A Day of Work and Play

     We only had two full days in San Francisco and one of them was spent in the Sutro Library at the UCSF.  The campus is actually south of the city and near the coast.  On our way to the library we passed a moving tribute to the victims of teen suicide.  Over 500 backpacks were place on the ground to represent the number of monthly teen suicides in this country.  To some were attached a picture and the story of a child who took their own life.  It was difficult - oh hell - it was impossible to keep your composure.  Very moving and thought provoking.  Below is a picture of the tribute from the library window and then down on the quad.

     After spending most of the day at the library, we had enough daylight left to stop off briefly at Golden Gate Park and take a short walk.

     We could have seen more of the park without walking by using the handy mobile contraptions pictured below. You get a personal guide as well. 

    
      We passed several of these tours and saw the park the old fashion way, using shank's mare (that's by foot for those of you unfamiliar with the phrase).
      From the park we continued on up the Great Highway to Lands End.  This famous point overlooks the Pacific Ocean, Seal Rocks, the Cliff House, and Golden Gate Strait.  The Cliff House was originally built in 1863, according to the NPS pamphlet.  It reached its peak as a Victorian era resort with a number of baths being the featured attraction.  That resort was owned by Mr. Sutro (the library we visited was named after him).  All that remains of his resort are the bath ruins.  The present Cliff House was built in 1909.

     Below are some views of Seal Rocks, the strait, and the Golden Gate Bridge.

    That night he went to Fisherman's Wharf for dinner.  It has changed quite a bit since my last visit some 25 years ago.  It has become pretty standardized, with many of the national chain stores and outlets blanketing the area.  Not much local character left - of course the bay is still there and that is beautiful - we decided we didn't have to go there again.