Sunny San Francisco

I took my first day quite slowly, having a late breakfast, and then went over to San Francisco to have a walk around.  I didn't reload my Clipper smartcard when I first arrived as there was a long queue for the machines at the airport - I try to ensure that I have enough on the card for my first trip so I don't have to queue!

I went to find out where the downtown hotels that I had rejected  on location grounds actually were, and I think I've stayed at one of them before and the other one would have been just fine.

I took the bus up to the shore and looked around Fisherman's Wharf.  No major changes since the last time I visited, which is nice. 

There were an awful lot of people about - more than usual, especially after Labo(u)r Day.  The weather is a complete contrast to the rainy Heathrow that I left on Thursday morning - it's sunny and warm.

I walked along the pier to see the sea lions at Pier 39.

The visiting sea lions and seals are big deal here, with the largest groups tending to be around at this time of year.

I walked around the Musée Mécanique just along at pier 45, which is a free, permanent exhibition of all sorts of still-working penny (quarter dollar!)  machines from old fairgrounds and the like, all the way up to arcade machines of the 1980s and 1990s.   

I had a "small" dinner at the Bubba Gump restaurant at the end of the pier.  I've never had deep-fried pickles before - very strange.  After that it was getting close to time to go to my first game of the trip, back in Oakland, so I returned to my hotel