After showers and a very light breakfast (Belvita biscuits I packed at the last minute!) we walked the short distance to a nearby Safeway to buy milk, bread and bottled water. They had everything we needed but as we were walking we didn't want to buy too much!
Back at the apartment we packed it all away and then had a look at the BART and MUNI timetables to try and work out how we could get to Fisherman's Wharf. We found them a little confusing! We knew there was a BART stop nearby so we set off into the California sunshine and walked through a quiet residential area. Our Airbnb is on Staples Avenue and is very close to the City College so we passed lots of students on the way.
We came across a bus stop and a bus showing Fisherman's Wharf so Sophie asked the driver if it was going soon. He was very friendly and chatty and said he'd visited London last year to see Chelsea play. He was also exceptionally helpful and said that he had finished but another driver would take us to Fisherman's Wharf.
We boarded the bus and set off. The passengers, without exception, were all Asian, and the bus made many, many stops but for $2.75 each it was certainly good value! The bus wound its way through residential areas at first, some of which were very dodgy looking, I have to say! We drove onto the freeway for a short distance and the traffic was horrendous, even though it was mid-morning. We caught occasional glimpses of the sea and the city and the bus gradually filled up with more and more people, until some of them had to stand.
We came off the freeway and passed through suburbs with shops and restaurants. At one point we saw The Stinking Rose, a restaurant my parents used to eat in when they visited. It specialises in garlic dishes.
Eventually, after about an hour, we came to Fisherman's Wharf where the bus stopped. We got off and made our way to Pier 39.
Pier 39 has been created to resemble an old fishing village and has numerous shops, restaurants and cafes. We explored and admired the views over San Francisco Bay and Alcatraz.
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| Sea lions sunning themselves and making a right old racket! |
There was a large colony of sea lions making a loud racket and people crowded along the boardwalk to see them. It was an absolutely beautiful day and the views were stunning.
By now we were feeling a bit peckish and I really fancied a beer so we went off in search of lunch. We saw a sign for Bubba Gump at the end of the pier and we felt we just had to go! It was a bit like being back in Florida!
On the way we looked at other restaurants, some of which were very pricey. Bubba Gump was quiet (it was still early for lunchtime) and we were seated at a table overlooking the bay. Ferries and other boats were constantly criss-crossing the sea and it was lovely to sit and look at the views.
We were given a menu and after some deliberation I chose a Chardonnay to drink while Sophie had a light beer. She opted for fish tacos for lunch while I decided on a Shrimp Po Boy.
The restaurant gradually filled up and the wait staff were constantly ferrying people or huge plates of food to the tables. Our food arrived and the portions were huge! Sophie said that her fish tacos were the best meal she'd ever eaten so that was good!
We had a lovely lunch and the bill came to a reasonable $40 without taxes. They added a further $6 and we added a tip so we spent about $55. The staff had been great and Sophie had spotted a waiter wearing a psychedelic tee-shirt and wanted one of her own! We made our way to the shop where she bought the exact same one as well as a pin for her denim jacket.
Back out into the sunshine we mooched about the shops and I bought some chocolate for Mike (oh, and a bar for me!).
We walked further along the piers and had clear views of Alcatraz. The further we walked the more touristy it became and we saw some pretty dodgy characters. There was a submarine docked here, the USS Pampanito, which survived several battles in the Pacific. Along this stretch was a man in a wheelchair who clearly had mental health issues as he was shouting to himself and banging his hands on his head. We gave him a wide berth. There was no way out at the end so we had to return the way we came and I noticed a couple of men openly smoking weed. It's legal here and we smelt it a lot this afternoon!
There were restaurants everywhere advertising crab and several fishing boats were moored up with their owners advertising fishing trips. We came upon a tram stop and asked the driver where he was going. The tram was headed to Castro and passed by Union Square so we boarded. When we went to pay the driver waved us on for free! It really helps to have a pretty daughter!
We took our seats and the tram made its way back along the piers. The lower the number of pier, the better they were and we looked out for pier 3 where we are going on Sunday for a bay cruise. After pier 1 the tram headed inland and we looked out for our stop. A man on the seat next to us asked if the Guardsmen in Horseguards Parade in London really did stand completely still, so we had an engaging conversation with him! He advised us to get off a little before Union Square and I'm sure he mentioned avoiding "the loin". The Tenderloin is an area near Union Square which is somewhere you should really avoid in San Francisco. It's where a lot of homeless people hang out and is notorious for drugs. We did NOT want to go there, so we took his advice!
We had alighted in a shopping district and we could see a huge Levi's store that Sophie had her eye on for later. There were men working on the tram turntable and Sophie asked one of them the way to Union Square. He seemed to find her accent hilarious and could hardly speak for laughing...we have no idea why!
He said Union Square was about four blocks away so we made our way through the teeming crowds of shoppers and tourists. In the distance we could see Macy's so we decided to go there and have a Starbucks. I'd been asked by a friend of Keith's to get him some shirts and he said they'd definitely be available in Macy's so we went to have a look. The store had about six floors, so was huge but we couldn't find the shirts he wanted, despite looking high and low.
We abandoned the plan and went to have a cold drink at Starbucks. We had a lovely view of Union Square below with people out enjoying the sun. From Macy's we walked back to the Levi's store and Sophie bought two tee-shirts, which were lovely. The prices were astronomical, though, and the jeans she wanted were almost $100!
Outside Levi's there was a BART station so we went in, added $20 to the Clipper cards provided by our hosts and took the underground train to Balboa Park. From here we took the City College bus and then walked the short distance back to the apartment.
We were both shattered and realised that eating out in the evening was proving to be a slight problem. We are quite far out in the suburbs, and there aren't that many restaurants nearby, but Sophie had downloaded Postmates onto her phone so at least we could order a takeaway. The thought of changing and getting back onto public transport to go back to the city, just didn't appeal.
We decided, in the end, to order a Chinese from a restaurant not far away and we were kept updated with the progress, which was good. The only problem was that we had to pay by card so Sophie used her debit card and I gave her the cash. I'm sure it will go towards those jeans!
Dinner was lovely and we drank the rest of our wine with the meal. Sophie ordered Pot Stickers with vegetable rice and I had Chicken Chow Mein. We were so tired that we were in bed by 9pm!
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