Monday, February 20, 2006

Noontime Stroll













The weather had cooled noticeably from last week’s record-setting warmth, but the sun was out, and it was time to go for a noontime stroll along the Embarcadero. The tourists had not yet arrived for the long Presidents’ Day weekend, and the hawkers were distributing their flyers in a desultory fashion. Traffic was down at the sidewalk crab kiosks, stalled by the $5.00 per pound cost of Dungeness. A young German tourist waxed enthusiastically about his crab sandwich, but at $7.95 he wouldn't be expected to say anything else.

The seals at Pier 39 barked at the small group of onlookers, while Alcatraz sparkled across the water. I passed racks of T-shirts that were on sale at 3 for $10, but none caught my interest---wearing a garment with the Golden Gate Bridge emblazoned across one's chest is the opposite of coolness in the hip city. It was getting late, so I hopped aboard the trolley to get back to the office, but not before pausing at Vaillancourt Fountain to be soothed by the sound of the water rushing from the pipes.

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