San Francisco | Public Transit
One of the best things about living in the San Francisco Bay Area is public transit. Even though I lived in Sausalito, I really did not need to have car. I could take a bus, carpool or ferry to and from the city. If I needed to visit the East Bay or go to SFO to catch a plane, I could take a train. The public transit system in San Francisco is amazing. And, I especially enjoyed riding the historic cable cars.
One of the best things about living in the San Francisco Bay Area is public transit. Even though I lived in Sausalito, I really did not need to have car. I could take a bus, carpool or ferry to and from the city. If I needed to visit the East Bay or go to SFO to catch a plane, I could take a train. The public transit system in San Francisco is amazing. And, I especially enjoyed riding the historic cable cars.
There are 27 cable cars in rotation when the system is operating. There are two kind of cars: single-ended cars that serve the Powell-Hyde and Powell-Mason lines and the double-ended cars that serve the California Street line.
To this day, I think it is so much fun to ride them, see where they go and enjoy the people that ride them.
Richardson Bay | Sailing
My sailboat, Barbelina, was rigged for solo sailing; however, I never ventured out by myself. As I was new to the sport, I didn’t feel that I had the skills to tackle Richardson Bay by lonesome. With the Bay’s cross-currents, the sudden wind changes and the huge tankers zipping by, it was simply more fun to sail with skilled friends. I lived minimally on the boat, but had all the necessary creature comforts to make living aboard bliss. The boat was always ready to sail within 15 minutes, day or night.
My sailboat, Barbelina, was rigged for solo sailing; however, I never ventured out by myself. As I was new to the sport, I didn’t feel that I had the skills to tackle Richardson Bay by lonesome. With the Bay’s cross-currents, the sudden wind changes and the huge tankers zipping by, it was simply more fun to sail with skilled friends. I lived minimally on the boat, but had all the necessary creature comforts to make living aboard bliss. The boat was always ready to sail within 15 minutes, day or night.
One day, I’ll live on a boat again. I am picturing myself living on a Dutch barged moored outside of Paris. Of course, it will be ready to go within 15 minutes should I decided to explore the many canals and rivers of Europe.
San Francisco | Transamerica Pyramid
The TransAmerica Pyramid is an architectural beauty and a sight to behold. I used to work in the Financial District and I would often meander to Chinatown and North Beach. Not ever did I not look up, day or night, and not appreciate the wonderment of the building against a majestic sky.
The Transamerica Pyramid is located at at 600 Montgomery Street between Clay and Washington Streets in the Financial District. It is a 48-story futurist building and the second-tallest skyscraper in the San Francisco skyline. The building was designed by architect William Periera and completed in 1972.
The building is a four-sided pyramid with a structural height of 853 feet. The top 212 feet (65 m) of the building is the spire. There are four cameras pointed in the four cardinal directions at the top of this spire forming the "Transamerica Virtual Observation Deck." The building's façade is covered in crushed quartz, giving the building its light color. The top of the Transamerica Pyramid is covered with aluminum panels. For Christmas, Independence Day and the anniversary of 9/11, the top of the pyramid is lit at night and is called the “Crown Jewel.