| Easter week is a great time for sightseeing, and even though it rained just a bit during my excursion around San Francisco Bay, that only added to the atmosphere. My "jumping off point" was Oakland's Jack London Square where the sailboat show was in progress. |
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The evidence was pretty good that spring had sprung in Oakland! The ancient vessel that sailed down the estuary as I was boarding the ferry is called the "Hawaiian Chieftain" |
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| After debarking at the landmark San Francisco Ferry Building, I walked to Chinatown. It's a trip of about six blocks, and only one of those blocks is up hill. I visited Old St. Mary's then stopped in several shops along Grant Avenue. In one of them I found a great leather jacket to replace one that was lost a few years ago, and in another shop there was a replacement for my worn out fanny pack—all very patriotic. My last stop in Chinatown was for lunch at the Empress of China, which is where you'll see the mural and golden dragon. The central view from my window table was of the lofty Coit Tower. |
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| Another walk after lunch, this one a little longer, got me to Pier 39 with all its interesting sights. One view from the harbor area is the opposite side of Coit Tower from what I'd seen from the restaurant window, so you can see it was a bit of a hike from one part of town to the other. |
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Coit Tower, in fact, is visible from the top deck of Pier 39, well out toward the bay end, above the old time carousel.  |
 Off the other end of the pier are dozens of snoozing sea lions, looking sort of like seals on toast. You may want to click on this image to see the enlarged view. |
| Finally, it was over to Pier 41 and back on a ferry bound for Oakland, where I spent a couple of hours at the Jack London Square Boat Show and ended the day with dinner at the Old Spaghetti Factory as the sun was setting on an excellent day. |
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