Travel in Seattle & San Francisco -- San Francisco part

from 2nd to 12th August 2001

The reason why we went to U.S is written in this page.

8th August
We drove to a Hotel.
But, we felt bad in airport.
An operating woman at the Hertz counter could not prepare a rental car.
When some guys demanded us a tip, and I mistook to pay $10...

And someone twice forced me to buy the ticket and badge, which prints "I love San Francisco".
They may think "Japanese tourist is easy mark". I dislike them.
I think fraud is a worst person which gets money from a weak person.
Therefore, I had worse impression about San Francisco than Seattle.

After driving through a hard traffic jam, we checked in a Hilton Fisherman's Wharf.
But there isn’t a refrigerator in each room.
Is it influenced a power crisis in California?
Then, we walked around Fisherman's Wharf.

It isn't a market. It is an amusement park.

There were a lot of Sea Lions near Pier 39.
I had supposed 30 or 40.
In fact, there were more than 600.

I took the above picture at 19:00, it was very cold.
It was very cold despite a second week on August.
It was a cruel and irregular weather.
It was too hot in Seattle, and too cold in San Francisco.
So it is need to sign the Kyoto Protocol, President Bush.

This is a famous Cable Car.

The cable car was turned by hand.
I wanted to ride on it, but it was very crowded.
So I only took pictures, and I didn't ride on it.

I ate a cup of chowder, stake, fried shrimp, and slept.

9th August.
I went getting Alcatraz tour tickets to Pier 39 at 8:00.
But there was a long line in that box office.
I defeated to get 200 tickets ($13.5/person).
There is a signboard "if you cannot get tickets, you should call Tour Company."
So, we went back to hotel, and asked staff for getting tickets.
But she told us to prepare a package tour ($50/person) which includes city guide about seven hours.
So, I was deciding to retry it tomorrow morning.

Then, because my parents had gone to San Francisco, we went to an unknown place, Wine country, Nape valley where California Wine was born.
All winery were big, large and rich.
This is a piled brewer in a refrigerator.
This is a “Silveroad” winery which sells in Seiyu market in Japan.

We tasted wine and bought some bottles in Belinger which my father had recommended.
How nice pure wine's taste is.

After three hour staying, we went back to the city via Barkley.
We ate a small sized pizza near UCS, which is lager than large sized pizza in Japan.

Two dishes were too much for four Japanese adult persons.

10th August
I woke up at 5:30.
It was cold.
I had arrived at the box office past 6:00.
I was afraid that nobody was waiting there.
However, 100 persons had waited. I was surprised, and couldn't believe it.

I had been waiting for two hours.
You should reserve the ticket with commission.
The tour company's site is here.
My family came there at half past seven, and we could get them.

The tickets for 12:15, so we drove around the town.
I drove on hills to Hard Rock Cafe to buy a T-shirts.
And we took the Golden Gate Bridge.

And we returned to Pier 39 at noon.
This is the Alcatraz Island from the tour ship.
Although it had been cold at morning, it was fine weather at noon.

At fist it was fortress, and jail till 1960s.
And now it is a park.
Indeed, because I watched one movie "The Rock", I wanted to go San Francisco and Alcatraz.
So, I could wait there for two hours at early morning.

The view of San Francisco from the Alcatraz was beautiful.
The lines between buildings are hills.

We had a final dinner at Chinese restaurant in the biggest China town in the world.

Chinese food is real in anywhere. It was delicious.
Then, our joyful time was ended.

We had to work in Tokyo...