I finally managed to get up Powell Street to Union Square to get a photo the the Christmas tree. I always want to take pictures of the cable cars maybe because it is uniquely San Francisco more than just about anything else. I didn't have a tripod so these are just hand held photos and required a lot of post processing (I use Aperture) to adjust white balance, contrast and exposure. It was just starting to rain so I took off in search of dinner.
Today started with a brief rain shower, just enough to get things wet and slippery. There is still way too much traffic for me and the sidewalks are very crowded. I still don't see how folks can deal with this on a day to day basis. The morning was spent at poster sessions in the south hall visiting with researchers working in Barrow. I was trying to get an idea of their expectations, some understanding of their work and what they have planned for the near future. The afternoon was be spent judging a couple more student presentations as part of the OSPA (Outstanding Student Paper Award).
In an effort to include more pictures, today's dinner was at an Italian restaurant. The meal started out with a delicious beet salad followed by pasta and brussel sprouts. Yet again, another wonderful meal here in the city that is known for great food. If the food's bad, the place would never survive all the competition. I was tempted to just go back to one of the Indian restaurants but felt obligated to try some of the other places around the hotel.
AGU had a pile of free pedometers on the first day so I grabbed one as a better way of keeping track of my walking during the meeting. Using the iPhone tends to run the battery down. Today, I walked 48,752 steps which translates to about 22½ miles in 13 hours. Even for me, that's a lot of walking and I'm pretty exhausted.
Since I arrived in San Francisco, I have been using the Verizon 4G cellular data service (aka LTE) on my iPad as the wireless network in the hotel and the Moscone Center have been almost useless. As you can see in my SpeedTest screen capture, the performance is nothing short of phenomenal and they allow you to tether to my laptop without an additional fee unlike AT&T. Verizon still isn't available in Alaska until sometime next year so until then, so I'll only be able to use their service when I travel. Fortunately, Verizon lets you purchase it month to month and cancel anytime you want without penalty.
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The night time shots turned out beautiful Richard. I really like the trolly one.
ReplyDeleteHmmm that beet salad looks pretty tasty. I think not only is SF known for food, but for walking. We walked more than 11 miles one day when we were there, but you walking over 20 is incredible. No wonder you are tired.
I actually like the way the trolley shot turned out though it still seems too busy, but then again, everything around here seemt to be too busy. Everytime I've been here, I ended up walking a lot.
DeleteI found northern California unbearable during the Internet technology boom. The way to cope with San Francisco ( and I drove 18 wheelers there) is to treat it as a number of connected villages. The bay area is a continent if you want o cross it by infernal combustion. In addition to Verizon California also has a motorcycle secret weapon - lane splitting.
ReplyDeleteThat is a pretty good way to describe not only the Bay Area but most of California. When I was here last summer, I was tempted to try lane splitting but didn't have the nerve. I'm so glad that I don't live here anymore.
DeleteRichard:
ReplyDeleteI also like night photography, but I usually bring my tripod. I have a small one which has a unique way of folding which makes it very small for what it is. I was always meaning to Blog about it. It will fit inside most backpacks, and I can also put it in my jacket's inner pocket.
It is a Sirui, and you can read
about it here
The Arca swiss plate was too large, so I swapped it out for a smaller, cheaper head which makes it shorter
I wished I had a 4G phone. I can tether mine but it was very slow in Baker City. Plus our providers charge a lot for data plans here
bob
Riding the Wet Coast
My Flickr // My YouTube
I'm not that serious of a photographer to want to deal with a tripod no matter how small it is. I raised the ISO to 800 and leaned against a post and took several pictures in an attempt to get one that wan't too shaky. I will take a look at the link as that sounds really small.
DeleteBaker City and Joseph only had 3G connectivity anyway and it was pretty slow. There was no Verizon data service in Joseph. I don't have a 4G phone but am completely satisfied with the 3G service but have been very impressed with the Verizon 4G service.
Nice pictures Richard. The salad looked yummy. How does it feel to be 'free' of the snow for a bit?
ReplyDeleteThank you, The salad was very good but I also love beets.
DeleteThe snow doesn't seem to be a negative. The -40° temperatures are another thing completely. I could do without that.
How do you keep your mind on work when there is so little time and so much food...
ReplyDeleteFortunately, I have a pretty small appetitie and even if I really wanted to, I'm rarely hungry.. When luch came around today, I walked around several miles looking at all the crowded places and finally picked up a cup of fresh fruit from Starbucks. 17,054 steps so far today.
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