Tuesday, 5 November 2024

San Francisco, Day 1

This Tuesday morning, ms Koningsdam is conveniently docked at Pier 35 along the Embarcadero, San Francisco's bayside boulevard. Last night the captain announced that the bow would be open for passengers at 5:45am as the ship prepared to pass under the Golden Gate Bridge at 6am. I dutifully awake early, but when I draw the curtains to my veranda and check the bow camera broadcast on television--all I see is darkness and drizzling rain. Since Will and I passed under the bridge in bright afternoon sunlight on our Princess cruise to the Mexican Riviera in 2007 (two years before I started the blog), I forgo the questionable pleasure of bundling up and instead return to the warm covers of the king-size bed.

By breakfast time, the skies have cleared and the sun is shining. From my veranda I can see the Oakland Bay Bridge, the city skyline, Alcatraz Island, and a very large Princess cruise ship docked several berths south of the Koningsdam. 

Today I have breakfast in the Main Dining Room, removed from the bustle of the Lido Marketplace. Like everywhere else on the ship, the dining rooms are not very crowded and the ship seems to be traveling with less than a full load of passengers.

I have visited San Francisco many times over many years, since my first time in the summer of 1966, when I was checking out graduate schools. We are all aware of the reputed decline of the city since the ravages of Covid; some areas, like the Castro and parts of the Mission District, are dotted with empty storefronts. Although the central parts of the city--the commercial zone along Market Street, Chinatown, and the Financial District--seem to be doing fine, there are few tourists in the city at this time. I can tell because I am able to board a waiting cable car without standing on a long line--an experience impossible when the city is full of tourists.

Speaking of cable cars, one of the many charms of San Francisco is the variety of public transportation. The three cable car routes are the best known of the city's unique transportation, but there are other notable conveyances around town. On the surface streets, electric buses attached to overhead wires, free-routing gas buses, historic trolleys that run along the Embarcadero from Fisherman's Wharf to various points in the city offer quaint and jolly rides--at very short intervals. Underground, the Muni System runs six lines that start at the Ferry Terminal and then emerge from the Market Street Tunnels to run as surface trolleys to various parts of the city. The BART System (Bay Area Regional Transport), runs trains from the city to many areas across the bay and into the suburbs. And tour boats and ferries serve commuters and tourists.

Before leaving the ship I use my phone to purchase a discounted all-day MUNI card that allows unlimited rides on all surface and undergrounds line (except BART), including unlimited rides on the cable cars. Because the ship is docked very close to all the tourist attractions of Fisherman's Wharf, I walk the ten minutes along the waterfront rather than riding the trolley.

All the shopping and dining establishments are open for tourists, but there aren't many around and the piers have a kind of dismal aspect. Even the sea lions have deserted the piers they occupy tightly and entertain onlookers.

After passing all the well-known shopping meccas:  Pier 39, the Anchorage, the Cannery, and Ghirardelli Square, I'm ready for the up- and down-hill ride on the Hyde-Powell cable car to take me to Union Square, where the traditional Christmas tree is already in place, surrounded by Macy's, Nieman-Marcus, Sax Fifth Avenue, Tiffany's, and many other upscale boutiques.

View of Nob Hill with California Street Cable Car Tracks

Union Square Christmas Tree in Front of Macy's

After a quick slice of pizza for lunch, I walk south of Market Street to the Yerba Buena Arts District, also known as SOMA. This area is noted for its museums and cultural spaces, as well as for Yerba Buena Gardens and the Moscone Convention Center. The San Francisco Museum of Modern Art is notable for its architecture, its collections, and its fantastic gift shop.

St Patrick's Church

Martin Luther King Memorial Fountain

San Francisco Modern Art Museum Exterior

Museum of Modern Art Interior Lobby (above and below)

Even the men's lavatory is a dynamic work of art:

It's then a short walk back to Market Street and the underground Metro which takes me two stops to the Ferry Building, a well-known San Francisco landmark. From here I catch one of the historic trolleys which stops right in front of the Koningsdam's Pier.

Tonight for dinner I enjoy a Caesar salad with anchovies, a very large serving of Chicken Parmesan with small servings of pasta and crisp vegetable, and a pear crisp with vanilla ice cream.