One of my favorite things about living in San Francisco is that I can wake up in the morning and think to myself, “it’s a gorgeous day, I wish I could go out on the water” and then I can just go do it. That’s what happened this morning. It was a beautiful morning, about sixty five degrees outside with the sun shining brightly and no sign of fog. It was the perfect day to go enjoy the bay.
There wasn’t any particular place that I wanted to go, so I figured I’d just walk down to Pier 41 and take the next ferry from San Francisco that was going somewhere interesting. The pier was swarming with crowds of people, but I was able to walk up to a self-serve kiosk and avoid the line entirely. I just slipped my card in to the kiosk and told it that I wanted to take a ferry ride. It said that the next one was headed to Alameda / Oakland in ten minutes, which sounded perfect. The ticket (one way) only cost me a grand total of $6.
The ferry was waiting when I got to the gate, so I was able to get on to it immediately. Being that it was the middle of the day on a weekday, there weren’t too many people on the ferry. That made it easy to find a seat, although I spent most of the ride standing. Waiting for the ferry to leave the dock, I looked around at the beautiful view of the Golden Gate Bridge, Angel Island, Treasure Island, Alcatraz Island and the buildings of the city.
The ferry left on time, and I was amazed at how quickly it gathered speed. I stood, absorbing the view and letting the fresh wind hit my face. The scent of the bay is different from the scent of the ocean, more subtle and less salty. It winds its way in through your nose and makes you feel more like you are driving down the coast than being enveloped in water. The water was all around me though. The ferry stopped at the ferry building to pick up more passengers and I was able to get a clear view of the East Bay and the Bay Bridge. A cargo shipped passed under the bridge; people on kayaks lingered near the shore.
I stood on the water, relishing the fact that I live in a city where I can use a boat as public transportation. As the ferry made its way to Alameda and then to Oakland, I saw the city get further and further away from me. And I felt it for the first time. My heart leapt out of my chest and stayed behind. That cheesy old song is true. I can’t leave the city anymore without my heart staying behind.
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