San francisco California
The first time I visited San Francisco my jaw dropped. This was the center of the 1960s counterculture, flower power, and anti-war demonstrations. Then there were the TV shows and riveting movies set in Frisco: the streets of San Francisco with Michael Douglas, Dirty Harry with Clint Eastwood, Hitchcock’s Vertigo, and McQueen’s legendary chase through the city in Bullet. I first visited three Irish friends, Mary and Aidan, who had lived in the Bay Area for several years and had a good working knowledge of the city, and Carmel. We traveled from Fremont on the Bart. I always remember standing on the escalators as we headed toward the Market Street subway exit in downtown San Francisco, and being assaulted by towering skyscrapers in all shapes and styles. What a dramatic introduction to one of the most famous cities in the world!
That first afternoon was packed with action. We took a cable car to Pacific Heights and looked out over the city and the ocean. Of course, the shadow of the Golden Gate loomed over my imagination, and all I had to do was take a boat ride, glide under this queen of bridges, and then skirt around the infamous Alcatraz Island. We had lunch at Fisherman’s Wharf, a large conglomeration of gift shops and cafes. Directly across the street is Ghirardelli Square, named after the famous chocolatier who came to San Francisco in the era of the great gold rush of the 1850s. It is now an upscale shopping district. More in our league was Chinatown, the largest Chinatown outside of Asia. The streets were lined with amazing shops selling all kinds of herbs, foods, jewelry, and colorful banners with intricate Chinese calligraphy and beautifully decorated gift items.
Later, when I returned to California, I spent a day familiarizing myself with some of the streets of downtown San Francisco. It was a real treat having coffee at Starbucks on Market Street early on a Friday morning and just looking out the window as people rushed to work. San Francisco is a major financial center and many banks and companies are based here. There are also many IT companies located here, making it quite a bustling city. It would be great to work here for a while to experience the buzz of being a part of this lively cosmopolitan city. The closest I got so far is working on a contract in South San Francisco, but that was miles from the center of the real action.
I once walked about four miles on a fairly warm day from Market Street to the Haight-Ashbury area. This area was the center of the counterculture in the 1960s, where students, artists, musicians and non-conformists moved into old Victorian houses, ushering in the hippie phase. Groups like The Grateful Dead and Jefferson Airplane hung out here and played at the famous Fillmore concert hall just around the corner. The era of rock music and marijuana, incense and pop art, Eastern meditation and anti-Vietnam demonstrations was short-lived. Today Haight-Ashbury is a collector’s paradise for vintage memorabilia. The stores are filled with tie-dye dresses, posters, jewelry and CDs, all reminiscent of that colorful decade. It’s also a great place to get a wonderful sandwich, any amount or variety of vegetarian food, and lots of great tasting coffee.
Probably the best vegetarian restaurant I’ve ever eaten at is Greens, in Fort Mason, overlooking the bay, where all the food is organically grown. One cold and rainy afternoon in February, Bob took me there for a birthday present. The hot and spiced soup was wonderful; the gorgonzola cream, basil walnut pasta and curried vegetable dishes were divine. Then coffee, followed by a hazelnut chocolate mousse dessert. Dinner was expensive, but the taste and quality of the food, the brilliant view of the Golden Gate, and the general atmosphere of the place were worth it.
My friend, Mary, once took me on a day trip to some interesting places outside of the city. In the morning we hiked to Muir Woods, home to magnificent redwoods. We then headed to Golden Gate Park where we had a magnificent view of the famous bridge. It was cloudy as often in San Francisco. We drove to the Cliff House for lunch, which is located in the northwest corner of San Francisco and offers fantastic views of the coastline. A restaurant has been located on this location since 1863, and the current establishment is filled with Victorian-era decor and memorabilia.
There is nothing I like more than touring downtown, admiring the diverse architecture that gives San Francisco a richness and color that few cities can match. After the gigantic earthquake of 1906, the city was largely rebuilt in the ornate art nouveau style. Then there are the decorative art deco buildings built from the 1930s onwards. The city’s true charm is a mix of many styles and eras, from modern marvels like the Transamerica Building to surviving old Victorian homes dating back to from the end of the 19th century. One of my favorite buildings is City Hall, with its glorious destiny, located on Dr. Carlton B. Goodlett Place. I also love the Legion of Honor Art Gallery, with its great Rodin Collection, which is located across from Golden Gate Park.
When my nephew, Michael, visited me in the fall, I took him to Equinox, the revolving restaurant atop the Hyatt Hotel on Market Street. From this vantage point there are excellent views of the city and the bay, particularly the Bay Bridge. Here you can gaze at the skyscrapers and look out over the busy streets while sitting in the lap of luxury, drinking coffee and eating chocolate ice cream.
This is without a doubt a wonderful city. I always love the hustle and bustle of exploring its unique streets, admiring its variety of buildings and browsing its elegant shops. Supposedly San Francisco is the most visited city in the United States. It is worth visiting many times.
