San Francisco - February 2014

After a fun time at Giants FanFest, I took advantage of a clear, sunny day in San Francisco. Even to this day, I am always finding new things to do and see in a city in which I have already spent many enjoyable days in my life. To balance out the sports, I took in some culture at the Legion of Honor, then hiked down to the ocean.

For those of you with either a Bank of America debit or credit card, you can get free admission to many museums across the United States. The Legion of Honor is one of those places. You do have to pay a surcharge for some exhibits, but the recent one with Anders Zorn was amazing. His watercolors look just like photographs. It was also fortuitous since I had reservations to PLAJ Restaurant later for some Scandinavian food.

After a long climb down hundreds of stairs, I reached Eagles Point near Lands End. The trails are easily accessible from the Legion of Honor, but be prepared for an intense workout climbing back out. The views are spectacular, especially in the late afternoon sun. You can just barely see the Golden Gate Bridge, but the ocean rocks are the real attraction here. Plus a labyrinth.

This is the new eastern section of the Bay Bridge all lit up at night. You can view it from Treasure Island, which is a lot easier than parking on the bridge itself. It finally opened and is very nice. Driving across is much nicer than the old version and will be a lot safer during the next earthquake. Please enjoy the rest of my pictures below.

Giants FanFest 2014 - February 2014

Your humble blogger is back to San Francisco after a long, dry winter to celebrate baseball. I know that football is the most popular sport in the United States, but really, only 16 games? You need at least 300-400 games during a regular baseball season, especially since each one lasts at least 8 hours. A little hyperbolic of course, but I am leading to a point - as I approach infinity. I love baseball. Plus, the San Francisco Giants are a pretty good team for fans.

For the last few years, the Giants have opened up AT&T Park to fans to meet the players, explore the ballpark, and most importantly, buy tickets! Yes, they were even selling tickets in the Visitors Dugout. You do save about $20 per ticket on "convenience" charges though. After they won their first World Series, and then their second World Series, the annual event is even more popular. Plus, it's still free and a great excuse to bring the family to San Francisco for a great day.

Most of the players and coaches were not only signing autographs in the concession stands like the Baby Giraffe seen above, but they were giving interviews and showing off the new home orange jerseys. Surprisingly, they had plenty on hand to sell. Even though Mr. Belt was not selling any nachos or hot dogs, everyone else was. The weather was also perfect for overpriced junk food. Tasty, overpriced junk food.

Still, this is about the fans, even the young Panda fans on daddy's shoulders. The Giants organization does a great job of encouraging their fan experience, which is helpful when their team is falling behind in the wins. Everyone in attendance had a great time walking around and seeing their heroes. Enjoy the rest of the pictures below.