It was a beautiful day in San Francisco. Human-beings have this craving to capture and showcase moments, life and things. A primal aspect that social media latched onto so effectively.
The husband & I after talking of this-and-that (mostly food!) got to discussing a vantage point of life on Earth.
I was reminded of the Golden Record. The smattering of items sent aboard Voyager I in 1977. It was meant to be a snippet of life on Earth: it contained music from different regions, whale songs, etchings and engravings of human endeavor, animal species and so on. Another message was collected and sent to Europa on a recent mission.
https://science.nasa.gov/mission/europa-clipper/message-in-a-bottle/
Now, if we wanted to invite interplanetary visitors and then shoo them away from a glimpse, what places would you select?
A little tech-bragging
A little natural-resources showcasing
A little cool-culture cat walking
Which place would you choose?
Well, The husband & I thought the San Francisco Ferry Building strip would make a decent candidate.
There, you can find a sampling on innovations, technologies, art, craft, transportation options all jostling with one another in a glorious canvas of chaos and movement.
Visual Arts:
There are statues by the pier – Mahatma Gandhi tucked away from the main hustle and bustle. A small diminutive statue compared to the large ‘Woman’ statue in front of the Ferry Building. But even small, his importance draws one near. Tourists are there taking photographs almost everyday. The mermaid, jelly fish, sea lion, dolphin statues along the pier are whimsical and reflective of the fantastic lifeforms on Earth.
Transportation – Past, Present & Future:
The transportation options in that one strip of land is astounding: cruise ships, daily commuter ferries, sailboats, underground trains, bridges – Bay Bridge & on a good day a view of the Golden Gate Bridge, cars, self-driving cars – Venmo’s, tramcars over a 100 years old. Some days, you can see the odd horse drawn carriage – a pure tourist attraction, but alien snippets need not know that.
Architecture:
The buildings are something else – towering in so many shapes and forms. Leaf-shaped one, conical towers, coat tower, Ferry building with its clock-tower, brick buildings, parks, baseball stadium, exploratorium, bookshops. There is plenty of scope for improvement as far as biomimicry designs go, but then were an earthquake to hit, these buildings can show you the difference a 100 years can make in our designs. That’s a towering accomplishment (Get it? Get it?)
Music, Sports:
The music from the subway or the freelance musicians is also sometimes wafting its way to you. The spring in the step of the tourists always a joy to behold.
Science:
The Science Exploratorium aside, you are assured of seeing a few flights landing or taking off from the San Francisco airport, a few Venmo cars gliding through the human-driven car traffic. Not to mention that if an aline knew how to operate a cell-phone, the reception and wi-fi is excellent there.
Food:
The food choices are a little too good to be true – Thai, Mediterranean, Indian, Mexican, Italian, Chinese, Danish, Swiss, American – all there. On the days they have the Farmer’s Market there, the fresh produce, flowers and fruits add to the flavors.
On a good day, the Ferry building area is pure beauty.
Which spot would you choose?
Nourish-n-Cherish 