First Excursion! California Academy of the Sciences in San Francisco

I woke up yesterday morning really excited about taking a day trip, so I did. I left about 8:30 to take the Winchester VTA Light Rail, and then Caltrain to San Francisco.

It was gray and dreary when I left the house, but by the time I got to the Caltrain station, it had brightened, as these photos show. I love the simple pleasure of being able to take public transit to so many interesting places.

San Jose/Diridon Caltrain station

San Francicisco Caltrain station

When I first got to San Francisco, I wanted to update the local Google Maps on my iPad & Tablet, so I looked for a coffee shop or bookstore which might have free WiFi. This was a little hard to find, so I learned. However, after taking the 45 bus from the Caltrain station to Market Street I had fun ambling a bit. I did find a place to grab coffee, and relax for a bit. After a short break, I hopped the 5 bus to the Golden Gate Park.

This was the first glimpse I got of Golden Gate Park. I probably have not been there in 20 or 30 years. I am thinking how much I have missed, in not taking advantage of public transit! This is a beautiful walkway!

Scenes on the way to the California Academy of Sciences building.

After arriving at the California Academy of Sciences, I toured the building. Saw some Hawaiian dancing.

Went to lunch, and sat on the terrace. This was about 1:00. Then I went to the Rainforest exhibit, and the Steinhart Aquarium. I have heard of this aquarium all my life, but had never pinpointed its location.

The most fun I had all day, was relaxing after touring the exhibits, having a cold beer & soda, and watching the children play on the lawn. I try to avoid taking photos of people, when I can. For the most part, this lawn area was full of kids!

I had left the academy, and was walking back to the #5 bus. Here I picked up a brouchure for a future touring trip with bigbustour.com

This was the last photo I took for the day. A sign in front of this walkway said "Lily Pond". Really a beautiful spot!

Ok, so I was shutting my computer down for the morning, finally!!, when I saw that Google had done a stylized image of my "Lily Pond" photo from yesterday. Love it!

Second stylized photo

Sort of lost my way getting back to the #5 bus. There was not ready WiFi access in many places. I finally caught a #33, then a #5, then a #45 to get back to the Caltrain station. A wonderful day overall, exciting me for future trips. Once a month, going forward! Thanks, Clipper Card!

Anticipation!

This year, I turn 65. With the donation of my 1992 Plymouth Voyager in January 2017, I have needed to rely on public transit. Discovered the Clipper Card last year, and really like the convenience. The customer service staff has always gone out of their way to be friendly and supportive.

Last week, my son stayed with me for a few days. He had had a car accident, with his first car, and needed a way to get to work with public transit. As he was ironing things out, and letting them settle, he spoke of the ability to be able to tour the entire Bay Area with the Clipper Card. This got me excited!

I have always enjoyed Internet travel research, and think I will start by touring San Franciso. There is a 9-day City Pass which would be a lot of fun this summer: https://www.citypass.com/san-francisco

I think I will start with a day trip to the California Academy of Sciences. Super excited!

(Full-size Muni map can be found at: https://www.sfmta.com/maps/muni-system-map)