Big Bus Day 2

Today was our longest day of the trip. We left the motel for San Francisco at 9:00 and didn't return to the motel until about 10:00 tonight.

Our plans for Day 2 on the Big Bus tour included Fisherman's Wharf, City Hall, the de Young Museum, and the Japanese Tea Garden in Golden Gate Park. We parked at Fisherman's Wharf to simplify taking the night tour that started from the Embarcadero.

We started the day by missing City Hall. The bus didn't stop at Stop 7 because there was no one waiting, and we didn't get up quickly enough. They continually preach not to stand up while the bus is moving, but unless you get up and start for the stairs, the bus doesn't stop at the minor stops. After seeing Brian and Michelle's wedding pictures, we wanted to see the inside of the San Francisco City Hall. We'll have to depend on their pictures for now.

We went to the de Young Museum to see the Georgia O'Keefe exhibit but were a little disappointed with it. I have to remember that any exhibit will only have a small subset of an artist's best works. It's not like a "greatest hits" exhibit.

We loved the Japanese Tea Garden designed by Makoto Hagiwara. Although the tea garden was originally built for an exposition, Hagiwara later expanded the garden to five times its original size. "Hagiwara became caretaker of the property, pouring all of his personal wealth, passion, and creative talents into creating a garden of utmost perfection. Mr. Hagiwara expanded the garden to its current size of approximately 5 acres where he and his family lived for many years until 1942 when they, along with approximately 120,000 Japanese Americans, were forced to evacuate their homes and move into internment camps. When the war was over, the Hagiwara family was not allowed to return to their home at the tea garden and in subsequent years, many Hagiwara family treasures were removed and new additions were made." The street out in front of the tea garden has been named Hagiwara Tea Garden Drive to honor the man who created it. I am always saddened to read accounts of how American citizens of Japanese descent were treated during World War II under the excuse that they were a risk to our security. Most historians agree it was simply a land-grab of some of the richest farmland in the state.

We got back on the Big Bus and finished the tour back to Fisherman's Wharf. Although we had been on the same route yesterday, we discovered new sights and angles to photograph. The murals in the various areas of the city are amazing; especially Haight-Ashbury and the Italian section.

Back at Fisherman's Wharf, we walked around the shops and checked out all the potential restaurants for dinner. Our choice of Fog Harbor rewarded us with a fabulous meal. We had a beautiful view of the bay and the Golden Gate Bridge.

We returned to the Big Bus Tour starting point just in time to be the first in line for the 7:00 night tour. We chose perfectly. The tour drove to Presidio Park on the west side of San Francisco and then wound back through the city to cross the Bay Bridge and stopped at Treasure Island. At Treasure Island, they gave us 10 minutes to photograph the sunset and the city lights as they came on across the bay. The amazing thing was that we had a beautiful sunset that peaked while we were at Treasure Island. The cirrus clouds streamed across the sky carrying the fire orange color with them. As we re-crossed the Bay Bridge and drove along the Embarcadero, the city lights were bright enough to make a magic scene. The night tour was the hit of the day.

By the time we picked up the Explorer, drove back to Pleasant Hill, and finally sat down in our room, we were wiped out. It was a good day, but it was a very long day.

Shots from the Bus


Haight Street Market Sign	Jammin' on Haight	Burger Urge in Haight-Ashbury

Jazz Mural	Haight-Ashbury Mural	Haight-Ashbury "Art"

Unnamed Mural	The Old & the New	City Hall

Golden Gate Bridge	San Francisco from Golden Gate	Treasure Island Sunset

Treasure Island Sunset	Bay Bridge	The Embarcadero

Sunset Panorama