During my walk along San Francisco Bay back in October, I noticed that this pelican and fisherman appeared to be hanging out as if they were the oldest of friends. Perhaps they meet out on this pier every day, in the shadow of the Golden Gate, enjoying one another’s company, while the fisherman shares some of his catches with his feathered friend . . . it would be a nice story anyway. 🙂
Date: 10/16/2014 Camera: Nikon D5100 Click for larger view
I’ve been falling behind on my travel writing lately; I still have yet to write about my summer trip to Europe, so it will be quite a while before I get around to posting the journal from my most recent trip to California. In the meantime, here are some horizontal and vertical panoramas I shot in San Francisco. You can click on any image to view a larger size.
On the beach about halfway through my long walk to the Golden Gate Bridge.View from the top of Coit TowerAnother view from Coit Tower. Alcatraz and the Golden Gate are visible in the bay.Near the Golden Gate. I was surprised at how roughly the waves crashed into the shore.The Palace of Fine ArtsInside the domed structure at the Palace of Fine Arts.A view of the city at night from Pier 39.Looking back toward the city from near the Golden Gate. The Palace of Fine Arts, where I began my walk, is barely visible on the far right of the screen.This is actually an HDR photo, not a panorama, but I decided to include it here.Another view of the city from Coit Tower.
And I’ll leave you with a wider shot of the city at night.
After spending two weeks in Europe and a week in Cape May this year, I had basically used up all of my vacation time, so I never imagined I’d be hopping on a plane in a couple of weeks for my first ever trip to California (actually, it’s my first trip to anywhere in the U.S. west of North Carolina).
My boss had asked me earlier in the year if I was interested in attending a conference in San Francisco. I said yes, but wasn’t sure if it was actually going to happen. The trip finally got approved in mid-summer but we were so busy at work that we kept putting off making the arrangements. As the summer dragged on and all of the hotels got booked up, I had pretty much assumed it wasn’t going to happen. But in the end everything worked out and now I’m headed to the Golden State!
I decided to turn it into a mini-vacation by flying in two days before the conference and staying for three days after it. The big question was what to do with that extra time. I could have explored more of the city (I won’t even be able to scratch the surface of everything San Francisco has to offer) or I could have visited some of the surrounding areas like Napa Valley, but when I realized that Yosemite National Park is within a four-hour drive, my decision was made. There was no way I could pass up the chance to walk in the footsteps of Ansel Adams and gaze upon the beauty of Yosemite, so I booked a cabin for two nights in the park and reserved a rental car to drive out there after the conference. Yosemite should be spectacular decked out in the colors of autumn.
Soon I hope to be standing here.
Meanwhile, the weekend before the conference I’m meeting up with my cousin who lives nearby for a planned drive along the Route 1 coast and up to see the redwoods, which will be awesome.
In between, I will be attending Dreamforce, a massive tech conference with well over 100,000 people expected to attend. It’s like the Comic Con of cloud computing. I will be staying near Fisherman’s Wharf and commuting to the Moscone Center for the conference. It should be quite an experience, though I’m not sure that I’m prepared for that type of human traffic congestion.
I will try to see as much of San Francisco as I can during my four days at the conference, though how much I’ll be able to accomplish each day after the conference lets out remains to be seen. If any San Francisco natives out there have advice on what I can do with my limited time, I’d be most grateful. I would like to try climbing at least one hill. I also want to walk through Chinatown and along the coast near Fisherman’s Wharf, and maybe visit Golden Gate Park. Any dining advice would also be appreciated (e.g., is In-N-Out Burger worth the hype or should I stick to finer dining establishments?). Thanks!
I’d also be grateful for Yosemite tips, and I’m curious if there are any places worth visiting between Yosemite and San Francisco since I have a late night flight home and can take my time driving back. Perhaps one of the Gold Rush towns?
I’m very excited about this unexpected journey. It’s hard to believe I’ll be flying for the third time in a year. I’m becoming a regular jet setter. 🙂
Michael Rappa 