Mothers Day (#2) in San Francisco

I hope everyone especially all the mothers out there had a great Mothers Day.  Back when we were in the UK we had the English version of Mothers Day one Sunday so today was Mothers Day #2 for Beth this year.  We were sharing that story with some folks we were talking to in the hotel lobby earlier today and they told us that they had enjoyed three Mother's Day celebrations this year.  One while they were in the UK, another while they were in the Canary Islands a few weeks later and then today's here in the US.  For all the great things they do there can't be too many Mothers Days.
We got to San Francisco just before dark on Saturday evening.  It had been a long but fun day exploring Monterey, Pebble Beach and Big Sur Village and we were pretty whipped.  After a little friendly chatting with a very nice young man at the hotel front desk about travel and how to get in the lottery for Masters Golf Tournament tickets he upgraded us to a room overlooking San Francisco Bay and the Bay Bridge.  Now while the Golden Gate Bridge is more famous I think the recently installed lights on the Bay Bridge make it equally spectacular.  The lights put on a dazzling show from dusk till dawn that is definitely worth checking out.


http://thebaylights.org
Also worth checking out is this side of the city.  It's a little removed from the touristy areas of Pier 39, Chinatown, Golden Gate Park, etc. but well worth it.  It also has a feature that is unlike those other areas, it's pretty darn flat over here!
As much as Beth and I enjoy walking we're pretty much flatlanders so the hills of San Francisco do require some extra effort that we just didn't care to exert on this trip, so we've stayed on this side of town.  We had a nice easy early morning stroll along the Embarcadero.  Feeling good about the flatness of the area we then borrowed a couple of bikes from the hotel and rode further along the waterfront down to the Maritime National Park where some brave souls were getting in their morning swim.  I was shocked to see so many of them without wet suits hopping into the very chilly water.  Better them than me.
We took in a few innings of the Giants/Reds game courtesy of a lifetime pass from an old friend  named Bobby Bragan.
Afterwards it was simply enjoying people watching on a sunny Sunday afternoon in San Francisco.  It was a great day with a great mother and wife!
The cruise leaves Monday afternoon and there will be blogs and pictures posted along the way as connectivity allows.

The Bay Bridge at night from our hotel room

Sunrise on the Bay Bridge

Rincon Park with the Financial District in the background

The Sea Lions of Pier 39

Pregame snack at the Hi Dive on the Embarcardero

Nothing soothes the soul like the church of baseball, especially on a Sunday afternoon

First Mothers Day!