San Francisco

San Francisco

I fell in love with San Francisco during my time there.  It has everything you need for a world class city.  It’s got an amazing location, 43 hills with stunning views, some great landmarks recognised all over the world, cool people, (it also has a lot of crazy people too) and lots of interesting history.  It’s also got a great climate, it’s warm, but not too hot, no houses have AC, and it’s not too big either, with a population of around 800, 000.  It reminded me of Glasgow in some ways, both with the size, and the hills, and also with the amount of tramps and crazy people wandering around, talking to themselves and shouting at the sky.  I felt at home.

I stayed in a really nice hostel downtown.  I got an early night the first night so I could get up and do some badly needed laundry.  I’d been wearing several t-shirts at the same time at night in Utah and all my clothes were stinking of bonfire smoke.  I did my laundry got some breakfast and set about exploring.  I got a day ticket for the cable car and queued for what seemed like an aeon before finally getting on one.  The cable cars were quite an experience, they slowly climb improbably steep hills, and when they get to the peak you hear the screeching sound of the breaks while gliding downhill.  It was more like a slow roller coaster than a mode of public transport.  I got off down at the Piers, had a wee wander about, and saw the golden gate bridge for the first time.  I then hopped on an open top bus to take me around the sights and to get my bearings for the city.  I had some dinner and when I got back to my room at the Hostel I met an Irishman, John, who had just arrived.  We went out for a few drinks and got the craic.  He was a cool guy, he worked in the construction industry, there was no work in Dublin so he decided to escape the gloom and doom of the recession back home and do a bit of travelling instead.  He became my dinner and drinking buddy for the duration of my San Francisco stay.  He was a bit older, he’d just turned forty and he wasn’t on a tight budget, which suited me down to the ground.

Sealions at Pier 29

I hired a bicycle over the next couple of days, I splashed out on a decent road bike, it was a beast.  It was super light, perfect for pounding up the San Francisco hills.  I love urban cycling, it might not seem like it if you have read my Utah post, but I really enjoy climbing hills too, so San Francisco was the perfect city for cycling for me.  I cycled around the Haight, through Golden Gate Park, and across Golden Gate Bridge.  I’d arranged to meet up with John at a restaurant down the Fisherman’s Wharf building for happy hour oysters.  He’d never tried oysters and wasn’t sure if he’d like them, I think I managed to convert him.  We ate about two dozen each washed down with a couple of glasses of California wine, I was in heaven.  It was great having a dinner buddy, ‘cos eating out on your own isn’t the same.  We had a couple of pints after dinner and I managed to persuade him to hire a bike the next day.

John on his bike

The next morning, John began to regret his drunken decision.  He hadn’t been on a bike for 20 years, and didn’t do much exercise either.  We picked up his bike and set off.  He was a bit wobbly and couldn’t cope with the up hills, but he did alright otherwise.  I’d arranged to go to Alcatraz at midday, so I took John up the steepest hills in San Francisco, which I don’t think he really appreciated, then we went down to Pier 49, where I was to get the ferry.    Alcatraz was pretty cool, it looks amazing from afar, it’s often shrouded in mist which gives it a very mysterious, spooky look.  The ferry ride was interesting with spectacular views of San Francisco, the Golden Gate Bridge and the approach to Alcatraz.  It’s been turned into a Museum now, I watched the introductory video when I arrived, then picked up my headset and set about to do the automated tour.  It was interesting listening to all the stories, hearing about the escape attempts, the infamous prisoners who stayed there and seeing all the tiny cells.

Alcatraz

I did a bit more cycling when I got back then met up with John for a Sheesha and some happy hour beers.  We ate in a fancy pants Vietnamese restaurant with a San Francisco twist.  The food was excellent, I had the shaking beef washed down with a glass of red.  I was so glad to find somebody, who wasn’t on a budget to enjoy the culinary delights of San Francisco.  It’s a real foodies city, with a diverse multicultural population.  There’s a little Saigon, little Italy, Japan town, little India, Russian hill and Scotch corner.  You could enjoy great food from around the world with the freshest ingredients.  I think I remember only seeing one or two MacDonald’s in San Francisco.  And don’t forget the wine, I love wine, and you can’t beat a bit of Californian red.  After dinner we had our usual few beers then decided to book a wine tasting tour the next day.

I’m a fan of the film Sideways, which is a bit of a romantic comedy set in California.  It’s based upon the exploits of two guys on a stag do, driving around the wine valleys drinking lots of wine, eating lots of good food and generally getting into trouble.  It’s one of the reasons why I chose to visit California, so I was looking forward to the wine tour immensely.  We had our first tasting at around 10am, we drank a selection of whites, reds and had the best Port I’ve tried.  The winery was very small, you could only buy wine from there and not in the shops or online.  The port was so delicious, that I decided to buy a bottle and carry it around with me until I flew home for Christmas.  We went to another bigger winery before lunch, and had another selection of wines, one of which we bought to have with our lunch.  After lunch we went to one of the biggest wineries, and then finished up at “The Sparkling House” as the name suggests is a winery specialising in Sparkling wine.  This one was a special request by myself, I adore bubbly.  Five of us chipped in to get a magnum which we drank while sat on a terrace in the afternoon sunshine with views of vineyards as far as the eye could see.  It was a good way to finish off the wine tasting experience.  We then drove home with a stop off at a viewpoint for the Golden Gate Bridge.  It was a very clear day and the view was spectacular.  It was the first clear day for months the driver told us, the Golden Gate Bridge is normally covered in mist, which is the reason why it’s painted bright red.  It was to be my last night in San Francisco, so myself and John and an English guy we met went out for a few farewell drinks.    

Me and my Magnum

The next day I checked out of the Hostel said goodbye to John and flew to Los Angeles.