Imagine there's something clever about San Francisco here

So, I still have some San Francisco pictures left to upload, but they're all bits and pieces of stuff and don't really work together.

Here we go:

One facet of San Francisco's public transportation system is the street car. It's a single line that runs from Fisherman's Wharf/North Beach down to SoMa and back. It's cheaper and sometimes less crowded than the cable cars, but just as fun and touristy. Plus, it runs past the super-awesome Ferry Building.

The line is populated with a mash-up of different cars, all of them vintage. Some are from the lines that ran through San Francisco and other US cities. Others have been imported from foreign "sister" cities. Sadly, it didn't occur to me to try and get pictures of all of them until my second-to-last day.The one partially visible in this shot is from Italy.

This one, obviously, is from Zurich, Switzerland.

The Ferry Building is a fun place to get lunch, and while it's not a destination, it's worth a visit. There are daily tours and a weekend farmer's market, but I didn't see any of that. What made the Ferry Building worth a second visit for me was the food. Specifically, the French Macarons at Miette. I also got aged Spanish Mahon from the Cowgirl Creamery, vegetarian dim sum and tea (black lychee) at the Imperial Tea Court, and some amazing Recchiuti chocolates.

If you're fortunate enough to live in the area, there are also a number of vendors selling perishible items, like exotic mushrooms, caviar (but don't buy that because it kills the sturgeon), produce, meat, and seafood.

Fisherman's Wharf was a brief (maybe 2 miles) walk away from the Ferry Building. My camera battery was dying, but I managed to get a few nice shots.

Facing south, the Ferry Building is on the left.

Facing north, one of the piers is on the right. To your left, palm trees.

Another pier and a sunset or something.

Japantown had a large shopping complex that we spent some time exploring. The main attraction for me was Ichiban Kan, purveyors of inexpensive Japanese stuff like bento boxes, reuseable nylon shopping bags, those plastic sandals with the accupressure nubs on the soles, and sweet, sweet candy. There were a ton of restaurants, and I was left with the task of picking one.

The sign above was for a shop that seemed to specialize in curry. I was tempted, but opted instead for a packed noodle shop where I ate a gigantic bowl of veggie tempura udon.



Hey, kids, it's the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art! If you're an art nerd, like I am (in the last semester of my undergrad, I almost tacked on an art history major that would've meant another two years in college), then you always want to go to art museums when you're on vacation.* I have a particular love for weird and wacky modern art. In London, it was the Tate Modern. When I've got time to kill in Chicago I head for the Museum of Contemporary Art (conveniently located right next to the Watertower Mall).
I especially wanted to visit the SFMOMA because they were hosting an exhibit of Joseph Cornell's works. They were always some of my favourite pieces at the Art Institute in Chicago, and I was thrilled to see a massive collection here. They also had a Jeff Wall exhibit that I thoroughly enjoyed.

*Strangely, it's been at least ten years since I've visited the local art museum even with it's amazingly beautiful Calatrava-designed unit.

Random shot of a church and some skyscrapers taken from the park near SFMOMA.