My thoughts on this trip

So 3900 miles later we landed at Heathrow at 2.30pm the following day after just over 10 hours in the air and adding 8 hours’ time difference. To say we were knackered was an understatement but we pushed on through the airport but had to wait for ages for the bags to come out but wait we did and eventually they arrived so now all as we had to do was head through customs and get in the taxi that we had booked to take us home. One thing we did notice when we arrived was that it was 25 degree in San Francisco when we left and just above freezing here so that was a bit of a shock after two weeks away. So from Heathrow to home takes about an hour and a half but I think after about 20 minutes in the taxi I had fallen asleep and had the best hour or so nap, by the time we got to our front door of was around 4:30pm and all as we wanted to was go to bed but had no food in so I then had to go up to the shop just to get some milk, bread and a few things for sandwiches, we could get the rest the following day. Now all as we wanted to go to bed, I don’t know if it’s just because I’m getting older but this time the flight seemed to take it out of me more than normal. 

So now it’s back to normal until we go to Chicago in a few months’ time, one thing we did learn is that we both love being in San Francisco and will keep on going back over the years, until next time SF, we will see you then and thanks for the memories. One thing I do know is that San Francisco is our favorite place in the USA so far, the weather is always fine even in the winter and it feels like a safe place to be in most locations even at night plus there is still lots more places for us to explore further afield in Oakland and Marin County.

So apart from the ill health at the start of the holiday, it was a really enjoyable time spent there.

See you next time SF…… Soon.

Time to leave

So it's another bright sunny day in San Francisco but it's time for us to leave. We didn't get up until about 9:30am as most of the things we had to pack had been done the day before so it was time to lounge around for a bit and watch some TV as we didn't have to check out on the hotel until midday. We eventually left at about 11:30 and walked up to Powell Street station which is only a short walk of about five minutes or so. The station is underground so we went into the Westfield shopping center to avoid the stinking lifts that are outside, this time we managed to work out how to use the ticket machines for the BART train which we had problems with on previous times, turns out you have to put the money in first then then use the buttons to change the value to what the correct fare is that you get from a chart above the machine then press issue.

It was down the 2 sets of lifts to get to the bottom level were the BART train goes from every 15 minutes on a Saturday so we didn't have long to wait. These trains are getting fairly old now they rattle squeak their way to the airport in about 30 minutes but they are making the seats with padding now unlike some that still have the hard plastic ones but for the price, you pay for the ticket which was around £5 you can't really complain. At least when you get off you are right in the terminal that you need to be, there nothing worse than having to catch the air train around the airport to the terminal you have to get to. 

By now the time was about 1pm and the flight didn't leave until 7:35pm so we had a coffee and used the cash machine to check how much was still left on the pre-paid credit card we had, I think we were both surprised to find out that there was still $120 left on it, time to have a look in the shops and get spending. The first thing we found was a pocket watch with San Francisco on it so we had to buy that for $25. Now it was a good time to get something to eat so we got a cheeseburger and chips (fries) from one of the restaurants and a beer that came to another $25 I think but it was worth it because the food they give you on the plane is crap. Now it was time to walk off what we had eaten so it was time to have a look at the museum they have in the airport, the displays are always changing throughout the year and it was jewelry so not really of any interest to us but at the far end they had a display of old scale model aircraft from the 1970’s so that was worth looking at. By now it was nearly 3pm and check-in for opens at 3:15, normally they are open all the time but because this was Virgin Atlantic they do it on the cheap so you can't get rid of your bags straight away unlike United Airlines. Once we had got rid of them we headed straight for the security check to go airside at about 3:30pm. Once through there are only a few shops compared to other airports we have been so with 4 hours still to kill we first went to the cash machine to draw out what was left on the card in cash as you don't get a good exchange rate when you come here and it only charged you a couple of dollars, that left just enough on there to buy a bag of sweets to clean the card out, I think there were about 60 cents left on it in the end. So with so much time to kill, we found a bar right down at the far end of the terminal that overlooked the runway and watched the planes being pushed out from the gates to the runway. The best thing of all was that the bar sold bottles of blue moon beer for $6 each so I sunk a few of those before boarding the plane at 7pm. Even though they pack about 300 people on they loaded it fairly quickly and it departed on time. As I thought the food was abysmal and they even managed to make the beer taste bad but we were stuck on here for 10 hours so you just have to make the best of it so after a few cups of coffee it was time to try to get some sleep which is almost impossible on a plane.

Union Square

So today is our last full day in good old San Francisco and it was time to have a chill out day. So we left the hotel about 10:30 and walked up Powell Street passed the cable car turnaround so watched that for a while then walked up the hill to the big posh Walgreen’s to get a couple of hoodies that we had seen in there, these ones I really liked and they had my size. Even though I spent over $70 dollars on them they still charged me 40 cents for a bag, I think it's a legal requirement there that you have to pay for bags and they don't do plastic ones either so after an hour the handle broke but I had a spare with me. By now it was lunchtime so just around the corner was Lori’s dinner so we went in there for some lunch. I wanted to try the meatloaf so that's what we both had. It was nice but I think it was a bit overpriced for what you got and there seemed to be some little black files zooming round like you get in the pubs here that started to piss me off but on the plus side they did do Blue Moon ale in bottles. It wasn't very busy in there for a lunchtime so perhaps it's gone downhill since we were last in there the previous year. 

When we came out of the diner the temperature has gone up to about 27 degrees and it was a clear blue sky so walked back the way we come then crossed over the road the into Union Square, the last time we were here they still had the ice rink built but they remove that in the first week of the new year, I think they were taking the last parts away when we first arrived. Union Square is the sort of place where you can just around and take in the atmosphere so I got a coffee from one of the two shops there and just sat for a while watching the world go by.

After sitting here for the best part of an hour we walked over to the far side of the square to go to the Cheesecake Factory. This place is like a fancy cake shop but the main reason was the view. The Cheesecake Factory is located on the top floor of Macy’s and they have an open air balcony with a view over Union Square from 12 floors up you got some really good views from up there and Jane got a couple of badges as well. When we came back down there is some construction work going on just outside where they are building the new subway station and they had tried to move a bucket for the excavator but unfortunately they knocked the fire hydrant over in the process so there was water spraying about 40 feet into the air. It was really quite funny to see considering they have a water shortage here for the last few years. By now it had drawn a big crowd and everyone's was taking photographs, I even got some video of it. It was getting late afternoon now and we were both feeling a bit worn out so headed back to the hotel for a nap. 

After an hour or so I couldn't sleep so decided to go for a walk an along Market Street one last time, I hadn't planned on going far but ended up back at the Ferry Building then started walking towards Pier 39 with no plan in mind, it was a nice late afternoon so I thought I would watch the sun set behind the city. Eventually, I came to the cruise ship terminal and there was a large ship docked so I go some photographs of that, you could get reasonably close to it as well. But now it was nearly dark so walked back the way I had come and took some photographs of the Transamerica Pyramid with the sun by down behind it from Pier 7. With that, I thought I'd go and have a drink in a pub somewhere but all the ones I came across seemed to be really busy so I ended up walking all the way back to the hotel then cutting down some side streets to the discount booze shop. So now I was back at the hotel for the last time on this vacation, time to drink some beers. Turns out it wasn't the last time I would be going out here as around 9pm we were both hungry so it was the long walk back up the hill to Uncle Vito’s pizza house for one of their 14 inch mountain pizza for $12 dollars. It was yummy. Now we had been fed and watered it was time for bed as it was going to be a long day tomorrow going home.

Alcatraz Island

So today we got to go where we didn't make it to last time and that was Alcatraz Island because it was all fully booked. The tickets go on sale 3 months in advance but can sell out that far in advance sometimes. The only place you can get the tickets is online so we got the hotel to print them off a few days before but it wasn't very busy this time around so there was plenty of time slots for getting on the boat. At $30 each of not cheap but was well worth it. I think we got a time slot for 11am so we got the F line streetcar down there which stops almost outside the Pier 33 where you go from to the island. There’s a coffee shop just by there so we went in as we had about half an hour or so to kill before we got the boat loaded up. There were about 150 people waiting to get on the boat I think but they check your tickets as people arrive then you sit down the benches, they then let everyone on the boat at the same time so it doesn't take as long as you would think. The crossing to the island only takes about 20 minutes or so as it’s only just over a mile out. 

When you first get off the boat you are at were the guards use to live and they give you a short talk on the history of the island and how originally it started off as the first lighthouse on the west coast than in the seventeen hundreds become a fort, then a military base, then a military prison before it finally became a maximum security federal prison in 1933 until it closed in 1963, it was then occupied by native American’s in 1969 who stayed for a few years until they were evicted, a few years later it became part of the National Park Service and was opened to the public.

It’s easy to see why they call it The Rock as its about 300 feet climb up a winding road to the cell block at the top of the island, luckily for Jane there is an electric tram type of thing that takes people with disabilities up to the top but I had to walk.

Once inside the cell block, you follow the routine that new prisoners would take through the search area then showers, medical center and another search area before they were taken upstairs to the 2 floors of cell blocks. What really surprised me was how small the cells actually are, there’s barely any room to move but there was only 1 person per cell. When you first enter the upper level they give a pair of headphones and what looks like a very big mp3 player for the audio tour that you get. As you walk around it tells you which way to go and explains the story of how the prison was run and how it was kept secure through to the exercise yard and round the workshops. After you come out of the cell block and give back the audio equipment you are free to roam around the island as much as you like. You get some really good views across the city. There are also some fanatic small gardens on there that have been recreated from what the prisoners who behaved were allowed to build. After spending about 4 hours on there we headed back down to the dock to catch the boat back as they only run every 45 minutes we got there just in time as one was about to leave for the short trip back. This had been a really good day so far and the weather had been a brilliant sunny day with a temperature of about 26 degrees or so. 

We arrived back at Pier 33 about 3pm and as it was still early we took a short walk along the Embarcadero to pier 39 to get ourselves a couple of hot dogs as there is no food or drink sold on the island then had a look in the gift shops before taking a quick look at the sea lions. By now it was about 5pm so walked over to the streetcar stop and had to wait for ages for one to turn up and as usual it was packed to the gills, I found out later on that we could have got a bus from round in one of the side streets, you live and learn I suppose don’t you. When it did turn up it was really old so Jane had to use the special ramp they have to get on it form the raised platform but that we couldn’t get off at the stop that we had planned. The one we got off at did had a lift the lifted up from the pavement but when it went down we couldn’t get the gate open again, turns out we were trying to open the wrong part, it had been a long day though. As luck would have it there was a Walgreen’s right by here so went in to have a look at the hoodies they sell. Even though there seems to be a Walgreen’s on every corner they all stock different items when it comes to things like these but there wasn’t any that I liked so we just ended up getting the usual things like bottles of drink and snacks. Buy now it was nearly dark so strolled back to the hotel for a well-earned rest. 

By the time it got to about 8pm we were both hungry again so it was time to head on up the hill to uncle Vito’s for a large pizza to share. I had forgotten how far up the hill this place was and how steep the hill was so it took me a bit longer to get there then I thought but I managed to get back to the hotel before it started to go cold, I hate cold pizza. By now it was around 10pm and we were both done in so decided to call it a day and go to bed but I just happened to take a look out of the window and seen that the police had pulled a car over across the road. One of the cops was stood next to the driver in the car while the other has his gun pointing at the person in the passenger seat. The one who was stood near the driver then backed away and got a shotgun out of the police car. I thought they were going to start shooting but after about a minute or so they put the guns away and let them drive away, must have been a case of mistaken identity I think. Time to call it a day now and listen to the sirens go passed most of the night, although they didn't really keep awake.

Sausalito

Wednesday morning was a lovely sunny day so today we had planned a boat trip across The Bay to Sausalito where the rich and famous all live so the first thing to do was to catch the bus to the Ferry Building then head around the back to get the tickets from the vending. These tickets are really strange as they are only thin cardboard but you don't swipe them you just need to touch them on the card reader for it to work. I was surprised to find out that even though it's a 30-minute ride on the ferry the tickets on cost $11.50 or about £7 for a return. We now have about an hour to kill before the ferry arrived, they don't run that often so we went into Peets tea & coffee house for a drink while we waited. Actually, a funny thing happened when we got the tickets were somebody put a $20 bill in and it gave him his change all in quarters. When we came out of the coffee shop and arrived there were already loads of people getting on it but they load it up really quickly so off we went for the 30 minute trip across The Bay to Sausalito. 

It was a lovely sunny and warm day when we arrived and it's a very peaceful place here away from most of the crowds. After having a look around the few shops that there are went and had some lunch from a burger bar then walked about a mile or so to have a look at the Bar Area Model. This place is inside a massive warehouse and was built by the army engineering corps and it's a scale model of the Bay area, they use it to see how changes to the coast affect the way the tides come and out, so it fills with water when the tide comes in, amazing when you see everything is to scale with all the little replica bridges like the Golden Gate and Bay Bridge in place. After spending a couple of hours looking round in there, we were the only ones at times; we walked it back into Sausalito town to have a look at the shops the further down there’s plenty of gift shops here so I was in my element plus I found some things you can't get anywhere else. Now it was time for an ice cream from an Italian ice cream parlor and that was huge and yummy. From there we just had a sit on the Bayfront for about 45 minutes until the ferry came back.

By now there were lots of people waiting to get on the ferry, a lot more than when we came because lots of people hire bikes on the San Francisco side then ride across the Golden Gate Bridge and down through the Muir Woods then catch the ferry back. They load all the foot passengers up first then they cram all these bikes on; it's a good thing that you get on the lower level of the ferry but go upstairs to get off so we went and sat up there, as we were nearly first in the queue there was still plenty of seats. By now it was starting to get late in the afternoon so the boat ride back was almost at sunset as we passed around the back of Alcatraz Island with the sun setting sun behind the Golden Gate Bridge. Seen as how we were getting off at the Ferry Building Marketplace we headed inside for one the pies from the Golden Gate Meat Company, it would have been rude not to. By now it was almost dark but still fairly warm so strolled across the plaza on the other side of the road to catch the bus back along Market Street to the shops for some nibbles for later. I think we were both glad to get back to the hotel as it has been a long day in the warm weather but well worth it.

Yerba Buena Gardens

Most of the time when we left the hotel in the morning we turned right and headed up to Market Street but today it was time for a change so we turned left out of the hotel to have a walk around Yerba Buena Gardens which is a big park with a waterfall in. This area was redeveloped back in the eighties but the then mayor of the city George Moscone was already against the idea and wanted it developed as a park. In November 1978 George Moscone and Harvey Milk while in their offices at City Hall were murdered by Dan White for supporting a civil rights bill on equality at work for gay people. A few years later work began on something that would honor the civil rights movement in San Francisco and Yerba Buena Gardens was created.

They achieved something remarkable for the time by building The Moscone Canter underground and a large park on top complete with a forty foot long waterfall that's twenty foot tall. It's wasn’t the sunniest of days but it was nice just to stroll around the park and get away from the traffic of the city for a bit. Sitting by the top pool that leads to the edge of the waterfall was just perfect and best of all there was no litter at all anywhere and all the homeless people who sleep on the grass at night had gone. Apparently underneath where we were sat in a large ice rink as well. From there we walked over to the far side of them to have a look at the restored carousel from the nineteen hundreds and used the lift from the park back down to street level again and walked back to 5th street to catch the number thirty bus down to the Cal train station. 

We never normally head down this way but I wanted to have a look at the trains in the station as we were passing, it’s amazing how big they are when you get close up to them although you can't go the platform until the train is ready to load up, you can walk along the road at the side and see them through the fence to take some pictures. I really liked the colours they are painted in but the strangest thing is there is no real platform like you get in this country just a bit of raised pavement so you have to climb steps to get on them but as they are double-decker trains it’s not as high up as you would think plus if you needed help getting on they have what looks like a pallet truck that lifts wheelchair up and into the train. I was going to wait and watch one of them go out but it was going to be a while so it was time to get a three dollar coffee from the shop on the station and have a sit down for a bit before we headed into Safeway just across the road. We would normally have come down here to buy the shopping but the bus runs in a one-way loop around this part of town so you have to walk back two blocks when you get back of the bus but might still be worth it next time we come here because you get so much more choice and better prices. 

After picking up some bits that we would need we headed across road to AT&T Park which is home to the San Francisco Giants baseball team, even though the season has finished awhile back is still worth having a walk around there. It's hard to think what it must be like on game day around here with around thirty thousand people about. The stadium itself doesn't look that big but you can see through the gates around the bottom and the place is huge inside, it must look even bigger when you are in there. The area around here looks like it has recently been refurbished with all new paving and benches and I must say they have done a good job of it.

This is where the Embarcadero starts and runs for about five miles down to Fisherman’s Wharf. There is a short pier that runs out into The Bay so we had a walk along there and seen a couple of pelicans sat on the breakwater. Today wasn't really warm which was just as well because we had a fair amount of walking to do but by it was very peaceful strolling along the Bay and under the Bay Bridge towards Rincon Park were Cupids is located. Cupids Span is a giant work of art in the shape of a bow and arrow that must be about fifty foot tall and was donated to the city by some famous artist. From there we just sat around for a while and soaked the atmosphere for a bit and watch the Muni trams going down the hole in the ground that takes them under the city before heading into the Ferry Building Marketplace to grab a pie to eat. By now we had spent a lot of time walking so it was time to think about calling it a day so crossed the road to and waited for the bus back along Market Street with a short diversion into Walgreen’s to stock up on drink, It was good to get back to the hotel and have a lie down for a bit watching TV.

Coit Tower

Monday wasn’t one of the sunniest days of the holiday but we had a few things planned for today but after the long day yesterday it was going to be a shorter one with a lot less walking. I think we left the hotel around 10 o'clock and headed out to Market Street to catch the F line streetcar down to pier 39, now we were feeling better we wanted to have a proper look round the gift shops to see if we could find some unusual and unique things to buy. I honestly thought there was going to be a fight on the streetcar between the driver and a bloke who got on. Because the tram we were on had been caught up another one and the driver was trying to close the doors while people were still getting on, as it was already packed it might have been a good idea to tell people that the one behind was probably empty but he seemed to be going out of his way to annoy everyone who got on, I'm surprised nobody has shot him before now. There was lots of swearing and racist remakes exchanged between them then he went past the stop that people wanted to get off at so there was lots more shouting, we were glad to get off that one I can tell you. Finally, we got to the pier where we got something to eat while we here, a hot dog I think, then went to see our old friends the sea lions. 

After spending about an hour on the pier we walked from there to a place called Fisherman’s Wharf which is a bit like the seafront at Blackpool, this is where all the shops and restaurants are most of which are seafood ones that don't appeal to us, we did come across a fantastically strange museum called Musée Mécanique that housed arcade games dating back around a hundred years or so, most of them were in working order as well. I can't think how long it’s been since I've seen a two-player PAC_MAN machine and the people who were working in there went around on roller skates. It was really fascinating to see all these restored machines in action. By now it was lunchtime so we stopped off in McDonald’s for something to eat which was a lot better than the ones at home and cheaper as well. When you order a drink they just give you the cup and you fill it up yourself as many times as you like, of they did that home it would be empty in five minutes. They also had super fast free Wi-Fi as well so we made use of that. Now we had been fed and watered we walked back the way we came but on the other side of the road this time back to the entrance of the Pier 39 to wait for the number 39 bus to take us up to Coit Tower.

We had previously tried to visit Coit Tower on our last trip here a year before but it had closed the day before for eight months for repairs but now all of that was completed and open to the public again. It's only around a twenty bus ride up to the top but you wouldn't want to have to walk it from the bottom as the tower sits on top of a hill that's about three hundred foot or more above sea level where we got on via a narrow twisting road that ends in a car park. At least this driver was very jolly but hardly anybody gets on this route. At the top in the car park, you get a fantastic view across San Francisco Bay even though it was a bit overcast today. We even got out first sighting of the wild parrots that live up here, you generally hear them before you see them because they go around in big flocks and scream all the time. A lot of the people who live around there are fed up with them as they do a lot of damage to their gardens. The tower itself isn't that high at only seventy-five feet tall and has painted murals around the bottom inside that were by famous people but none I’d heard of. It cost eight dollars each to go up (and we got the change in 2 two dollar bills that I’ve never seen before and are not very common) and they stamp your hand with a heart-shaped stamp that you show to the person who controls the lift to the top, this has to be the slowest lift I've ever been to but it is nearly a hundred years old. It seems to take about five minutes to get up there but it's probably a lot less then there are about twenty steps to climb until you get to the very top.

There no roof on this tower but there are windows that they open for you so you can take photographs without getting the reflection in. They have somebody up there all the time opening them for you this is to stop the glass getting scratched which was what had happened over the past few years. I must say the view from the top across the city is stunning you can literally see a full 360 degrees around so it was out with camera and start taking photographs, it was a good opportunity to try out a setting on the camera as well that makes everything look like toy town but you need to be high up like this place is to make it work best. I think we spent about an hour up there and even the sun made an appearance through the clouds for a brief time. By now my legs were starting to ache now so we went back to the bottom of the tower and had a sit down outside for a while and watched the parrots fly around. By the time we had walked back round to the bus stop, we had just missed the bus back down and they only run every 20 minutes so I took the opportunity to have a look at Filbert Street Steps which is one of the famous staircases of the city. The steps descend from here all way down to Levi Park three hundred feet below, not the sort of thing you would want to walk up and they do it in about half a mile so you can imagine how steep they are so I only walked part way down to have a look. It was time now to head back to the bus stop where I had parked Jane and catch the bus back down again and got off at Washington Square.

There's plenty of shops round here of all kinds as this part of town is known as Little Italy but most of it doesn’t seem to come to life until later in the evening, we had planned on going in Rouge Bar but it seemed really busy in there now so it was time to hit the off licence to get some beer for later, there's not too many of these places around in San Francisco and most shops near the hotel don't even sell beer so always best to stock up when you see somewhere like this. By now it was time to catch the bus across the road and head back towards the hotel; it was time to wait for the dreaded number 30 bus that takes us through Chinatown. This is where real time for when the bus is going to arrive works well, we could see that there was four number 30 buses on the way and only a few minutes between the first and the fourth one but because they are trolley buses they can't overtake each other so when the first one turned up they were almost hanging out of the windows but by the time the third one got here it was almost empty so it does pay to wait that little bit longer sometimes in the long run but I don't think most people dont even bother looking up at the screen above most of the time or have never noticed them. 

We got off in Union Square after about fifteen minutes on the bus and I really needed a beer so it was time to find Johnny Foley’s Irish bar. It's not one of my favourite pubs in San Francisco but it was close to where we were so it's any port in a storm sort of thing. They really always try to push the food menu on you in here when you walk in the door but there was nobody there at the time so we just went and sat down and I got us some drinks from the bar, the thing is about this place is it's a lot like Weatherspoon’s with a plastic Irish feel, the food is definitely overpriced and the beer isn't far behind that but all as we want was a drink and a sit down for a bit. That didn't stop the waitress scampering over after a couple minutes to give us a menu but you can’t really blame them as they are only on a couple of dollars an hour as a severing staff and make most of their income from tips. It wouldn't have been so bad but at $7 dollars for a pint (about £4.50) the beers not that cheap and that's a US pint which is smaller than a UK pint but it does tend to be a lot stronger so it probably balances itself out. I think we spent about forty minutes in there in total and that was enough so it was time to move on and go to Cako bakery just down the that do the most fantastic cupcakes, we have been here before and this place is not something you want to miss in the city. Cako is sort of like real or craft ale is to people, everything is fresh that day and handmade, contains about a million calories and is sheer indulgence. This is the sort of thing you could eat until you exploded but like most things that are nice they come at a price but I think $10 dollars for four was well worth the money. By now it was starting to go dark and it's hard to think where all the time went to but we had a full day and been to everything that we had planned so you can't complain about that. If we had not been feeling as tried we would have got the bus up to Japan town to look at some of the architecture that they illuminate at night but we really just wasn’t up to that now so that only thing left to do was to walk into Union Square and watch the Cable Cars go past for a while and soak up a bit of the early evening nightlife with people playing music on the corner who were good and got passers-by involved, not to get money off them but just to have a good time on a warm evening. San Francisco really has to be the most laid-back city ever and I think that is why everyone loves it so much. As we were sat there in the square on a warm evening you soon forget that is January and we would normally be freezing if we were at home, that's the one thing that will stay with me forever is being in the middle of a big city that feels safe, is fairly safe compared to many other places, warm, laid back and friendly. I'm not saying bad crime doesn't happen here, it does, but you are more likely to be killed in San Francisco by a bad driver who doesn't stop after hitting you. The road accident death rate is really shocking there, I think there were around nine fatal accidents in the two weeks we spent there on our first visit there and sixteen in the same amount of time on the second, half of which were kids in a hit and run. It's a very sobering thought sometimes when you see it on the local news day in day out and sometimes right near to where you are staying or even where you were only a couple of hours ago. So it's always best to keep your eyes open and your wits about you when crossing the road thus avoiding getting run over. 

Today had been a very enjoyable day even though it had been a long one for us both but you are only going to a chance to come here once in every few years so you make the most of whilst you and it’s not like we was staying out late into the night partying, we are far too old for that sort thing I think. So that was the end to another day in the sunshine state, by now we were over halfway through the holiday and the days seemed flying past but we had both got over the flu by now and the weather has been warm and mostly sunny which I think helped more than anything to get over the illness we had. Most of California has been in a draught for the last four years or so but they still had plenty of water, by the time we left to go home they hadn't had any rain for over ninety days. Most of the reservoirs are outside the city in the mountains of Yosemite National park and it is pumped over a hundred miles to a large covered reservoir on the outskirts of the city. 

And so ends another day in SF.

Golden Gate Bridge walk

Our last trip here took us to the Golden Gate Bridge but we weren’t able to walk it across as Jane didn’t have her wheels then but this time we were determined to make it to the other side, it's a mile and a half each way so this was going to take a while but the weather was nice and there wasn't any rush. We left the hotel about 9 o'clock and walked up to Union Square to get the number 30 bus that would take us part of the way to the Golden Gate Bridge then walked around the corner and waited a few minutes for the number 28 bus that takes you all the way to Bridge Plaza which is adjacent to the bridge. It's around twenty-five minutes on the second bus and most of it is on the motorway, the car park is always packed so the bus struggles to get around most of the time but it's the only way to get there for us.

First off we went into the gift shop and bought some things like pens with the logo on because you can't buy these things anywhere else in the city as they have trademarked the image on merchandise I think, next stop was the coffee shop to get a drink and a snack plus a bottle of water to take with us although we still had one in the bag I had. Once you’re on the bridge that's it for anything so it's best to use the toilets first. One thing that is surprising is that the barriers on the bridge are only about three and a half foot high and seem really low considering how high you are, there only part that has a high fence is where the footpath is over the fort and access roads below. This is in case anyone jumps off so they don't land on anyone below I think.

So off we went across the bridge, is actually steeper than it looks when you are pushing a set of wheels so I had to keep stopping to have a rest, at least once you get to the middle of it it's all downhill to the other side from them on. One funny did happen when we were about halfway across while I was talking some photos two blokes started talking to Jane and they asked about her leg. After a few minutes they said they would say a prayer for her but what we didn't expect was for them to drop to their knees place a hand each on her knee and do it there and then while loads of people were walking past. They asked if it felt any better, which it didn't, but they said the Lord works in mysterious ways and who knows what might happen later. They then bid us a good day and carried on their way, I thought they were going to ask for a donation of something but they didn't, just genuine people who believe I suppose. As I was saying once in the middle it was downhill all the to the north vista point.

I thought there might be a shop on this side like there was on the other but oddly the only thing on the north side is toilets although the car park on this side is just as bad as the other one. If I'd had the time and the energy I would have liked to climb up the hills on the far side as the view from there must be amazing, that's where most of the photographs you see in books are taken from taken from but they are taken in the morning but as this was the middle of the afternoon the sun would have been in front of me, maybe that's for the next time we visit. Now it was time to fill up the water bottles from the water fountain and started the mile and a half walk back. When you are actually on the bridge is incredibly noisy so after a while is good to get off there and away from the traffic.

Back at the south vista point where we started at I had found something on the satellite maps that I had to go and look at called Battery Boutelle which is the old fortifications that protected The Gate, so called because the stretch of water between San Francisco and Marin County is called the Golden Gate Straights which is where the bridge got its name from. This is the sort of thing you don't find in most guidebooks and it's very easy to see the old colonial English style in the construction much like the forts in this country only on a larger scale where you really do get some amazing views of the bridge from an angel that you wouldn’t normally see. After spending some time, which was probably too long, taking photographs it was time to go to see if I could find where I’d left Jane as this place was too hilly, sandy, uneven, had ladders and there was generally very uneven up there. Now we had to press on so collected Jane and we got the bus back.

By now it was still only around three thirty so hopped on the number 28 bus back from the bridge plaza but instead of getting off this time where you would normally change buses we stayed on until the end the route almost, the funny thing was we were the only people on the bus by then and the driver asked us where we were going, most people in this city have no idea where they are, where they going or where to get off. He did seem genuinely amazed that we wanted to go to the Safeway superstore, knew where it was and where the bus stop was to get off at. It's easy to see why the drivers there get very stressed at times when it's a simple thing to look on a map of use modern technology to help you on your way. So into Safeway, it was for us, they have all sorts of stuff in here and the prices are a bargain, we had been in this one once before when we walked along the marina but we went a different way then so ended up carrying the shopping for miles. This time we got some reusable bags and walked up to get the next bus we had to catch which was only a short walk, one thing we both fancied for our evening meal was a roast chicken and by chance, they have them ready cooked in here in the hot cabinet. It was a fairly big chicken as well for five dollars, just a shame they didn't have any coleslaw to go with it. After about thirty minutes of stocking up and at least a couple of shopping bags full, we headed back out for the short walk back up the road to catch the number 30 bus. 

Wherever possible we try to avoid catching the number #30 bus because it goes through China town and it is literally packed to capacity most of the time, it’s not unusual for people to have to get off because the doors won't shut but where we got on is near the start of the route so it wasn't too bad at first for us but after about fifteen minutes it was completely full and the traffic was almost at a standstill. The good thing was that this bus drops you right outside the hotel so we only had to cross the road when we got off but that's easier said than done at this time of day as there seemed to be an endless stream of traffic coming down the road so ended having to walk to the next junction down just to cross the road then walk back up but given the amount of people who get killed on the road here it was probably a better idea. Back in the hotel, at last, this has been a really long day for us both but we achieved everything we had set out to do today and even seen a pelican flying over the bridge, we had planned on having a meal in Rouge Bar in Washington Square but the chicken was a much better idea and went down lovely with a cold tin from the fridge we had in the room. By now we were both done in so it was time to switch on the big TV and pig out on snacks for the rest of the evening.

Treasure Island

Saturday morning now and I think we had both made a full recovery apart from Jane still has a cough but that was getting better with the medicine she was talking. Today we were going to get to do something that we couldn't do last time we were here and that was to go to Treasure Island Flea Market which is only held on the last weekend of each month, so it was out onto Market Street to catch any downtown bus to just before the Embarcadero (or Bayfront) then walked through to the Transbay bus terminal to catch the one over to it. 

Treasure Island is located out in San Francisco Bay halfway between the City and Oakland and is reached by going over the Bay Bridge on the bus, there's no pedestrian walkway on this part of the bridge so this is the only way to get there, I thought we were going to have to wait a while for the bus as I had checked before we come out and there was only one running on the route at the moment so instead of being every twenty minutes with two buses running with only one its up to a forty minute wait. As luck would have it after waiting only a few minutes the second bus came out of the depot to go over there, we had just missed one by about five minutes so thought we were in for a long wait. It's about a fifteen-minute ride across the bridge but you don't really get a good view because it's a double deck bridge and the outward journey is on the lower deck. 

We got off the bus at what is called the main gate and got a coffee from a small shop that is there then sat on the wall that looks across the Bay to San Francisco, this is a wonderful view to see plus the road that we were sat on is lined with palm trees. Treasure Island used to be a naval base for many years but was sold off to be what should have been a very desirable place to live until they found out the land was contaminated with low-level radiation and nobody wanted to live there anymore, not even when they tried to build low-cost housing there for the poor, so now most of the old accommodation blocks are boarded up around the bottom but not had much vandalism to them because it's not that easy to get here. There are some people living on here but they probably wouldn't want to eat anything they have grown in their gardens.

It cost three dollars to go into the flea market which helps pay for the rental of the land and the staff that they have there and it's well worth it. It's not like the flea markets we have in this country its more of a craft market than anything else with all sorts of weird and wonderful things like animals made out of bits of metal to other things with old dials for eyes and that sort of thing. I got myself a very nice bag from here for thirty-five dollars and Jane bought some badges. Another thing the flea market is famous for its the food trucks that they have there, in total there is about twenty or so of them serving everything from authentic Chinese food to traditional America Burgers so we opted for the bacon cheeses burger, at nine and a half dollars each with a drink it’s not cheap but you would believe how big they were. They have some picnic tables but all them were taken so it was time to just sit where we were on the grass and eat there. It took us about thirty minutes to get through these burgers and wash it down with a can of drink. Time to make a move now before we nodded off were we sat so we walked back through the market again then went to have a look at the snow machine they were trying to get going. I think the idea was to have a snowball fight but there seemed to be problems with snow machine due to the temperature being around twenty-five degrees today. Think that's what they call a spectacular fail. 

By now it was time to move on so we came out of the market and headed to the far side of the island, I really wanted to see the new the east span of the Bay Bridge and this is possibly the best place we could get to see it from. The Bay Bridge is split into two half’s with the break in the middle being Treasure Island, the old span on the east side was damaged back in 1989 in the Loma Prieta earthquake and the replacement was started next to it only six years ago at a cost of seven billion dollars. It really is an incredible piece of engineering and near three miles long, it must look fantastic when it all lit up at night. Behind it you can see how the old bridge is slowly being dismantled bit by bit; that alone is going to take around three years or so. Apart from the unusual views you get from here, there wasn't much else to do so we walked out back the way we came towards the main gate bus stop. I think just the round trip to see this bit of bridge and taking some photographs has taken the best part of an hour an half. Back at the bus stop it was time to nip back in the shop and get a couple of ice creams while we waited for the bus, we had plenty of time to eat them as when the bus comes over the bridge it then goes past where we are sat, around the island and then picks you up before heading back across the bridge to the Transbay Bay bus terminal this time on the top layer of the bridge so you get some good views. 

From the bus terminal we walked onto the Embarcadero then along the Bay until we got to the Ferry Building marketplace where there was a farmer's market on today, probably not the best idea as the place was absolutely packed out, even the queue for the toilets was massive but the main reason we have come in here was to go to the Golden Gate Meat Company shop where you can get the most fantastic turkey and mushroom pies. We discovered this shop on our last visit here and it's a must do item on our things to do list. At seven dollars each, the pie’s aren’t cheap but one on its own is more than enough to fill you up, it has been a while since we had the burger and as we were now feeling better we had got our appetites back with a vengeance. We sat on a bench outside to eat the pies and watch the historic F line streetcars go past every few minutes. One thing we have learned in San Francisco is to always have a jacket with you as some places are really warm when you move a mile or so and if can be freezing, this was one of the cold places now so it was time to eat up and move on, it was starting to get late by now anyway. We headed across the road, tram lines, road and a plaza to get to the bus stop at the very end of Market Street and waited for the bus. 

All of Market Street now has free Wi-Fi so it's time to get the phone out and use the bus app I had on it to see where the next one is and how long it was going to be, as it turned out it wasn't more than about ten minutes or so. By now it was rush hour and Market Street was at standstill almost but unlike this country, it does move and they have traffic police on the junctions controlling the traffic as the traffic light system can't cope with it. It certainly makes things a lot better and keeps things moving; perhaps they should do that in places in this country. We have seen them do it in New York as well. In the end what would have been a ten or fifteen minute bus ride ended up being about thirty minutes but we weren’t in any rush, we ended up getting off at the wrong stop anyway as this was an express bus and didn't stop at the normal stop we would have got off at so had to get off at the one beforehand. By now it was about six o'clock so after getting some bits from the shop we headed back to the hotel and called it a day. One thing we did have in the hotel room was an old cast iron deep fill bathtub; it was lovely to have a soak in that for a while and then just lay on the bed and watching TV for a few hours. It had been a long day but I was glad we had spent most of the day over on Treasure Island because it’s not the sort of place you would go to normally as there isn’t that much to look at when the flea market isn’t on.

Bison and beach

We were up and out by about nine thirty this morning as we had a full day planned for us by starting almost were we left off in Golden Gate Park a few days prior to this so it was back on the 5L bus towards Ocean Beach and got off just after the Japanese Tea Garden this time and back into the park to have a look at the herd bison that live in there.

They were a bit far away but still managed to get some half decent pictures of them. The bison (also incorrectly called buffalo sometimes) have lived in the park since 1892 along with elk, bears and an assortment of other animals until the zoo opened in 1930, now only the bison remain, they are owned by the city and cared for with the help of San Francisco Zoo. The babies are normally moved to other areas in the USA to stop inbreeding and new animals are often bought by people then donated to the herd when required so there is very little cost to the city. We should have headed back onto the main road the and walked down towards the beach but we stayed in the park instead, that was a mistake as most of the pavements were really uneven with tree roots coming through so Jane had to walk most of it as it was too rough her wheels, it was a nice time for it though. 

After around forty minutes or so we came out at the Dutch windmills on the Pacific coast at Ocean Beach, but now we were hungry so it was time to head on over to a small parade of shops near there to see what was on offer apart from the large Safeway superstore. We definitely got lucky here by finding a burger shop that wasn't part of a chain called TJ Burgers, it was even recommended by somebody who was walking past at time and seen us looking at the menu. Time to dive inside for burger, large fries and large coffee all for about twelve dollars. That was certainly one of the best feeds we had. 

From there it was short walk around the corner to catch the number 18 bus up to the Legion of Honor which is a fine arts museum although that's not our sort of thing you do get some fantastic views over the city from the car park not to mention the fountain that they have in the car park that has the clearest water I've ever seen and it didn't have any litter dumped in like you see in most places. After taking some more photographs round there we headed off for a walk around the side of the museum, walking some footpaths through the woods (we later found out there are quite a few rattlesnakes living in these woods and even though it was winter it was very warm so they were still roaming about in there) and back out onto roads at outer Richmond district where there some very nice houses with cacti going in the garden. 

From there it was only a short walk to a place called Lands’ End which is on a cliff overlooking the ruins of Sutro Baths. This really is a spectacular view over the Pacific Ocean from here so the only thing to do was grab a coffee from the shop, sit on the wall and soak up the view on gloriously sunny afternoon then it was time to go in the national park gift shop and buy some souvenirs to take back, I must say I do like buying key rings and things like that. From there we walked down past the old Cliff house pumping station that was used when Sutro Baths was in used around nineteen hundred but it's now a very expensive restaurant, there's another gift shop that is next to the restaurant, this place belongs to the same company I think so everything was incredibly expensive as well although we did get to see the biggest T-shirts I've ever seen, they were massive. From there we headed down the road that brings you from the cliff to beach level, by now it was almost sunset now so we sat there and watched the sun go down for a while. Even though we have been here before it’s one you always want to come back to again and again.

It was time to move on now as it was almost dark but there was a still load of people on the beach as it was a warm evening, we headed along the seafront until we got back to the small parade of shops that we passed earlier and went into the Safeway superstore. We both like shopping in these places, it's the best supermarket around I think but there aren't many in the city so when you get a chance you go in we do. Everything is piled high and half the price of Walgreen’s so we stocked up on beer, biscuits, crisps and anything else we could think of. Turns out it was really heavy to carry but the bus stop is only just across the road, we grabbed some of the reusable bags that they sell as well to bring home with us because they are better quality and no one else is going to have one around here. We didn't have to wait too long for a bus plus they have a real-time system up in the bus shelter so you know how long is going to be and it’s always good to see them lined up across the road from where we were waiting so at least you know one will turn up eventually.

By now it was completely dark but there were still a lot of people about as it was only around six thirty, by the time we had been on the bus about fifteen minutes it was packed but only took about thirty-five minutes to get back to the corner of 5th and Market where the hotel is then it's just a couple of minutes’ walk to the door. By now it was about seven thirty and we were both a knackered but today has been a really good day. With that, it was time to switch on the TV for a couple of hours and eat some sandwiches and biscuits we had got from Safeway’s before we crashed out for the rest of the evening.

Crocker Galleria & Well Fargo History Museum

When we got up on Thursday morning we were both feeling so much better it was time for a good feed this morning so as we were only planning on a short day as the weather was a bit overcast although still warm Jane headed off out to a place called Carl Junior’s just across from Halliday Plaza to get a couple of breakfast cheese grills. This is something that we had heard about but never tried, at around six or seven dollars each they were well worth it. They are basically cheese on toast with various fillings in, we had the sausage and egg, and it was yummy. 

With full bellies, it was then time to head off out for the day just checking out the shops. As always when we out we headed up to the up to the end of the road and jumped on any bus that was heading downtown to the main shopping area, which all of them almost as we were only going a few stops and ended up at a place called The Crocker Galleria which is sort of an upmarket food court that only does soup and health food but that wasn't the reason we went, that was for the roof garden they have on top of the place. This has to be one of the greatest places to sit and eat your lunch where you can overlook Market Street and watch the buses and streetcars go by. It was a bit manic in here but then again it was lunchtime and this is a trendy place right next to the edge of the financial district so what could you expect. After about twenty minutes or so in there we headed out of the far side found a small coffee shop to get a drink in, the strange thing is the coffee is cheap and really good but the tea seems to be in these strange tea bags that seem to be in something like nylon bags so the flavor of the tea doesn't come out. Needless to say, we didn't buy any more tea after that, I stuck to the good old coffee and Jane has the hot chocolate. We sat outside by the side of the road on some seats they had but as the buildings are all very tall around here you are in the shade and it wasn't the warmest of days so didn't hang around there too long before we headed a couple of blocks down the road to a museum. 

The Wells Fargo Museum is set in the lobby and part of the first floor of the bank by the same name but seems to be overlooked by most people who visit San Francisco even though Wells Fargo Bank is the oldest bank on the west coast of the USA and was responsible for handling most of the gold rush transactions from that era. They still have a lot of original items on view in there dating back over a hundred years or so including weighing scales, gold nuggets and even stagecoach that was used to transport money in that have been refurbished back to its original condition. Although you’re not going to spend too much time in here as its only small it's was well worth stopping for an hour. Sadly a few days after we visited here an armed gang crashed a car through the front doors in the early hours of the morning, took the security guard hostage while they smashed open the cases that housed the gold nuggets and made their getaway again into the night. The gold nuggets actually cost less than the damage that they did to the doors and the building by smashing a car through it. Fortunately, they were able to reopen again about four weeks later, the thieves were never caught unfortunately but at least nobody got hurt which is the main thing I suppose. 

By now it was around four o'clock so we decided to head back onto Market Street and went into McDonald’s for some chicken nuggets as they were doing an offer of twenty for five dollars, darn nice they were as well. Fed and watered we moved on down Market Street just looking in the shops as went, as I said we hadn't planned on doing too much today, sort of rest day I suppose. Eventually, we arrived back at 5th Street and Market were the hotel was so it was time for the daily ritual of going in Walgreen’s to stock up on supplies for the evening. I was now feeling a lot better so Jane went back into the hotel and I carried on past down to the end of the road, around the corner to the off license or liquor store as they call them here for some tins of beer but ended up only drinking one that night I think, by now it was about 6pm but in the UK that’s 2am the following day. I don’t mind that sort of time difference it gives you plenty of time to look at what people have put on the web and use the free Wi-Fi in the hotel to upload my photographs of the day, by the time people had started to look at them I would be fast asleep in my big comfy bed with the fire trucks zooming past outside the window.

Golden Gate Park

We got up about 10.30am on Wednesday morning and was starting to feel a lot better but we both still had a cough but it was time to get out and about. It's only a short walk of about five minutes to get to Market Street where all the main buses run so we headed on up there on caught the 5L towards Ocean Beach for a thirty minute ride, got off in the Richmond district then headed into Golden Gate Park and spent around 30 minutes or so walking down to the Conservatory of Flowers on what was now a beautiful sunny warm day without a cloud in the sky, winter in San Francisco really is amazing place to be with flowers in bloom and bee’s zooming around.

There a small coffee shop just outside so it was time for a large coffee and a bit of a sit down before we got the tickets to go in. At $8 dollars each, it was well worth it, inside it is split into the sections, tropical, sub-tropical and dessert, I honestly thought that when we went into the tropical section it was going to be really hot and humid but it wasn't that bad; even my glasses didn't stream up. The plants in there are truly incredible, I've never seen a pitcher plant that big, everything seemed to be at least ten times the size that you would think it would be. We moved on through the various parts until we come to the special exhibition they were are at the far end on aquatic water gardening, we were the only people in that part at the time and they had a member of staff there who told us all about how and went these gardens created including fish in the tanks. I think we spent about a couple of hours in there in total but we now we had to move on. 

Only a short walk from there is an ornamental garden called The Japanese Tea Garden, I wasn’t too sure about going in here as it very hilly inside and Jane probably wouldn’t be able to get around but as we were here we thought we might as well do it. I think it was $10 dollars to go in but when we got to the ticket window the man behind the counter said we could both go in for free as Jane wouldn’t be able to get around about half of the place which was nice of him. Inside was like being in a giant bonsai garden and they had some of the biggest koi carp I've ever seen in a large pond at the bottom. We followed a path that took us up a very steep hill and over some stepping stones (that was a bit trickier for Jane) to the Japanese Tea shop. This sort of tea isn't our cup of tea so to speak so we headed into the gift shop. I don’t think I've seen any give gift shop that was so expensive but then again a lot of the items on sale were handmade. From there we walked over to the big tower that is inside but the name of that escapes me at the moment, I had to leave Jane there at that point while I went and took some photographs as the paths were too steep and uneven for her to get any further. After taking far too many photos we found a path back down to the bottom that didn't involve crossing the stepping stones again and headed out back into Golden Gate Park. The strange thing about this place is that there is a wheelchair ramp outside up to the entrance but if you couldn't get it out of the wheelchair then you would only be able to look at the fish in the bottom pond. 

We were both starting to feel a bit hungry now as we hadn't really eaten much in the last couple of days with not feeling well so we headed on over to a stall that was selling hot dogs nearby to get something to eat and drink. It was very pleasant just to sit there in the Music Concourse in this amazing park and watch the world go by on a sunny afternoon. By now it was starting to get late and it goes dark at this time of year around six here so it was time to cut through into Fulton Street and catch the bus back towards the hotel as we were both starting to feel a bit done in. Luckily there was a bus waiting to go so there was no hanging around not that you have to wait very long for a bus here most of the time for the thirty-minute ride back to Market Street. 

So now it was time for the usual, head into Walgreen’s and get a sandwich and some bottles of drink then head back to the hotel. The funny thing was as we were going into the shop the security following somebody out who has stolen some items, he basically grabbed hold of the bloke as he got outside by the collar and took everything he had in his pockets that he has stolen from him then pushed him into the street and said don't come back again, they don't seem to bother calling the police for this sort of thing with the many homeless people that live around here it’s an everyday occurrence I think. With that, the bloke just sat back down on the pavement outside the shop again. I think they must get these sort people all the time in here and the other stores that are round here, they all have security guards on the door and wandering around. So that was another day over and with each one that passed, we got a little bit better every day. Time for some TV and the massive comfy bed now until morning.