The Amsterdam sailed towards San Francisco and the famous Golden Gate Bridge around 6:30am. As we have had the privilege of entering the bay many times on cruise ships, we passed on the idea of going outside to view it. For one thing, it was too cold and it was too early. But we did wake up in time to watch the scenic sail in from our room window. What we expected to see were the headlands of Marin County, some cliffs with lighthouses, birds, and perhaps a few sea lions. What we did not expect to see were whales….but we did, two of them in fact. They appeared so suddenly, even the EXC narrator, Kelly, did not spot them when we did. First we saw the familiar dorsal fins, followed by the blow, and the flukes as they dove. There is a tour that you can book in the port area for whale-watching. During the season, you might see gray, blue, or more than likely, the humpback whales. That excursion runs about $45 for 2 – 2 ½ hours. So to see these whales now, was quite a plus. It was a one-time thing, as they disappeared once we were under the bridge.
Lucky for everyone, there was fog, but it was high, mixed with heavy clouds. At least the Golden Gate, which is really red/orange, was visible, as was the downtown and pier area. The ship was alongside and docked at Pier 27 by 8am.
The City by the Bay, as it is called by some, is near and dear to our hearts, since we were born and raised here. Even re-locating to the East Bay to get more seasonal weather and less fog, we still consider it home. It was, for the most part, for one of us, who commuted the Bay Bridge for over 40 years for work. We can agree that San Francisco is the second most densely populated city after New York City. And the traffic proves it, as it can be a bear.
Going back to its beginnings in the late 18th century, the city grew with the Gold Rush. Being located within the ring of fire of the massive Pacific Ocean, a devastating earthquake and fire leveled the city in 1906. It became a way of life for us, growing up as kids. We experienced more than our share of big quakes, even as recent as 1989.
It has not put a dent in the tourist department, as it has been stated that San Francisco ranks 35th out of the 100 top destinations in the world. Among the things to see and do, there were seven tours offered from shore excursions. Scenic SF took in the Embarcadero, the bridge, Golden Gate Park, the Japanese Tea Garden, De Young Museum, the Academy of Sciences, and Twin Peaks. A lot to do in 5 ½ hours. Then there is Alcatraz, the maximum security Federal Bureau of Prisons since 1934. Although it has been closed for many years, it is a most popular site. Unless you booked the tour with HAL, you would not have the chance to see where Al Capone, the Birdman of Alcatraz, or George, Machine gun, Kelly spent their years behind bars. We saw a sign posted saying the next available boat tour there would be next Wednesday. Oh well, there is always the Cable Car, which you can ride up San Francisco’s famous hills. And there is the Ho-Ho bus, which gives you a full day of stops for $55. Finally, you can rent a bike starting at $30 for the day.
Going out of town, there were trips to Sausalito, Muir Woods, and Sonoma wine country….all heading across the Golden Gate Bridge. Good luck getting back on time for the ship to leave at 5pm. Turned out that one was late in arriving.
But first, we all had to see the US Customs and Border Protection Officials in the cruise terminal. We had a face-to-passport inspection that only required our passports. No forms had to filled out, and nothing had to be declared. Maybe that is because this was not a designated segment and no one was officially getting off. Actually, there were a few that did leave, but they had to pay the full fare to Seattle anyway. We chose not to do that.
Last night, we had been given the letter S for this inspection. We had the choice of going off first, starting at 8:30am, or waiting until 10am. Since we planned to meet our youngest son at 11am at Pier 39, we waited until 9:30am to leave. We had been given permission to take off one piece of luggage to hand over to him. That way we will only have two bags to bring home from Seattle. And both well under 50 pounds, we hope.
Funny thing revealed itself when we lined up in the new terminal for the check. One group was going to the right, and it was a very long line. When we were asked if we were US citizens, we were directed to the left. There were a total of six of us, whereas, there were hundreds of non US citizens…..we guess, mostly Canadian. Of course, many more US natives could have gone through ahead of us, but somehow we doubt it.
Free for the day, we made our way slowly to Pier 39, stopping to take photos of the bay and the city as we went up the scenic Embarcadero. Even at this time of the morning, the streets were full of people, mostly tourists like us. A number of young kids were on field trips to the Aquarium at Pier 39. This upcoming weekend is a holiday, Memorial Day (Monday actually), but many take off three or four days before it.
Making our way to the side where the sea lions fight for space on the floating rafts, we were amused at their antics. They are such huge animals, but powerful swimmers in the water. Obviously, there is a major food supply for them, since they must have topped the scales at hundreds, even thousands of pounds.
With 50 specialty shops and 16 full-service restaurants, this popular venue is a fun destination in itself. Not only that, this is the best spot to take photos of Alcatraz Island, Angel Island, and both major bridges, the Golden Gate and the Bay Bridge.
Our choice for lunch today was the Hard Rock Café. Good thing we met our son when it opened, since when the doors did open, a flood of guests came in with prior reservations. This group, which included many teen-agers, about filled the bar area where we had taken seats. If we had come at noontime, we would have had to wait to get a table. Who knew? Anyway, we had a wonderful visit, catching up on 5 months-worth of family news. But the best news was that nothing seems to have broken at our home, or no trees have fallen in our absence. And the road that took one year to be repaired, due to a slide, is still operating. The hour went by all too fast, as it was a work day, and our son had to continue with his day. We will be home in a couple of days, and it will be great to see the family and grandkids once again.
After lunch, we walked to Fisherman’s Wharf, which was crowded with tourists and locals as well. Crabs and lobsters were being cooked in the big boiling pots of salted water, putting the fishy aroma in the air for a mile surrounding the wharf. If you like the shrimp, crab, and lobster sandwiches, then you would be in heaven here. Most all of the famous seaside restaurants are here too.
Continuing on, we passed by the Hyde Street Pier with the historic ships, The Cannery, the swim club at Aquatic Park, and Ghirardelli Square on the hillside. This area is chock-full of souvenir shops and small places to buy lunch on the run. One of those places was Ben and Jerry’s Ice Cream, so we had to treat ourselves with a couple of scoops of their specialty ice creams. Eleven dollars for a single scoop cup, and one small sugar cone. Wow, remember the days when we got a huge cone for 10 cents? Never see that again…..
All aboard was at 4:30pm, so we figured we better start back. It was almost drizzling with drifting fog at Ghirardelli Square, but as we neared Pier 39, it had passed over. We would not see any sign of the sun until the ship was leaving after 5pm.
Funny that just a couple of days ago, we were having a hard time cooling off in Cabo San Lucas, and today, we needed to turn the heat up to get warm in our room. Working on photos, we went up to deck nine around 4:30pm to get ready for the sail out of the bay. By now, some of the overcast was clearing, as it usually does, and there was hope that we would get some good shots as we sailed back under the bridge.
Once the ropes were dropped, Captain Fred backed out, then turned the ship around. This time we would go around the north side of Alcatraz on the way out. With the sun behind us, the views were way better than this morning. Most everyone that came outside to watch this were dressed for it. Despite the warmer clothing, it barely kept the chill from penetrating the bones. People coming from the bow to the back pool said they couldn’t take that cutting wind up front.
We lasted until the ship was well off shore and heading in a northerly direction. Keeping a sharp eye out for some whale sightings, we saw none. Perhaps we might get lucky as we sail the coast of Oregon and Washington on our way towards Victoria. We expect the weather and the seas to remain cool and slightly rough. It seems to always be this way for this stretch.
It wasn’t until dinnertime, that we “defrosted” in our room. We had reservations in the Pinnacle Grill tonight. For a change, we tried the spicy tomato lemongrass chicken soup. It did help warm us up, but it also filled us up. Caesar salad, no anchovy, followed with entrees of grilled lamb chops, and one small filet mignon. French fries with that special aioli dip, sauted mushrooms ,and ½ baked potato filled our plates. Saved a bit of room for one scoop of vanilla ice cream and two scoops of Cherry Garcia without the Baked Alaska. We inquired about the biscotti cookies they used to serve with coffee, and Desi, one of our cute waitresses, said she would find us some. And she did, although they were not the thinly-sliced ones we used to get, but bigger slices, soft and full of ground almonds. As we seldom touch the gourmandises candies, these cookies are far better and not so sweet.
The entertainment in the Mainstage was a vocalist and comedy impressionist Tricia Kelly. She had a high-energy musical performance full of laughs and surprises. The majority of folks attended the first show at 8pm, but due to such a long invigorating day spent in San Francisco, the second show was lightly attended.
Tomorrow will be our final full day at sea, and a most busy one onboard.
Bill & Mary Ann
View of the Golden Gate Bridge from our room (port side)
Walking the scenic waterfront
Spring flowers include foxglove
Bet the rent is high here
The most beautiful produce we have seen
Giant sweet cherries
