May 31, 2007. After having lunch at Pier 39, my parents decided that they wanted to go shopping. My parents and my aunt decided to go to downtown San Francisco by the historic tram with us. The cable cars are apparently not being used by regular commuters and are just operational for their tourist value. (Or not. I certainly wouldn’t take the tram if I was a commuter. Lines are too long and the tram’s quite slow).

What can I say? It’s a roller coaster ride only much slower. Also, my brother, my father and I were standing instead of being fastened to our seats. Everyone who stood up during the entire ride got knocked down a number of times. It was quite hilarious especially when everyone else in the coach laugh in chorus at the quirks of the ride.

We got down at Union Square. While my parents, my brother and Auntie Lydia were at Macy’s, I begged off and went to the plaza and took street photos. Soon enough I discovered how Union Square has a Philippine significance. The monument and the plaza were apparently erected and constructed in commemoration of the Americans’ victory over Spain in the battle of Manila Bay in the Philippines. It also of course, signifies the beginning of an oppressive American occupation.

Anyway, my family met up with me at the middle of Union Square after they were done with a few shopping. We went through a few blocks downtown, into this mall with a cylindrical escalator. Haha. Sorry, it’s my first time to see and ride such a thing, so I’m taking note of that.

After spending the entire day in San Francisco, we drove back down to Campbell. My parents and my aunt left my brother and I at the apartment for a while to rent and pick up the vehicle that we used to drive down to Southern California.