Lee Foster Releases Content from his new ebook/app “SF Travel & Photo Guide” in 10 Clusters, this is Cluster 9 of 10 By Lee Foster (Update Note: My ebook SF Travel & Photo Guide: The Top 100 Travel Experiences in the San Francisco Bay Area has been released for $3.99 on Amazon at http://amzn.to/2qS9QtG. The ebook parallels my app on this subject available for $3.99 from Apple http://apple.co/2ow44IC and Google http://bit.ly/2o9sWKJ. See an announcement of the ebook on my website at http://bit.ly/2qXg8Zf. The app has also been announced on my website. I have answered some questions about the app. The app works on smart phones and tablet devices, but not on laptops or desktops. The ebook can be read on all devices.) I am releasing here the content in this new travel ebook/app in ten alphabetical “clusters.” Each cluster will have 12 sections of the total 120 in the ebook/app. This is alphabetical release 9 of 10. Other clusters released now include:cluster 1 cluster 2 cluster 3 cluster 4 cluster 5 cluster 6 cluster 7 and cluster 8. This release on a website will not have the full functionality of the app structure, including its Google maps showing you contextually all the subjects around you. The ebook version is convenient because you can carry the content around with you in one small package and not require connectivity. The 10 releases on this websites will show the text and photo of all the items, the full “SF A-Z” content listings, but will not be able to present, as the app and ebook do, all subjects in a clickable Table of Contents menu as grouped in an area (such as Embarcadero) or in the themes/subjects (such as Culture/Museums). However, after the 120 subjects are released, I will post the Table of Contents Outline and will post each of the 120 items individually to give a “website ebook” approximation of the app and ebook. These folks havesecure dated voucher tickets, no wait in line and some discounts, for Bus Tours, Boat Tours, Alcatraz, Muir Woods/Sausalito, Attractions/Museums, Wine Country, and more. See theirAll San Francisco Tours. So, here is the ninth release: SF A-Z, Alphabetical cluster 9 of 10: Pescadero Pescadero is a small town and beach on the San Mateo Coast that takes its name from the Spanish word for “fishmonger.” The town has charm and a destination restaurant, Duarte’s Tavern, which has been serving up fresh local seafood for generations. Your Best Shot: The interior of Duarte’s restaurant or your plate of fresh seafood here would be a fitting photo. Walk up and down the main street and some other photos of village life may present themselves, such as a view inside a craft furniture store. Get to Pescadero by driving south along the San Mateo Coast on Highway 1 and turning inland on Pescadero Creek Road. However, before turning in, pause to enjoy Pescadero Beach, one of the largest along this coast. Pescadero Creek enters the ocean here. Birders love the Pescadero Marsh, where more than 180 avian species have been counted. There are walking trails. From Pescadero, some travelers will continue south to take in the nearby architectural landmark Pigeon Point Lighthouse and the elephant seal-rich Ano Nuevo State Park. When traveling north from Pescadero toward San Francisco, a scenic backcountry road alternative is Stage Road. As you leave Pescadero there is an interesting tour possibility at Harley Farms. This goat cheese operation produces a high-end cheese, packaged in baseball-size balls with flower petal décor. You can see the goats, take a tour, and buy some tasty cheese. If You Go: Area: South to San Mateo Coast/Bayside Website: http://www.smccvb.com/welcome Address: Pescadero, CA 94060 Phone: None Price: Free — Pier 39 Aquarium of the Bay San Francisco’s Pier 39 Aquarium of the Bay, adjacent to Pier 39, presents a spectacular introduction to the wondrous creatures and habitat of the Bay and Delta environment, a critical ecosystem in Northern California. The exhibits will please all ages. A focus on the local environment and its incredible richness makes this aquarium special. Long, clear plastic tunnels allow a visitor to see fish and other sea creatures both above and to the sides, creating an underwater experience that immerses a viewer in the subject. Your Best Shot: An image of creatures, such as sharks, swimming outside the plastic tunnel on all sides of you can be a satisfying memento of the day. The eye level presentation also allows striking close-up photos of many Bay water creatures. A Discover the Bay exhibit greets you upon arrival. This crowd favorite includes beauties of the Bay, such as bright orange Garibaldi fish and green moray eels. A swirling school of anchovy fish prompts a visitor to wonder how they keep so evenly spaced in a swift-moving cluster. A jellyfish exhibit shows the moon jellies and Pacific sea nettles that are the main local jelly species along the California Coast. There are touch-the-creature opportunities for young children and more complex laboratory presentations for older children and adults. All visitors come face to face with the largest predator in the Bay, the sevengill shark. They also make the acquaintance of all five shark species that live in the Bay. A shark feeding tour, equipping the visitor with a bucket of fish, is another favorite behind-the-scenes option for an extra fee. Besides the exhibits, special talks, tours, and theater presentations may interest you. All details are on the website. A paid behind-the-scenes tour informs on how the Aquarium keeps its 20,000 sea creatures healthy. Parking is convenient at the Pier 39 garage. The historic F-Line trolleys/streetcars arrive right at the front door as part of their Embarcadero and Market Street loop. After the Aquarium of the Bay merged a few years ago with The Bay Institute, a nature appreciation organization, the mission of the Aquarium as a force for environmental change became central. An exhibits on river otters celebrates efforts to restore the Bay ecosystem. River otters are seen as an indicator of the improving Bay water quality and fecundity, just as the health of sea otters along the coast is an index of the food-chain abundance in the ocean. If You Go: Area: Fisherman’s Wharf/Pier 39 Website: http://www.aquariumofthebay.org Address: Pier 39, Embarcadero, San Francisco, CA 94133 Phone: 415-623-5300 Price: Admission charge, moderate — Pier 39 Sea Lions The sea lions at Pier 39 are a destination in themselves. Somehow, in 1989, a few sea lions made a beachhead on a boat anchorage at the marina on the west side of the pier. Then a few more followed them. Gradually an entire invading army of sea lions claimed the territory, barking triumphantly. In winter, from Pier 39, you can look down on about 900 of them from Pier 39. Most are males who hang out here, feeding on herring in the Bay, before venturing to the Channel Islands for the summer. Your Best Shot: Bleachers built for sea lion observation give you a good position from which to photograph the pinnipeds or take a wide-angle selfie with you in their domain. If the winds are blowing in your direction, you will have olfactory evidence of the sea lions’ presence. A Marine Mammal Interpretive Center on the deck above the viewing bleachers tells the sea lion story. Check out their webcam http://www.sealioncenter.org( ) at any moment to see how many local flippered residents are lounging on the sailboat slips. Sea lions live up to 25 years and the large males may reach 850 pounds. Naturalists from the Center give talks about the aquatic mammals at the bleachers. Sea lions are a large member of the pinniped group. The name sea lion was given to them colloquially because of their barking, which sounded like a lions’ roar. The barking chorus can be intense. All social interactions within the group are duly reported. Males can be touchy about any other males invading their space, especially if breeding opportunities are imminent. If You Go: Area: Fisherman’s Wharf/Pier 29 Website: http://www.marinemammalcenter.org Address: Pier 39, Embarcadero, San Francisco, CA 94133 Phone: 415-981-7437 Price: Free — Pier 39 Shopping A striking Dungeness crab sculpture greets you at the entrance to Pier 39. The festive crab sets the mood for the place, a shopping mecca with 90 specialty shops and 14 full-service restaurants. Other attractions here are the resident sea lions, the view of Alcatraz from the end of the pier, and next door the Aquarium of the Bay. Your Best Shot: The crab could be your first photo in a collection of public art on display in San Francisco. Other major public sculptures are found along Fisherman’s Wharf. Additional interesting visuals can be collected east of the Ferry Building along the Embarcadero. Consider the sculptures themselves, plus you and the sculptures. Pier 39 is a 45-acre complex adjacent to Fisherman’s Wharf that offers shops, plus views of the Golden Gate Bridge, Alcatraz, and the Bay Bridge. Fog Harbor Fish House is a restaurant that serves sustainable seafood and offers a view of the Golden Gate. Wipeout Bar & Grill is an example of a lively “surf theme” restaurant with a kids’ menu including mac and cheese. Watch for the street-performer stage, a carousel for young children to ride, and a trampoline attraction for older children.