san francisco

from chicago, i flew to san francisco...previous to this visit, i'd never been anywhere in california other than san diego (and it's surrounding metro area)...not only do a bunch of garmischers live in san francisco (and the surrounding metro area,) one of them was getting married just north of the city...i took advantage of being able to stay in the states an extra month, and go to this wedding...before the wedding i got to spend three full days in the city, which was fantastic...
i know i've mentioned it plenty of times previously, but i'll say it again...i love public transport...

i was able to take public transport from the airport, all the way to a BART (Bay Area Rapid Transit) station really close to the apartment of a friend of mine...i took a taxi the rest of the way, just so i knew i'd get to the right place...after that, i always walked...anywho, the taxi dropped me off, and alexis' flattie let me in...alexis was in class, she still has a year or two of university classes...
i rested for a bit, then went back into the city center...it was easy to get back on the metro, and easy to figure out where i wanted to go...before arriving in the city, i'd found out that there are coffee bean locations in san francisco...

YUM...so the first place i went was a coffee bean shop, so i could have a large chai latte...YUM...
from there, i walked to the waterfront, and walked along that for a while...i hadn't really looked up anything online, so i didn't really know what to look for, what to see in the city...the weather was good, which was not what i expected...san francisco is not known for beautiful skies...it was windy, but that was fine...i loved seeing all the boats and water...eventually i made my way back to alexis' flat, she had prepared dinner...she eats vegetarian food at home, almost always organic...

my first meal involving kale...YUM...alexis had to study (she is super smart, studying something in the sciences) so i relaxed and read, eventually going to sleep...
the next day i followed the same pattern...alexis had to go to class, i went back into the city...this time i had an idea of what i wanted to see...i started the day with another chai latte from coffee bean (i get them wheneva possible) and more walking along the waterfront...this time i got to pier 39, which is apparently quite a tourist location...heaps of little boutique shops, and souvenir kiosks..

i'm not sure that it's anything in particular that really represents san francisco the city, but there are a bunch of restaurants (lots of seafood, of course) as well as small shops...a great place to people watch...behind one of the restaurants is an area where seals hang out in the sun...they're ugly animals, but fascinating at the same time...i ate some sort of chowder for lunch...tasty, but probably overpriced...on the other hand, san francisco isn't the cheapest city...
i kept walking...and walking...stopping to take photos from time to time...walking...

i walked around the edge of the city, following major streets...eventually i got to a street that connected me with lombard street...the name itself probably doesn't ring a bell for most people, but i bet a lot of you have seen photos...it's the crookedest street in the world...it weaves back and forth a number of times in the space of one block...too bad the sun was in the wrong spot for me to get a good photo, but it was still fun to see...cars don't move quickly when they go down this street...all the walking tourists go down the steps on either side of the street...somehow i don't think sidewalks will every be put in:)

to get back to the subway station i wanted, i kept walking...surprise!!
as i thought about it afterward, the area i walked through didn't seem to be a very good neighborhood, but it was daytime, so i think i was okay...along the way a guy started walking with me and asked me out for coffee...does that happen regularly to other tourists?
a giant salad for dinner...i love places that have giant salad buffets where you pay by weight...i'm happy to jam as many vegetables as possible into one of those carryout containers...i don't usually add dressing, some people call me a rabbit for that..hee hee...heaven:)

My last day in the city I started with another chai latte from coffee bean, then started walking toward the famous bridge...
on the way, i stopped at grace cathedral, which was lovely...quiet, full of light and colour...i love any church that has stained glass, and this church had plenty...
from there, the street took me through chinatown...since i've traveled through parts of china, and have seen other chinese markets during my travels, this felt not quite right...i think i'm just a jaded traveler...

then i walked by the presidio...i think that's what it's called? quite pretty...
the Golden Gate Bridge...it's the famous red bridge in all the photos you see...I was thrilled that the weather was great, a sunny, blue sky, so nothing would be covered by clouds/fog...I didn't get to the viewpoint you usually see, I didn't have a car...it was a long walk to get to this beach area, I stopped for lunch (and dessert!!) along the way...dessert was apple pie from Mel's diner...yum...i love diners...love love love...after looking at that menu, i wish i'd eaten my entire lunch at the diner...

there weren't a whole lot of people at the beach, I don't know why...I walked into the water, sat and relaxed for a little while, took photos, etc...then I started walking again...I went up a lot of stairs, and finally got to one of the huge parks/gardens of San Francisco...I didn't have enough time to properly explore and wander around, but I did enjoy what I saw...on the way back I walked through haight ashbury, the area famous for the hippy movement of the 60s...it doesn't seem to be remarkable now...finally after another hour or two, I got back to Alexis's flat....
The next morning I left...It was a great visit with Alexis, and what i hope is my first visit to San Francisco...I hope I get to see the city again:)...there is plenty I didn't get to see, and there is a lot if yummy food...it's a foodie city:)...keep your fingers crossed i get good weather the next time i visit...perhaps i should also let other friends know i'm in town when i come back...(i got yelled at by several people who didn't know i was there at the time...ooops)