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.

While San Francisco is famous for its cable cars, we happened to encounter a streetcar — or tram — that runs on an internal electric motor motor rather than being dragged by a cable.

Everyday sights like markets and public transportation are features that make San Francisco one of the most popular cities in the world to visit.

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We had saved our lunch hunger for the Pier Market, ordering the local specialty: seafood.  In addition to a view of the open kitchen serving meals, the hostess had given us choice seats overlooking the bay.

After lunch, we walked out onto the pier for sightseeing, as do thousands of tourists every day.

The sea lions entertained us.  Most just lie on the docks and sleep.  When one wakes up and honks, a few others join in.  With a slight shift in position, one sea lion falls into the water, and then swims around to squeeze into another spot.

There’s plenty of other tourists around with cameras, so we just asked one to snap this group photo with Geovanni, Kia, Nancy, Stephen and myself.

We walked west along the embarcadero.  The weather was clear, so it was easy to spot Alcatraz.

The narrow sidewalk between the Fisherman Wharf’s restaurants and their takeout counters is always colourful.

Working at the counters means tourists are always walking by snapping photographs.

I don’t eat crab, so I presume that the stacks are freshly cooked, but not necessarily sold hot.

On a Sunday midafternoon, the marina wasn’t very busy, with just a few workers on boats straightening up.

We walked west to Ghiradelli Square.  It’s been years since I’ve been there, so I didn’t remember a fountain.

Stephen went into the Ghiradelli store on a chocolate shopping spree for Christmas gifts.

On the return walk east, we crossed over Hyde Street, with a cable car approaching the northern terminus.

Continuing east, the view south on Columbus Avenue reveals a view of the Transamerica Pyramid that I hadn’t recalled.

The Cannery wasn’t as active as I remember in the summers.  The renovated structure still portrays a richness in history.

The Boudin Bakery at the Wharf is a new building since the last time I was in San Fran.  I do remember the sourdough bread well.

There were dozens of customers in the lineups for bread.

Behind the counter, the shelves were well stocked with a wide variety of breads.

After we exited the store, we passed a large window where we could see a baker preparing rolls.  I wonder how long the crocodile loaf has been in there.

On the land side of The Embarcadero across from Pier 39, there’s a series of art galleries.  This one had a bench of monkeys outside.

Back into the car, we drove up to the top of  Telegraph Hill.  The others went inside for a look while I waited for a parking space to clear.  When I joined them, I noticed that Coit Tower gives the backside view of Christopher Columbus looking out to sea.

It was getting late in the afternoon, with a beautiful sunset looking west from Telegraph Hill.

I found our way back to Lombard Street mostly by memory.  As we approached the crooked block on Russian Hill, Stephen wended around the traffic and tourists at the entry.

Cars creep down winding road. Residents in the nearby homes can’t say that they don’t expect it.

Since this section of Lombard Street is one-way northbound, Coit Tower is clear landmark.

By the time we arrived at Japan Center, the early sunsets of December had overtaken us.  The lighted gates on the plaza are welcoming.

The Peace Pagoda has been a landmark of Japantown in San Francsico for forty years.

Nancy was impressed by the variety of Japanese delicacies available at Nippon Ya.  We were culturally uncertain to share these tastes.

She said that she wasn’t buying very much, because after soon after she would have returned home, her whole family was going on a west coast vacation.

We strolled the Japan Center restaurants, weighing dinner alternatives.  Stephen enjoyed the Christmas lights on the menu displays.

Since we had had a late lunch, we chose to have a lighter meal of noodles at Mifune.

On a slightly circuitous route towards Santa Clara, we continued west through Golden Gate Park for a stop at the Cliff House.  In the darkness, we could barely make out Seal Rocks and the Sutro Baths — certainly with insufficient light to take photos.  With Stephen at the helm, and myself in the navigator’s seat, we’re sure that Geovanni and Nancy had nodded off in the back seat after a long day started in Eastern Time and finished in Pacific Time.

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