...shines down on grace cathedral park". Okay, I had to search for this one. It's sung by the Red House Painters, an alternative rock group formed in 1989 in San Francisco. I haven't heard the music for Grace Cathedral Park but I like some of their other songs.
Tuesday morning we had breakfast together in the hotel as Glen decided to forego the morning sessions (there's a theme here). We then headed out to find another letterbox. This one hidden at Grace Cathedral which was a couple of blocks away. I opted for what I hoped was a gentle slope as the cathedral is perched high above the Hilton on Nob Hill.
It was cool as we began our walk but we soon shed our jackets when we reached the cathedral. The sky was very blue and the sun blistering, just as the song suggests. We had been to the cathedral before when Meg's singing teacher recommended we walk its labyrinth so many sites were familiar.
The cathedral seems to draw people to it so, even though it was mid-morning, there were people doing tai chi, stretches, and one woman practiced a fan dance. I walked part of the labyrinth (here are some pics on Pinterest) and felt a sense of calm wash over me. However, I stopped when I had the opportunity to find the letterbox. In the end, Glen found it (I don't seem to have much luck actually finding these things) while I took photos of the cathedral's gardens.
After stamping, we entered the church which was founded in 1849 during the gold rush. It was destroyed in the 1906 earthquake whereupon, the Crocker family donated the land on Nob Hill for the cathedral. We gave a donation (they suggest $10) and proceeded to explore this episcopalian cathedral. The walls are decorated with modern murals (one depicting the earthquake and subsequent fires) and sculptures. The stain glass windows were inspiring. As we exited, I had to admire the brass replica of Ghiberti's Gates of Paradise. I'd seen the original years ago in Florence, Italy.
Across the street is the park mentioned in the song. It had a fountain in its centre which attracted people and dogs. To one side was a kid's park which was a very busy place. The sun was blistering so we enjoyed the shade for a few minutes then it was off to find lunch. We'd already checked out of the Hilton so didn't need to worry about going back there. I wanted to take some cable car photos so we wandered down to Powell St., passing the famous Fairmont hotel. We then headed to the Moscone Conference Center stopping at Lori's Diner for lunch. Glen had a hot dog while I had a veggie chop open-faced sandwich.
Glen's former grad student was to stand by their poster answering questions from 1-3:00 pm so we arrived in time to support her. Glen then did some more networking before we left to catch the Super Shuttle to the airport. Actually, networking is the main reason Glen goes to this meeting as he can touch base with people all over North America. Next year it's in Denver so I guess it's a given we'll be going to that one.
Our shuttle bus driver was very Russian and it turns out he drove a tank in Afghanistan during their war. He said he still prefers driving a tank. What a character he was! It would have been neat to sit down and listen to his stories.
He let us off at the International terminal but we soon found out this was the wrong place to be. Calgary is considered a domestic city in San Francisco. The United Airlines desk clerk checked in our bag then directed us to the correct terminal. We went through a very short security line then headed to Gordon Biersch for supper. We each had their Czech Pilsner and Swiss mushroom burger.
After stopping at the Ghirardelli store to buy chocolate, we arrived at our gate. Tanis soon joined us. The plane arrived late so we didn't tumble into our own bed until 2:00 am Calgary time.
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