This past weekend we went to Palo Alto, Thursday afternoon, 4/24, then spent Friday and Saturday in San Francisco. A quick report, mostly pictures follows.
The reason for the trip was for me to give a presentation at a meeting of the Bay Area Chapter of the American Statistical Association. We left here after lunch, found the meeting site, and then had time to drive around the nearby Stanford U campus. The meeting was from 430 to 530, after which about a dozen of us went out for Chinese food -- banquet style. A fine time was had by all, following a profound discussion of fundamental statistical issues, such as, "Why don't we get no respect?"
About dark we headed into The City to find our hotel. Once again, thank goodness for GPS systems. We made the right exits, negotiated the one-way streets the right way, and there we were.
Friday was mostly a driving tour, partly deliberate, partly whimsical. Here are some photos:
We started off with the Golden Gate,
then worked our way around the north and west sides of the penninsula, stopping for lunch near Seal Rock.After lunch we meandered back across the penninsula, via the Golden Gate Park and Haight-Asbury (not as far out as I thought it might be, at least from a car's driver's seat), staying mostly on residential streets. Our route included the zig-zag drive down Lombard Street, the crooked street.
We stopped at Ghirardelli Square for some ice cream. Seemed like many of the upper level shops I remember there from years past were closed for renovation, so there wasn't much to do there.
Decided next to drive across the GG Bridge to Sausalito -- I've been intrigued by what I've seen and read about that area. We took a winding, narrow, climbing drive up among the houses clinging to the hill overlooking the bay. Looks like a little of that San Andreas tilt, too.
As you can see the day was sunny. It was warm, too, with only a slight breeze. Good timing, we thought.
Next it was on around the bay to the next town, Tiburon, where we found the church where Susie and friend, Connie Lacy, once attended a wedding. The bride timed the ceremony so that as the wedding party left the church, it was right at sunset over the bay. My picture, when I zoom my old camera, is a little washed-out, but you get the idea.
Then it was back downtown and dinner with friend, Bert Gunter, and his wife, Carole, at a very nice restaurant near the new SF Giants baseball park. Bert and Carole relocated from the east coast to here a few years ago to be near their son and grandchildren. He's a statistician working for one of the pharmaceutical companies in the area. Statistics, religion, and politics were the major topics of conversation, with some views shared, some not. A pleasant finish to a fine day.
Saturday morning we walked to nearby Chinatown, passing the Transamerica Building between our hotel and Chinatown.
The previous day we had considered a cable car ride, and decided not to. The opportunity beckoned again, on California Street, so we rode to the end of the line and back. Some dramatic views as you descend.
Here's the east end of a westbound cable car.
We checked out of our hotel at noon, headed west and then took Hwy 1 along the coast to get home. Another warm day and lots of beach activity along the way. Incidentally, we've been remarking about the generally chilly weather out here. Saw in the paper that Monterey set several records for the coldest high temperatures so far during the month of April -- highs in the low 50s, lows in the high 30s. Even the natives, not just us desert rats, have been bemoaning the weather.
Big week this week -- giving a mid-term exam. Spent Sunday working on the exam and practice problems for the students to use in preparation.
Also got good news this week that Heidi and probably Mandi and Paul will be out here Mother's Day weekend.
Let us hear from you.
We'll leave you with one more beach picture.
UPDATE: We'd been home a few hours when there came a knock at the door. Turned out to be a couple of college-age girls, one from Ireland, one from India. They were with a group, trekking down the west coast, tent-camping in campgrounds along the way. They had wondered what these American motor homes were like, so their guide said, Go ask someone. Out of all the motor homes in Marina Dunes, they picked ours. We gave them the tour and had a nice visit.
Cheers,
Susie and Rob
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