We didn't head out until around 11 o'clock. From the hotel, we walked down to Market Street and
caught the bus to the Ferry Plaza, ready for another day of exploring the waterfront and seeing
where the day would take us.
A Temple To Transit
One of our favourite places in the city is the San Francisco Railway Museum, still affectionately
known by many locals and transit enthusiasts as the Market Street Railway Museum. It's only a
small museum, but what it lacks in size it more than makes up for in character, explaining just about
everything you could ever want to know about San Francisco's historic streetcars and the golden age
of public transport. Couple that with the vintage trams rumbling past outside every few minutes and
it feels less like a museum and more like a living exhibit.
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| Inside The Museum |
The museum does a fantastic job of showing how San Francisco grew around its transit system.
Before cars took over, the city was stitched together by streetcars and cable cars carrying people to
work, parks, baseball games and neighbourhoods perched on seemingly impossible hills. There's a
lovely sense that transit wasn't just a way of getting around — it was part of the city's identity and
daily life.
It's also refreshingly unpretentious. There are no giant queues, no flashy interactive displays, and no
over-produced tourist spectacle. Just passionate volunteers and preservationists keeping an
important piece of San Francisco's histor alive for anyone curious enough to step through the door.
Coffee With Movie History
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| The Ferry Building |
Completed in 1898, it is one of San Francisco's most iconic buildings. Its imposing clock tower
rises 245 feet above the waterfront and has survived both the devastating earthquakes of 1906 and
1989. Unfortunately, with the construction of bridges across the bay from the 1930s onwards, ferry
traffic steadily declined. As services became less frequent, the building lost much of its original
purpose and was gradually divided into office space, with little regard for its grand architecture.
The building suffered another blow in the late 1950s when the Embarcadero Freeway was
constructed directly in front of it. The elevated road almost completely obscured the Ferry Building
from public view and severed much of its connection with the waterfront. Following the 1989
earthquake, sections of the freeway were badly damaged, with parts collapsing altogether. Rather
than rebuild it, the decision was made to demolish the structure and redevelop the area. The result
was the creation of the plaza that now stands in front of the building, along with the extension of the
F-Line streetcars along the waterfront to Fisherman's Wharf. It was during this redevelopment that
the Ferry Building was restored to its former glory.
Today happened to be farmers market day, with stalls spread across the plaza outside. Inside, the
building is packed with food shops and artisan producers. One of our favourites is the Golden Gate
Meat Company, which sells the best turkey pies I've ever tasted. At seven dollars each they're
certainly not cheap, but they're worth every penny.
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| Coffee With A View |
Bimballing Along The Bay
From the Ferry Building we headed along The Bay Front Trail, pausing at the rather pleasant
courtyard outside the local offices of Google and Firefox — not somewhere you'd normally put on a
must-see list, but a decent spot to sit and feel vaguely important for a few minutes — before
crossing the road and hopping on a tram for a couple of stops to AT&T Park, home of the San
Francisco Giants, who were gearing up for their first home game in a couple of weeks.
Even three hours before first pitch, there was a buzz in the air. Fans in orange and black drifted
steadily towards the stadium, conversations filled with optimism, ritual and hope. There's something
infectious about baseball crowds. Even when you don't have a ticket, you can't help but get swept
up in the anticipation of it all.
We'd actually planned on going to see a game, but both fixtures were 7 pm starts, which meant you
wouldn't be getting out of the ballpark until gone 11 pm, then still having to get back to the hotel.
Add to that the fact that ticket prices seemed to have shot up considerably this year, and that the
Giants hadn't exactly been setting the world alight on the field, and the decision more or less made
itself.
There was a small pang of disappointment though. Watching a Giants game had become one of
those traditions that felt tied to our visits here, and it was strange being on the outside looking in.
Still, sometimes travel is about knowing when not to force things. The atmosphere was free, the
sunshine was free, and neither required a ticket.
We still had a wander round the team shop, which was a treat — until you looked at the price tags,
at which point it became considerably less of one. I did manage to justify a pen at $2, because
frankly I had to buy something in there. A man has his principles.
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| San Francisco Belle |
Sometimes they're just moments.
A warm afternoon. A walk with nowhere particular to be. The sound of the bay. Watching the city
go about its business while you slow down long enough to appreciate being part of it for a little
while.
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| Cupids Span |
As the afternoon drifted towards evening, there was also the quiet awareness that our time in San
Francisco was beginning to run short. Tomorrow would be our last full day. The city that had felt so
vast and unfamiliar when we arrived now felt strangely comfortable, almost familiar. Those final
days of a trip always carry a slightly bittersweet edge — wanting to make the most of every
remaining hour while already knowing you'll miss the place when it's gone.
Reflections On The Day
Today was a reminder that not every memorable day needs a packed itinerary. There was something
wonderfully relaxing about simply wandering the waterfront, soaking up the atmosphere, and
enjoying the city at a slower pace. As the trip began to edge towards its final days, I found myself
appreciating the small moments more than the big attractions — a good view, a warm afternoon, a
quiet walk, and the simple pleasure of having nowhere in particular to be. Sometimes that's enough,
and today it felt exactly right.
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