Scenes of San Francisco

Here are some photos taken while we have been out and about in this lovely town. They should give some idea of the hilly topography of the city and the attractions of the Bay area.

The photos of Alcatraz, the ships and the Golden Gate Bridge were taken on a very exciting whale watching cruise around the Bay. We must have seen around 15 or more whales, although it was almost impossible to get photos given how quickly they breach and splash back into the water. But we managed to get the one below which isn’t too bad. We learned a lot about whales, for instance that they surface three times to breathe then deep dive. When they deep dive they ‘fluke’ their tails.

                                                            

You will notice that the Bay photos show fog in the background. San Francisco Bay seems to be never free of fog! It is very thick in the early morning then gradually clears enough to provide a sunny day but with a constant haze in the distance.

Photos:

1. Note the people standing on the side of the tram. Living on the edge … literally!

2. View from a tram going down to Fisherman’s Wharf.

3. Historical ships at the Maritime Museum.

4. Part of the Fisherman’s Wharf Marina.

5. Alcatraz seen from our whale watching cruise.

6. Golden Gate Bridge with typical background fog.

7. Thar she blows!

New York to San Francisco

On Thursday night we went to the theatre once again, this time to see a play called A Bronx Tale. Set in the Bronx (that part of New York on the mainland) in the 1960s it was the tale of an Italian kid and a black girl whose communities wouldn’t let them get together. Throw in a mafia-type gang leader as a mentor to the young man and you have a pretty dark tale. It was a reminder of what New York used to be like.

On Friday we flew United Airlines to San Francisco. Our steward turned out to be a former QANTAS steward who now lives in Florida but who grew up in Sydney and Adelaide. Sue spent a lot of time sitting with him and chatting about home, and of course we got special service J.  He said we reminded him so much of his own parents…..quite a few people have made the same comment.  We were in an Irish pub for dinner the other night in New York and there were a few people sitting at tables.  We spoke to a younger couple briefly as we sat down.  It was the usual ‘where are you from’ etc and the Americans find it difficult to comprehend how far we travel, and for how long we are away.  As they were preparing to leave, the young lass asked Phil if was a romantic type, or more domineering in our relationship.  Of course the fact that we were holding hands as we waited for dinner should have been a dead giveaway!!!!  He told them that we were coming up to our 40^th wedding anniversary and they were like “oh wow!!”  and then left the pub hand in hand. These encounters with locals are always fun, and mostly they are so interested in Australia but think it is way too far to go.  It usually passes the time as you are going up or down in the lift.

Once again we used Uber to get to and from the airports. It has been well and truly worth it as Uber charges a flat fare for the trip regardless of the time it takes to get there. This is really good given the propensity of American drivers to cause serious accidents and stuff up traffic just when you want to catch a plane! Of course we learned our lesson some time ago and always get the car well in advance of the flight. Mind you, the Uber drivers are a mixed bunch. Always friendly and helpful, and good drivers, but you get the odd one who wants to talk about stuff like how great Donald Trump is or how there is a global conspiracy to start world war three so evil people can take over the world. Diplomatic skill can be very useful J.

We are settled in our hotel in San Fransisco, a short walk from Fisherman’s Wharf. Tonight we have planned to have dinner with a friend of Sue’s.  She and Yohie got to know each other through Cricket ACT.  He is over here working for a few months. After that, as this is our fourth time in San Francisco, we may or may not have a lot to post. So watch this space but not with eager expectation.

Fourth of July and more theatre

We had expected a lot of action in New York for the 4^th of July and were surprised that they have no big parade in this city. Instead the focus of celebration is on the incredible fireworks display on the East River. As it proved impossible to get a good spot to see the fireworks we decided to watch them on TV. A bit of a letdown, but we could hear them going off and see the glow from our apartment anyway. We also had a great view of the top of the Empire State Building which was lit up with red, white and blue (see photo).

We did get a message to say that our car, which was due back to us last Friday following our minor accident In February has again been delayed.  The latest date is now at the end of August!!!  You should have seen how fast Sue got on the phone to AAMI!!!  Needless to say, AAMI were apologetic and I am waiting on an email to let me know that they will cover the cost of a hire car when we return on 14^th July.    And we were thinking a few weeks following the accident.  It will be more than 6 months before we get it back!!!  Sheesh!!! 

On Wednesday we went to see Andrew Lloyd Webber’s latest production School of Rock. It was fabulous! A must see for anyone who loves rock and roll. Dinner at a New York Irish pub rounded off the day nicely :)

Photos:

1. 4th of July lights on the Empire State Building.

2. Bryant Park, a lovely piece of green public space near our hotel.

3. Skyscrapers around Bryant Park.