109253 5 Location 619109 <p>It was a Saturday afternoon, the Wharf was packed - it was heaving. We wondered around admiring all the sea food and decided we must try the fresh clam chowder which is served in a hollowed out sour-dough bread roll (we would call it a cob loaf). It was delicious! We wondered along and in and among the stalls all selling fresh shellfish and seafood, and we decided to have a cup of fresh crab and shrimp - delicious again!</p> <p>Afterwards we visited the Musee&nbsp;de Mechanique (fairground coin operated games, entertainments etc). Now I know what a belly-dancer does on her day off and what the butler saw! I hope she didn't catch a chill in such skimpy clothes.</p> <p>After&nbsp;Andrew had put <strong><span style="text-decoration: underline;">OUR</span></strong> last quarter in the 65th painola of the day, and we heard more of those "I've never heard that before" tunes (nor likely to again - damn - Andrew has a video of several pianolas with sound track!) we finally left the Musee and wondered down to the quayside where there were two US Navy boats (a submarine and a Liberty Class ship). We decided to go on-board the Liberty Ship, escpecially and as luck would have it, it was a 'Steam Experience' day - which meant that on this day once a month, the ships engine was fired up, and the public could visit the engine room and see it all happening. This was the engine that featured in the film Titanic with Leonardo di Caprio and also and importantly, the ships design was British (tho' built in the US), and the engine hailed from Sunderland Shipyards - the only change to the design was to make it oil-fired rather than coal-fired. From placement of order to completion : 60 days! On our way round the ship, we met a guide who has family in San Francisco, and who was a volunteer on board. He originally came from Wallsend, although now lives in Kendal!</p> <p>The ship was well worth a visit - on occasions it does go for a trip round the Bay - but is quite costly apparently - but you do get fed and plied with drink - so you will donate more money to the restoration fund. (Is this the way forward for Churches????)</p> <p>By now it was 5pm and with the thought of dinner - we headed to the cable Car Stop where the queues (we reckoned most of SF) were waiting. Slowly, the front of the queue got nearer but by the time we on board it had become dark.</p> 2009-02-26T13:43:43-08:00 816283651 2009-02-26T13:43:43-08:00 0 0 279947 109253 0 279883 0.0 2009-02-26T13:43:43-08:00 0.0 2009-02-26T13:43:43-08:00 118930 0