I awoke to the countryside flashing past my window. The engineer had made good time overnight, and the train was set to arrive only a few minutes behind schedule. We pulled into Emeryville on a cloudy California morning.

The bus to San Francisco was waiting for us. It was a short ride across the bridge... for the bus, at least: the lines of cars to the toll collection reminded me of the sprawling parking lots at Disneyland I dimly remember from my childhood. I was already grateful that my commute to work is a 10 minute walk (which actually crosses through the Keller Fountain, making my commute a literal walk in the park); now that I've seen how bad it can be, I am doubly grateful.

I got off at the Ferry Building, checked my bag, and started walking south. I went out to the end of Pier 14 to enjoy the view. There were a few other people there, listening to their headphones or fishing. The San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge I had just crossed looked elegant in the mist, and the pier also afforded me a good view of the city I had just arrived in.