We had breakfast at our diner at Fisherman's Wharf before getting on the bus and going on the tour. It's early afternoon and is very warm, about 26 degrees. The bus sets off towards the Golden Gate Bridge. On the way we get to see lots of the things you associate with San Francisco such as the cable cars:
The cable cars are unchanged in over 100 years. They have wooden brakes, no steering, no power source onboard or engine they are pulled up and down the San Francisco hills on a cable in the road. They were designed to replace horses as they kept dying with the effort and they have been running ever since.
As we travelled towards the bridge the driver/guide told us about the San Francisco weather. Now it's fair to say the weather has not been great. If fact it's been quite foggy a lot of the time. This was - as we were advised - known as 'the San Francisco Aircon' it's caused by the warmth of the bay which averages about 26 or 27 degrees in the summer months meeting the cold air from the Pacific Ocean. This causes moisture to rise and as a result you get fog. In the fog it can be as little as 15 or 16 degrees which is significantly colder. This fog sits over the Golden Gate Bridge. This fog cloud can be clearly seen from Sausalito a rich persons paradise on the northern side of the bay, just down from the bridge:
This picture was taken from Sausalito, above the peer on the right you can make out Alcatraz. Behind that is the Golden Gate Bridge shrouded in a fog cloud. Where we were in Sausalito it was sunny and 26 degrees but over at the bridge it was only about 16 degrees because of the fog:
It was a good day and very interesting.
Anyone seen 'Forest Gump'? Well, we found The Bubba Gump Shrimp Co on peer 39:
We had another wander round the peer and along the front before catching another part of the tour back towards the hotel taking in many of the other city sites including the only building downtown that survived the earthquake of 1906. The builder used steel reinforcement in the frame of the building. It was completed in 1906 and he became a laughing stock for spending all the excess on this addition to the frame. Several weeks later the devastating earthquake destroyed downtown except for his building which was relatively undamaged:
Whose laughing now?
We get dropped off at the town hall, a very impressive and imposing building topped with real gold from the San Francisco gold rush:
Then a long walk up Market Street looking for a skate shop we've been told about so Calum can find a new wheel for his scooter having flat spotted the rear wheel braking! We eventually find the shop but it doesn't do scooter parts. Now we are miles from the hotel. Fortunately the 'F' tram goes by this spot so we found a stop and waited for the tram. After a while it comes along and we pay for our lift back towards the hotel. Two stops later and we all get thrown off. The trams are great, the only real problem is if one breaks down! If it does then any tram behind it cannot pass and on this occasion one of the older trams had broken down blocking our way:
The above is a tram like the one that broke down, but I don't know if it's the same as I took this picture earlier.
We walked the 6 blocks down and 3 blocks across to the hotel, grabbing a Subway on the way to eat in the room. After eating Calum and Jen both decide to go to sleep as they are so tired - it's only 8.40pm but busy days!
One day left.
More to follow:
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