Aquarium & Pier 39

My last day in San Francisco. By the time I have breakfast and finish packing my bags, it is 11. It is raining again so I decide to spend some time at the Aquarium.

If I am honest, I find it a little disappointing, although that may be because I have visited some excellent aquariums in the past. Considering the entrance of $17, it is very small, with the main exhibit being two underwater tunnels.

There is nothing really wrong with the place, but I have pretty much done it all in an hour.

I go on to look around the pier again, which has a good mixture of shops and restaurants. I stop to eat, and order a calamari starter, and a BBQ steak and shrimp combo, with a beer.

It seems that it is not my day. My beer arrives, but then after a 20 minute wait, my main course appears. I point out that I haven’t received my starter yet, but the main looks good (and is), so I ask them to just cancel the calamari off my check. I have barely started on my main when a bowl of calamari turns up. I send it back, and get an uncomprehending look when I say that the point of a starter is that it comes before the main course, and now my steak and shrimp are here, I would like to eat them while they are hot.

After some discussion, the unwanted squid is removed, and I am allowed to get back to my lunch.

I realise that this has irritated me more than it should, and perhaps the holiday is over. It’s hard to relax with your eye on the clock, so I head back to the hotel to claim my bags.

I was planning to be a cheapskate and get to the airport by public transport. I already have a pass for the streetcar into town, and the BART to the airport is (I believe) $8. However, it is now pouring outside, so I ask the hotel to call me a cab, which gets me to the airport extremely early, but I am warm and dry and have a book to read.

4 Comments

  1. March 20, 2011
    Reply

    A shame your last day was less than amazing. And extra rainy.

    Safe travels home! It was great spending time with you!

    • chris
      March 21, 2011
      Reply

      Oh, it wasn’t terrible. As I say, if I start getting irritable about trivial stuff, it is a reliable sign that it is probably me, and not the world, and that I should take it easy.

      It was just the temptation to cram another half-day in before my flight was too much!

  2. March 20, 2011
    Reply

    Try the Aquarium in Boston if you get a chance.

    We also have a number of very good cons in the area (subtle hint).

    • chris
      March 21, 2011
      Reply

      Boston is another place on my “must revisit sometime” list. I didn’t spend much time there on my “East Coast Tour 2004”, but I do remember liking the place.

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