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Today MacWorld officially opens.  This is the first year in probably some 8 years that I haven’t gotten myself up at some silly early time to stand in a long, long line waiting for Steven Jobs to deliver his keynote speech.  My decision wasn’t based on Jobs’ decision to skip this year’s show but rather because  – despite the excitement – the wait has become longer and longer over the years, meaning one needs to get up earlier and earlier.   I have seen various artists perform at the end of the shows – John Mayer twice, Randy Newman, – and I am sorry that I missed listening to Tony Bennett who performed this year.  But, so it goes!

After having a nice sleep, I arrived when the show opened.  It was crowded, but not nearly as much as I expected.  Although, again, because of being within the masses crunched in during past keynote speeches, any walking space seems unusual.

You gotta love all of those apps!

Crowds are always around the Apple theatre to learn all about the latest and greatest.  These include iLife ’09 — including  many improvements  such as face recognition in iPhoto (don’t care about), music lessons in GarageBank (very cool), and video stabilization in iMovie — and improvements to iWork ’09.  Great news to music lovers is the “new standard” on iTunes – DRM free music.  Then there is the release of the 17″ MacBook Pro, called “the most powerful Mac notebook ever” with a battery boasting 8 hours of use on a single charge.  You can learn all about these things by visiting Apple’s website.

More tomorrow …

Back at the Moscone Center, Derry and I picked up our various conference materials, downloaded the show catalog onto our respective iPods to schedule what we’re doing when, talked with various people, had a late lunch, and then ventured out into the City to wander around and take photos.

I love this statue, with its three hands and multiple feet.  I took several photos of it.  This should work its way into something I do — collaged in, I suspect.

At San Francisco MOMA.

A building on the walk to the Moscone (it’s a mostly gray-sky day).

Closer.

Even with the gray day, there is plenty of color.

We walked to the Ferry Building and took pictures of the Bay Bridge.  My favorite was taken across the street, with the bridge in reflection within another reflection of the metal sculpture near the Embarcadero.

Because the weather wasn’t the best, we decided to walk around the Embarcadero.

There are all types of interesting angles, buildings, and lighting nearly everywhere I looked.

The rainy evening continues.

Taken from inside the Embarcadero.  Using a long zoom the picture picked up a lot of blue which was fine by me.

I’ve been playing around a lot with this image.  I’m hoping it finds its way into a new piece.

There’s a fabulous tiled floor and spiral staircases.  I took plenty photos of both, something else that may end up in a quilt or digital art piece of some kind.

We took the cable car back.  Look at the steepness of those hills!

Tomorrow is the keynote and the show officially begins!

Derry and I have arrived in San Francisco to attend MacWorld.  It’s our yearly trek and we tend to arrive earlier than the show’s start because of better airfare rates.  These photos are nothing great, just some snapshots of the start of our journey.

After our long flight, we’ve arrived.  It was an excellent flight, and we watched several episodes of a UK series called “Survivors” on the iPod.

It was a clear evening.

Making our trek to the Moscone Center.

2009.  Still surprises me.  When I saw first saw the signs my thought was “2009?  Aren’t they jumping the gun a bit advertising for next year.”  Than, daaaa … I realized it IS 2009.

Since it’s on the way back …

There were beautiful holiday decorations in the shopping center.

The ceiling.

With the weather in the 50s and clear, we decided to walk …

and walk …

and walk …

and walk.  The hills are always such a workout!

There was a blimp hovering about, but I found this creepy.

What goes up …

(some Photoshop effects)

Must go down.

Eventually we made it to the Wharf area where we had to eat at an In-N-Out, a burger place that I love.  I wish this chain would open in NJ, namely within a brief driving distance (walking would be better yet)  from my home.

After all of that walking, it was time to take the cable car back up to our suites in the Nob Hill area.

It’s out of focus, but I did take it from a moving cable car.

Tomorrow we’re off to the show.

Another January, another MacWorld in San Francisco.
Here are some of the highlights …

One of the beautiful views from the plane window.

Arriving in the San Francisco area.

The Golden Gate Bridge is way out there on the horizon.
It was a beautiful, peaceful sunset.
This image looked better to me cropped.

Beautiful downtown San Francisco

San Francisco’s MOMA

We waited in a crazy long line to listen to
Steve Jobs give his keynote speech. We do this every year, but every year it’s filled with such excitement and wonder that it’s totally worth the wait.

It’s crazy crowded to the point it’s has to be some kind of hazard.

A bunch of Macintosh fanatics. <g>

After the keynote and into the show.

Derry with the latest, the MacBook Air. It’s very sleek, very slim, very cool. Yet I don’t see it in my future any time soon. I need lots of ports to connect lots of things. The word is that the MacBook Pro will be upgraded at the end of February.

I had to get my hands on one, too. I love the keyboard. My fingernails always manage to scrap the letters off the the MacBook Pro keyboards. The Mac Air keyboard seems to be nail proof.

A bit crowded.

David Pogue in action.

Back in town … reflections

Our First Amendment rights in action.

It’s Mac party time.

Back on Powell Street.

Down at the Pier

Enjoying the sunset …

I love the Golden Gate Bridge. This is one of many I’ve taken of the bridge.
Not the best, not the worst. One day, I’ll post more, including our walk across it.

Here’s a link to a short Quicktime slideshow movie I did when I went to Macworld 2003 in San Francisco.  One day I’ll put something together with the years of images from MacWorlds in New York City.