Tourists

So I know in my last post I was all snobby about touristy things. And Pier 39, etc are as tacky as ever. But I gotta tell you, there are a lot of worse places to spend an hour in July than here:

This pic is from the Red & White Ferry Bay Tour. I think the highlight for Thing 1 was passing just under the Golden Gate Bridge. As we did, she shouted, "We're at the edge of the United States!"

We saw pelicans and cormorants and the back of Alcatraz, and then kept pace with this cargo ship which had just arrived from China or somewhere.
I should also mention another touristy thing in SF worth visiting: Hyde Street Pier. It's run by the National Park Service, and it's a true bargain. You can walk around the pier for free, and if you want to go on board several historic ships, it'll cost you just $5 (free for kids!). I'm not particularly into things nautical, but who could resist climbing onto a 120 year old sailing ship, a big old ferryboat, or a 99-year-old tugboat? Kids can clamber all over the ships and touch nearly everything, and both times I've been there we've practically had the place to ourselves. Across the street, inside the same building as the Hotel Argonaut, is the free Visitor Center.

Here you can see Thing 1 at the helm of the Balclutha. That sweater she's wearing is the one I made last fall from the yarn we Kool-Aid dyed. Several people commented on it yesterday, and she enjoyed pointing out the flavors. The guy at Oakville Grocery was so impressed he let her pick out any candy she wanted. :-)

One last tourist-related comment. I've noticed that there are certain people who are instantly identifiable as foreign tourists, long before they say a word. Case in point:

I wonder whether I stick out this much when I travel abroad?