Day 6 - San Francisco

The objective for today was to get most of the down-town sightseeing out of the way. We started with breakfast in the hotel (pancakes) then wandered down to the recently renovated Union Square where people in Armani clothes hang out drinking coffee and talking loudly on their mobile phones.

From there the plan was to visit the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art (or sfmoma as they call it) but we got a little sidetracked by Virgin Megastore's $10 (£5) CD sale. When you're on a road trip you need CDs.

We did get to sfmoma in the end. As you'd expect the architecture was unusual, but it's not as unconventional as, say, the Pompidou in Paris or the Guggenheim in Bilbao and not as bold as the Tate Modern in London. Inside there are currently three floors of exhibits, one of slightly uninspiring Matisse sculptures, one of photography and one of conceptual art - but by that time we were more interested in coffee and sunshine.

For lunch we stopped at the Ferry Building, which houses a selection of cafes and delis, and had a farmers market going on outside. Spoilt for choice, we ended up at the one with the shortest queue and available seating. We had the dubious honour of listening to some people on the next table excitedly discuss their plans for a new themed ice cream store too; 'just like Disney' was one phrase used.

In the afternoon we set a course for Fisherman's Wharf, passing little Italy, the ridiculous zig-zagging Lombard Street and the City Bookstore, a shop made famous by patrons such as Jack Kerouac. Pier 39 itself was as full of tourists as ever, although the resident sea lion population was a little thin on the ground - it was a weekday so perhaps they were at work catching fish and whatever it is sea lions do. We happened upon a sweet store though - pick'n'mix American style is a wonder to behold.

Last stop of the afternoon was the aquarium. It starts with a few little fish tanks before you go down in a lift, supposedly 'under the bay' but I doubt even the the kids were fooled for long. Still, we got to walk through a glass tunnel with sharks and flatfish swimming all around, which isn't something you do everyday.

Predictably in the evening we went out for dinner to a nice seafood place. I can't think of anything to say about dinner except that it was most tasty. I'm sure Amy's written a full account of it in her food diary (I'm not joking, she does have a food diary) if you care to ask.