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Places We Go : A Robo Ride in San Francisco


Last week, a first for me as I rode in a car with no human driver. I could hardly wait to get in! Advertised as "the world’s most experienced driver," Waymo is a robotaxi. We started seeing them on the streets of San Francisco in late 2022 so I was slow to the party. Let's see how it went.

Jayne had the Waymo app on her phone. It works like Uber with similar pricing except there's no driver to tip. The 30-minute ride from San Francisco's Glen Park neighborhood to the Legion of Honor was $17 on Uber (and with a $5 tip = $22). Our robotaxi Waymo trip was $20. We noticied that sometimes Uber was less expensive, depending on the ride.

Our first stop was the California Legion of Honor, which was established in 1924. For the Panama-Pacific International Exposition in 1915, the French Pavillion built a 3/4 replica of the Palais de la Legion d'Honneur built in Paris in 1782. After the Exposition, the French gave permission for a replica to be built in San Francisco at the urging of Alma Spreckles (with her sugar magnate wealth).

wikipedia


Nestled in San Francisco's Lincoln Park, one of Rodin's The Thinkers greets visitors.

The view from the front steps of the Legion. That's the San Francisco Bay and the Marin headlands in the background.

We came to see the Mary Cassatt exhibit which ends today.

The Child's Bath, 1880


We learned that Mary Cassatt developed the woman's hand more than other areas of this painting. We learned that she didn't always "finish" her work but if she signed it, she considered it finished. She was born near Pittsburg but spent most of her adult living in Paris. At one point, Cassatt spent 2 years not painting but caring for her dying mother. She rarely hired models but used friends and paid her staff to sit for her. While most of her subject matter were mothers and children, she never married. Her close friend was Edgar Degas who also never married. Cassatt destroyed all her correspondence but some letters she wrote are scattered all over the world. I wish I could report a love story!

Little Girl in a Blue Armchair, 1878


I love this painting. Doesn't it look like the little girl is supposed to be napping but got warm and pulled her skirt up around her waist? After all, it seems to match her socks. Surely, the little dog napped. And don't get me started on those spectacular blue chintz chairs.

Children Playing on the Beach, 1884-85


We learned the model in this painting is the same girl painted twice. Cassatt watched her friends' children play with toys in her studio, espically studying childrends' hands.

Claude Monet, Water Lilies, ca 1914-1917


We also saw one of Monet's waterlilies in the Legion's permanent collection.

Next up, we had lunch at Colibri in the San Francisco Presidio. It was a balmy 65 degrees so we sat outside.

Pretty Jayne on the pretty patio.

We shared a beet and dried cherry salad.

The view from front of restaurant in the historic Presidio. The Presidio was seized by the U.S. military at the start of the Mexican–American War in 1846.

Jayne gets ready to get into Waymo. So far, Waymo is available in San Franciso and some areas in Los Angeles and Phoenix.

On the way back to Jayne's house, she sat in the front seat. For the backseat passengers, there's a screen which shows your route. Also a button to push if you want to talk to a real person or have the car pull over. I was interested to see how carefully the car drove. At one point, a bus in the next lane got a little close to our lane. Our car slowed down and moved over a bit to the right. Just what I would have done.

On the way back to Oakland, BART ridership looked to be back to its preCovid numbers. It was fun to see kids coming home from a field trip. I loved my own field trip today - let's plan to have many more this year! In the meantime, enjoy your Sunday.

Mary Cassatt, 1867


"Mary Cassatt (1844–1926) first arrived in Paris in 1865 to study and settled there permanently in 1874. She exhibited regularly at the Paris Salon and became increasingly interested in Impressionism. Following her friend Edgar Degas’s encouragement, she exhibited with the group, becoming one of four women to do so. Cassatt is best known for her representations of women and children." ~ The Clark

For more info on Mary Cassatt -


For more info on Waymo -





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