Welcome to San Francisco, The City by the Bay.

59th Annual Meeting
August 7-9, 2009
The Stanford Court Hotel
905 California Street
San Francisco, CA
 
San Francisco is a wonderful city for visitors and locals alike. Summer in San Francisco is notoriously cold and foggy. Mark Twain reportedly once said, “The coldest winter I ever spent was a summer in San Francisco.”  While it is debatable whether he actually said those words, it is certainly true that San Francisco is often quite cold during the summer. If it happens to be foggy during the SSSP meetings, don’t despair, just remember to bring a warm jacket, and dress for fall weather.  The fog can be beautiful when viewed from outside, its dense character becoming even more evident. If you’d like to get a good look at the fog, go over the Golden Gate Bridge and enter into sunny Marin County. From the vantage point of Sausalito you are almost certain to leave the fog belt and can look back on the city. It is an amazing sight to see the city shrouded in fog, with the towers of the Golden Gate Bridge peaking out at the top.

Foggy days are also great days to visit Golden Gate Park. Two of our city’s newest museums are located on the Music Concourse – the Academy of Sciences and the De Young Art Museum. This LEED certified building is sure to impress even the most experienced environmentalist. Be sure to see the movie in the planetarium, walk through the tropical rain forest dome, and travel underwater in an elevator. A model of ecological sustainability, the building’s living roof and glass walls are amazing to behold. Across the concourse towers the copper sculpture of the De Young Art Museum. After you have gazed at the art, you can ride an elevator to the lookout level and get a bird's eye view of the park stretching all the way down to the Pacific Ocean.

If we are lucky, you’ll be greeted to sun, and perhaps a little wind, during your visit. If it is sunny, head straight for the Presidio, our nation’s premier urban National Park, and walk along Crissy Field. Once an Army base, the Presidio National Park is home to the most amazing vistas this side of the bay. This is where the best pictures can be taken with views of the Golden Gate Bridge.  If you are a Star Wars fan, be sure to find the life size statue of Yoda presiding over a fountain at the front of George Lucas’ campus.

On sunny days one of the most relaxing ways to view the city is from the water. If you have ½ a day, be sure to take a ferry onto the bay, heading north for Sausalito, Angel Island, and Alcatraz, or East towards Oakland. You will be treated to delightful views of the bridges, islands in the bay and the stunning city skyline.

Frisco, The City by the Bay, is awaiting you.  I hope to see you all at the 2009 SSSP meeting.
 
Rebecca Ancheta

Chair, SSSP Local Arrangements Committee