City Walks SF #20 Extension (Bonus Coverage)!

Because we didn't feel like walking back across the bridge, we decided to walk into Sausalito and take the ferry back to the City. And then we realized that Matt had never been to Fort Baker, so we decided to walk there as well.



We were originally planning to go to the total dive yacht club to have a beer, but Matt decided he wanted some french fries for a snack, and the yacht club's only menu items are hamburger, quesadilla, and bagged potato chips. So we decided to check out the new, swankier bar at Cavallo Point Lodge: The Farley Bar. (If you click on that link you will see just how swanky I am talking about - and remember we went in with our walking clothes and backpacks.) At the time we got there it was a little chilly and Matt, as usual, hadn't planned enough ahead to bring sufficient clothing, so we sat inside. However, bar seating is available all along the railing of the front porch, with some pretty nice views. The $5 bottled beer might be worth it for the view.



Then we continued walking from Fort Baker into Sausalito.




And finally hpped a ferry back with tons of dang people who had used the bike rental service.



I loved this walk - highly recommended. And I have confirmed the difference between urban hiking (aka city walking) and real hiking (in addition to having to subject your joints to concrete instead of dirt): being able to take a break and drink a beer in the middle.

City Walks SF #20: The Golden Gate Bridge

This walk is pretty self-explanatory - walk across the bridge to the vista point on the other side. (Unlike the Big Mac, you can walk across the Golden Gate any day of the year.) Can do!



I enjoyed the walk; but Matt pretty much just freaked out from his fear of heights the whole time (even though the side rail is much higher than your center of gravity).

The Moby Dick Whalers Easter Party

In case you or someone you know will be bored in the Bay Area on Easter Sunday (this Sunday, April 12th), Matt's softball team could use some support!



(I am so technologically inept that I had to print out this pdf and scan it in order to insert it as an image on my blog.

Wildlife in the City

Gosh, this post would be so much better with pictures. Alas, I am not much good with the camera.

But I've been thinking about how much nature we really get to see here in this dense, concrete, urban chaos - mostly in our little neighborhood though.

• At least one skunk
• Multiple raccoons
• Matt swears he saw a rat that was *this* big
• A raptor stalking and catching a mouse - we could see a long tail dangling
  
• Songbirds on the hill - I hear them chirping right now
• Pretty yellow butterflies
  
• Deer on Angel Island
• Coyotes and more raccoons by my office
• More cats and dogs than one can imagine

So it's not zoo-quality or -quantity sightings, but it's still pretty neat.

And Another State Supports Gay Marriage!

Yay Vermont! The state legislators here actually changed the law by overriding the governor's veto. Awesome!

Incidentally, now that I have Facebook, I am torn over whether to post blog posts or share links on Facebook. I really like how the links are all pretty on Facebook, with the title, source, and a little text. It would be nice if I could post those on Blogger, but it doesn't seem to be an option. Too much technology!

Cars and Not-Cars of the Future

Today I read a Joel Makower blog called "Reinventing Mobility: It's Not Just the Cars, Stupid." Makower went on to discuss a lot of car-sharing options of the future, and even bike sharing options, and how the car companies could get in on this transportation wave to help reinvent themselves. However, I feel as though he glossed over public transit. Car-sharing and bike-sharing are elitist; let's be frank. There is still a stigma to stepping on public transit. Here in San Francisco, some people will take the subway or the BART, but they still refuse to get on buses. And let me tell you, the buses here are filled with a much more diverse clientele than the buses I have ridden in Albuquerque and Los Angeles.

And today, Inhabitat also announced a project between GM and Segway involving a sit-down type Segway. They mention they want cities and colleges to put in special PUMA lanes for this device. Luckily, Inhabitat does ask the question, why not just ride a bike?

So here's where I'm torn. Instead of coddling people out of their cars into comfy, rather elitist car-share systems, which might be the easiest transfer, why can't we work on changing attitudes not just about owning a car instead of belong to a service, but also about taking advantage of public transit options. I am a huge transit fan! I would absolutlely never drive if I didn't have to. Start believing that buses aren't scary. And if more people start riding buses, the service might improve and the hours extend, allowing even more people to ride them.

Trust me; it's really not so bad.

A Night at the Cal Academy

Last night we went to see a lecture called Habitable Worlds. It was held in the planetarium, which was cool because they did fly-throughs of the universe. After two fire alarms and some technical difficulties, the program that was supposed to end at 9 finally finished at 9:45. I love that the staff passed out stickers to the adult audience to try to make up for it though. What should I do with my chameleon?

I also felt sorry for Claude, the albino alligator, who seemed none too pleased about the fire alarms considering he actually moved on his rock for once.

As for the lecture, the part about how to find planets using the Doppler effect was pretty cool, but I still don't understand why astronomers assume that life on other planets must start on planets like ours and look like life as we know it. It seems as though there would be so many other possibilities. I guess I'll leave it to the experts though.