2008/12/12 San Francisco Ferry Building, market and ships

daviding

15 years ago

Since we were in the Bay Area, I arranged for a meeting with a colleague in his office in downtown San Francisco. We packed out of the hotel to drive into the city, and traffic was lighter than expected. Thus, we had an hour to see some local sights. The San Francisco Ferry Building was right down the street.

I’m not sure what I expected to see in a ferry building. With people passing through on the way to catch a ferry to the other side of the bay, I guess it’s more than a bus terminal, but less than an airport. Coming through the front door, the hall extended both left and right. I turned right.

A ferry rider arriving a few minutes early could stop by the artisan bakery for a selection of specialty breads.

Meat has become fashionable again. A salumeria — cured meat delicatessen — is in keeping with the times.

The refrigerator cases with complete pieces of meat remind us about animal origins.

I was intrigued by the custom built delivery bicycle that could eliminate a lot of issues with speed in San Francisco traffic.

It’s possible to just go to a forest and pick wild mushrooms, but risk of eating a poisonous variety deters the average eater. A culinary fungus merchant removes that risk.

I recognized the names of some mushroom varieties, with many I had never seen before.

A connoisseur might not have to go to the forest, instead growing his or her own mini-farm at home.

The rear of the ferry building is more functional and less decorative than the front.

The ferry at the dock suggested that schedules at midday don’t run so tightly that passengers have to be rapidly unloaded and loaded again.

The ferry authority might consider providing better parking for bicycles. As as bicycle enthusiast myself, I noticed that some of these rides didn’t look like the winter beater that is required in more northern climates.

A little further along, a ferry to Marin was docked.

Our group reconvened by the front door to go to our meeting. Here’s the view of Market Street in San Francisco that a ferry commuter sees going to work every morning.