Woke up and figured out how to take the bus to the Golden Gate Bridge. The bridge is big, orange, and uncomfortably windy. I walked to the middle of it and back, so I think that counts as walking across it. I don't know why, but I was not impressed.
Right at the base of the bridge is Fort Point National Historic Site. It is an impressive Civil War-era coastal defense fort. It's actually in decent condition, and there are good displays on the history of the bay and its defenses, the garrison, the lighthouse, and the Buffalo Soldiers who passed through the fort. It is also hosting an art exhibition in conjunction with the 75th anniversary of the bridge. Something about art displayed in a venue not remotely designed for it really clicks with me, and this was no exception.
Then I headed to the San Francisco Maritime National Historical Park. This is one of the best of the salty museums I have visited. The visitors center has a very informative exhibit about the harbor, piers, and San Franciscans (and others) who have made their livings on the sea. Plus, Hyde Pier has a collection of vessels to tour, including a steel hulled sailing ship that stayed in service through 1930. Definitely worth visiting. Plus it's close to an In-n-Out. Best fast food burger available, hands down.
Staying in the vicinity of Fisherman's Wharf, I went to the Musee Mecanique. Wow. Wow wow. This place is brilliant and insane. Coin operated games and attractions from the 19th century to the present. Stereoscopic picture viewers of disasters, murderers, and even more risqué material (seriously, I'm surprised they let kids in). Fortune tellers, player pianos, primitive versions of foosball and rock 'em sock 'em robots. Atari Star Wars. A diorama of mechanical farting cowboys. I love this museum and I dropped five bucks in quarters in no time flat.
At this point my brother joined me and we headed to the San Francisco Cable Car Museum. I guess I had never given much thought to the difference between a cable car and a streetcar. Turns out a cable car just latches on to a moving steel cable that runs under the entire route. The museum is where the motors pull the cable. Very cool gigantic noisy machinery. But I did not actually ride a cable car; it's six bucks, it looks unsafe, and I already ride a historic form of public transportation every day, so the novelty is wasted on me.
We had dinner at Nick's Crispy Tacos, which were crunchy and delicious. Later for dessert I tried an It's-It ice cream sandwich. The It's-It is a) apparently a local treat; b) not particularly good; and c) possibly the least googleable product name ever, so well done Google for returning useful information.
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