San Francisco v. 85

We love science centers!  The Exploratorium in San Francisco did not disappoint.  Becca spent most of her time in the Tinkering Studio building a "Rube Goldberg Machine" between 2 pegboards, a flying cup contraption, and a scribbling machine.  The one thing we missed that we'll have to come back for is the "Tactile Dome"- a journey through complete darkness.  Fun!

 

We had a couple of days before Bob joined us, and Becca has grown quite a bit this year, so we just HAD to shop.  We also needed shoes for Dan and Lindsey's wedding :)

We stayed in the Candlestick RV Park, which had a shuttle to Chinatown everyday.  It was a great jumping off point to walk or use public transportation to lots of fun San Francisco sights and experiences.

  

We sampled Chinese food, and tasty samples from Ghiradelli's at Fisherman's wharf.  We added to our "top three" clam chowders at Boudin Bakery.  They are famous for their sourdough bread, which was excellent, and their chowder was delicious as well!

 

The baker doesn't really have a white beard...  I think it is a reflection off the glass :).  Cool bears!

 It was great to be able to walk across the Golden Gate Bridge- one of Becca's requests.  We walked to the middle and turned back, since we had a trapeze session at Circus Arts later that day.  It was pretty crowded with people and bikes when we did it- on a weekday in May.  I don't want to imagine the crowds on a nice summer day!

Studying the scale model of the Golden Gate Bridge

 

Alcatraz.  We went on the night tour, which didn't seem all that different from the day tour I took 20 years ago.  The audio tour is a must.  The background noises of cells closing, inmates bantering, and the noises of daily living bring the narration to life in an excellent presentation of "Life on the Rock".  In the mess hall, there is a fascinating photographic and biographical presentation of life after prison featuring 5 convicted murderers:

LIFE AFTER MURDER: FIVE MEN IN SEARCH OF REDEMPTION by Nancy Mullane, photos by Elizabeth Fall

 
Becca tried one of the cells out for size....  It really is an interesting place, and the National Park Service does a good job managing the crowds and the tours.

 

We walked along the piers before a Giants game, and saw all variety of fans.  The guy in the center of the picture wore a complete body cover- including his face.  It takes all kinds!  It got pretty cold there for the night game, but the stands were packed, and the atmosphere against the Dodgers was fun.  McCovey cove (above) had a few kayaks, but no home run action that night.

 A little sample of how we spend our "free" time:  Dinette Algebra!