman’s Wharf. The sun has come out, and it’s a beautiful day by the waterfront.
I think every tourist destination has its own version of Fisherman’s Wharf. Let’s see: Overpriced t-shirts, shot glasses, and magnets, all made in China? Check. A Bubba Gump franchise restaurant? Check. A dark arcade where bored children can play video games rather than engage with reality? Check. It all looks
like déjà vu all over again.
However, the best and most amusing attraction of Fisherman’s Wharf are the sea lions. After the 1989 earthquake hit San Francisco, the sea lions started to turn up on the west side of Pier 39. Nobody really knows why, but the fish supply is plentiful, and marine biologists recommended leaving them alone. These sea lions – no, they are not seals – are almost all males. The females usually stay further south near San Diego. The males swim south during mating season, then the ladies kick them out to birth and raise their pups in peace. Apparently male sea lions make lousy fathers.
Pinniped trivia: A quick and easy way to tell the difference between a seal and a sea lion is to look at their ears. A sea lion has an external fur tufted ear flap, a seal does not. If you can see ears, it’s a sea lion.
Make a point to drop in at the Marine Mammal Center on the second floor. A very enthusiastic young docent will give a short presentation about the sea lions, and the conservation work the center does. They even host a live
sea lion web cam; you can view it here:
http://www.pier39.com/home/the-sea-lion-story/sea-lion-webcam-2/
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D MJ Binkley
Dave and Merry Jo Binkley
Sorry we missed you
We lived in SF the past 3 years but are in the Baltimore area now. If you get this way please let us know. We'd love to meet you. Enjoy SF....one of our favorite cities.