![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
Labor Day Weekend by the Bay, Day 3
Sep. 3rd, 2023 11:59 amSUNDAY
I rose about five AM to pee, and then for the day about seven (turning off my alarm set for 7:45). Around 8:30 we walked to Powell and Market to catch the cable car to Bay and Taylor near Fisherman's Wharf, grabbing breakfast at Pat's Cafe nearby. We were served by a cute little Hispanic-looking dude with dark hair and a trim beard. We each had California omelets and I added a side of bacon and a coffee.
After breakfast we returned by cable car to the Cable Car Museum about halfway back along the Powell and Mason line. I was seated on the outside bench and Gary stood in front of me on the running board. We had to belatedly ask the gripman to stop the car at our stop. The four cables which power the cable cars are operated from the building housing the museum. There were a few actual cable cars on display, including the last surviving car from the original 1873 fleet, and a car from the Sutter Street line numbered 54, which immediately brought to mind the old TV show "Car 54, Where Are You?" We continued the return journey to Powell and Market, standing on the inside of the car this time.
When we reached the end of the line, we descended into the BART station, topped up our Clipper cards, and caught a Blue Line train to Coliseum for the A's game. After descending from the platform, we passed a gauntlet of vendors selling A's gear, cold water, and even beer, en route to the stadium. At the security checkpoint, Gary beeped a lot at the metal detector because of things in his jacket pockets. We quickly found our seats and watched the grounds crew preparing the field for play. Before the game started, I picked up lunch of chicken tenders and fries with both varieties of zero-calorie Coke (Diet Coke for Gary and Coke Zero for me). We agreed there was too much food. A large school band/orchestra played the National Anthem; I was surprised to see people lugging folding chairs and cellos onto the field.
The game was rather uneventful at first, with no runs scored by either team until the top of the 4th (with a 3-run homer from Anaheim), and no hits by Oakland until the bottom of the sixth. Around the middle of the 4th I got up to shop for T-shirts and another drink. I got two styles of green T-shirts with "Athletics", plus a Pride Night shirt a size too small. When I stopped to pee, I noticed they had trough urinals just like the one at the Lone Star, replicated numerous times. A nice-looking dude, tall and goateed, named Kyle was chatting with Gary as I returned to my seat with my purchases. He'd snuck down from upstairs while the ushers weren't looking. He'd had a few beers and Gary described him as the pleasant sort of drunk. While I was up shopping, the A's ended up taking three walks in a row to load the bases without a hit, although they were unable to capitalize on that. It suddenly occurred to me during a pitching change to sing "There's a meeting at the pitcher's mound" to the tune of "Meeting in the Ladies' Room", for which Gary smacked my hand. (I still think it's funny though.) The A's did get ahead with two 2-run homers in the bottom of the sixth. The Angels tied it up with a solo homer in the top of the 7th, which lasted until the bottom of that inning with a 2-RBI double followed by an error at third base bringing in another run. Immediately after that, Shea Langeliers hit a double off the State Farm sign in right field to bring in the runner at third. The A's ended up winning 10-6.
We returned to the BART station, where we were serenaded by a trio of drummers as we entered the station from the Coliseum bridge. The northbound platform was full of people, so we waited on the southbound platform. A cute big black bear with dreadlocks perched next to me on the low wall by the escalator. Two SF trains arrived just before our train to Oakland proper (final destination Richmond). We left the train at 12th Street Station and proceeded to the exit at Broadway and 11th Street. An older black dude with a shopping cart shouted abuse from across Broadway, and a lifted purple Impala convertible with three big young Hispanic bears in it passed us, as we waited for the bus to Jack London Square.
When we left the bus around the corner from the square, we passed a sign for a sushi bar and jazz venue called Yoshi, and went in for dinner. We each had their Oakland A's roll with shrimp tempura, crab, avocado, and mango, and we split an order of classic nigiri. I had the Ginger Blossom mocktail and Gary the pomegranate spritzer. We were served by a very tall and thin young black dude who was apparently family. While we ate, we noticed the Amtrak Capitol Corridor trains running down the middle of the street outside the windows.
After dinner, we made our way to the waterfront park by the ferry pier, stopping to pick up ice cream at Ben & Jerry's, and settled in for the long wait for the ferry back to San Francisco. Once the vessel arrived, we boarded and took seats at the front, where a big and cute young black bear was selling tickets for the trip to those not using Clipper or a phone app to pay the fare. Once we landed at the Ferry Terminal and disembarked, we walked around the corner off the Embarcadero to catch a bus to City Lights Bookstore. The shelter and all available seating was occupied by some homeless people.
At City Lights we browsed the nonfiction section in the basement for a change, and eventually picked up a couple of books, one on geopolitics and one on bad Hollywood. We walked through nearly deserted Chinatown streets to the new T line terminus a few blocks away. When we sat on the bench, a patron seated on the other side left in a huff, which put Gary in a foul mood. The new subway cars made the distinctive "Born Free" sound like those in Seattle. We returned to the room about ten and watched news until Gary got to sleep at midnight and I followed around 12:30.
I rose about five AM to pee, and then for the day about seven (turning off my alarm set for 7:45). Around 8:30 we walked to Powell and Market to catch the cable car to Bay and Taylor near Fisherman's Wharf, grabbing breakfast at Pat's Cafe nearby. We were served by a cute little Hispanic-looking dude with dark hair and a trim beard. We each had California omelets and I added a side of bacon and a coffee.
After breakfast we returned by cable car to the Cable Car Museum about halfway back along the Powell and Mason line. I was seated on the outside bench and Gary stood in front of me on the running board. We had to belatedly ask the gripman to stop the car at our stop. The four cables which power the cable cars are operated from the building housing the museum. There were a few actual cable cars on display, including the last surviving car from the original 1873 fleet, and a car from the Sutter Street line numbered 54, which immediately brought to mind the old TV show "Car 54, Where Are You?" We continued the return journey to Powell and Market, standing on the inside of the car this time.
When we reached the end of the line, we descended into the BART station, topped up our Clipper cards, and caught a Blue Line train to Coliseum for the A's game. After descending from the platform, we passed a gauntlet of vendors selling A's gear, cold water, and even beer, en route to the stadium. At the security checkpoint, Gary beeped a lot at the metal detector because of things in his jacket pockets. We quickly found our seats and watched the grounds crew preparing the field for play. Before the game started, I picked up lunch of chicken tenders and fries with both varieties of zero-calorie Coke (Diet Coke for Gary and Coke Zero for me). We agreed there was too much food. A large school band/orchestra played the National Anthem; I was surprised to see people lugging folding chairs and cellos onto the field.
The game was rather uneventful at first, with no runs scored by either team until the top of the 4th (with a 3-run homer from Anaheim), and no hits by Oakland until the bottom of the sixth. Around the middle of the 4th I got up to shop for T-shirts and another drink. I got two styles of green T-shirts with "Athletics", plus a Pride Night shirt a size too small. When I stopped to pee, I noticed they had trough urinals just like the one at the Lone Star, replicated numerous times. A nice-looking dude, tall and goateed, named Kyle was chatting with Gary as I returned to my seat with my purchases. He'd snuck down from upstairs while the ushers weren't looking. He'd had a few beers and Gary described him as the pleasant sort of drunk. While I was up shopping, the A's ended up taking three walks in a row to load the bases without a hit, although they were unable to capitalize on that. It suddenly occurred to me during a pitching change to sing "There's a meeting at the pitcher's mound" to the tune of "Meeting in the Ladies' Room", for which Gary smacked my hand. (I still think it's funny though.) The A's did get ahead with two 2-run homers in the bottom of the sixth. The Angels tied it up with a solo homer in the top of the 7th, which lasted until the bottom of that inning with a 2-RBI double followed by an error at third base bringing in another run. Immediately after that, Shea Langeliers hit a double off the State Farm sign in right field to bring in the runner at third. The A's ended up winning 10-6.
We returned to the BART station, where we were serenaded by a trio of drummers as we entered the station from the Coliseum bridge. The northbound platform was full of people, so we waited on the southbound platform. A cute big black bear with dreadlocks perched next to me on the low wall by the escalator. Two SF trains arrived just before our train to Oakland proper (final destination Richmond). We left the train at 12th Street Station and proceeded to the exit at Broadway and 11th Street. An older black dude with a shopping cart shouted abuse from across Broadway, and a lifted purple Impala convertible with three big young Hispanic bears in it passed us, as we waited for the bus to Jack London Square.
When we left the bus around the corner from the square, we passed a sign for a sushi bar and jazz venue called Yoshi, and went in for dinner. We each had their Oakland A's roll with shrimp tempura, crab, avocado, and mango, and we split an order of classic nigiri. I had the Ginger Blossom mocktail and Gary the pomegranate spritzer. We were served by a very tall and thin young black dude who was apparently family. While we ate, we noticed the Amtrak Capitol Corridor trains running down the middle of the street outside the windows.
After dinner, we made our way to the waterfront park by the ferry pier, stopping to pick up ice cream at Ben & Jerry's, and settled in for the long wait for the ferry back to San Francisco. Once the vessel arrived, we boarded and took seats at the front, where a big and cute young black bear was selling tickets for the trip to those not using Clipper or a phone app to pay the fare. Once we landed at the Ferry Terminal and disembarked, we walked around the corner off the Embarcadero to catch a bus to City Lights Bookstore. The shelter and all available seating was occupied by some homeless people.
At City Lights we browsed the nonfiction section in the basement for a change, and eventually picked up a couple of books, one on geopolitics and one on bad Hollywood. We walked through nearly deserted Chinatown streets to the new T line terminus a few blocks away. When we sat on the bench, a patron seated on the other side left in a huff, which put Gary in a foul mood. The new subway cars made the distinctive "Born Free" sound like those in Seattle. We returned to the room about ten and watched news until Gary got to sleep at midnight and I followed around 12:30.