San Francisco: Day 2

After many hours of sleep last night, we spent a little time planning before heading off to breakfast. We ate in the hotel, lots of really good, fresh fruit and other taste treats. Then it was off to Pier 39 at Fisherman's Wharf.

At the suggestion of the concierge, we boarded the trolley for the trip. The trolley is part of the SF Municipal Railway. The cars are vintage trolley cars, restored and lovingly maintained. You can read all about them here.

Our first adventure of the day, besides the trolley ride, was a bay tour. The boat headed out past the sea lions, who took up residence back in 1990 and were saved from being run off by the fact that the tourists (that would be us) love them. Once out into the bay the boat headed for the Golden Gate Bridge.

From there the boat circled around Alcatraz, before heading back in.

Once we were back on dry land we wandered down Pier 39. We stuck our heads into a couple of the shops, acquired a small amount of salt water taffy, and watched the carousel. After lunch we stopped in at the Aquarium of the Bay. It's a nice little aquarium. We particularly enjoyed the Under the Bay exhibit. The path takes you through tubes that allow you to view the sea creatures from below. Amy's favorite part was when a school of fish passed overhead.

Next we wandered a little further down the Embarcadero before heading back to the hotel. After a short rest, we walked to Belden Place for dinner. After checking out the menus for several of the restaurants, we settled on B44, specializing in Catalan cuisine. We can recommend it highly. Not only was Amy's paella tasty and perfectly prepared, but my chicken was also very good.