San Francisco
Where have all the hippies gone?
It was the summer of 1967, the Summer of Love, that put San Francisco on the map. The hippie movement left a mark in the city and is still one of the first things that comes to mind when thinking of the city. However, the San Francisco of the 21st century is far away from being a hippie town. The nearby nature trails and Silicon Valley attract mostly those that love the outdoors and those that work in tech, maybe even both. The financial district of San Francisco is a collection of shiny skyscrapers and the rents in the city would be unthinkable for hippies, unless they work in tech or finance.
One thing however has been mentioned by multiple tour guides and locals (and Charlie felt it too), there is always love and acceptance in the air. Charlie for example was invited to a private dinner party and fully included in the group.
Another example is homelessness in San Francisco. It is said to see them in the Tenderloin District, however, they are generally friendly and don’t do any harm. The city accepts them and provides several food banks in that area.
San Francisco in a day
The easiest way to see a city in a short period of time is a hop-on-hop-off tour. Charlie did two of them with Big Bus, one tour during the day and one after dark. The routes for both tours were different.
The evening tour went through down town, over the Bay Bridge and onto Treasure Island. It was the perfect view of the San Francisco skyline at night.
The day tour is the one that brings you to all the popular spots including the Painted Ladies, Golden Gate Park and to Vista Point, a viewpoint of the Golden Gate Bridge. The bus also crosses the bridge and in Charlie’s opinion, it is the best way to experience it because you can sit at the open deck and soak the views in. It also was cold and windy, but it was worth it!
Charlie only got off at the Painted Ladies and Pier 39. She would have liked to spend some more time at Golden Gate Park and at the Palace of Fine Arts with its beautiful gardens. She didn’t have enough time for that though.
At Pier 39, Charlie tried the famous Clam Chowder in Sourdough Bread and watched the sea lions from the view point. The pier seemed more like an amusement park for all ages, but it is the best spot to watch the sea lions.
Cable Cars and public transport in San Francisco
The Big Bus was a good way to get to all corners of the city and see all the important sights. Public transport in general though was a bit tricky in San Francisco because Charlie couldn’t get any good information about it. Google Maps guided her to a place that was supposed to be a bus stop and she had to find it herself by following the route. The bus however, never showed up and Charlie ended up taking an Uber instead.
The curious thing about the famous cable cars is that Google Maps also treats them like public transport, however the price of USD 8 for a one-way-ticket suggests otherwise. They are more of a tourist attraction these days, although can be useful if you are staying down town. You should not try to get on a cable car with luggage because they are usually packed and there is very little space. At the start points, you can also expect long queues and a wait time of at least 30 minutes.
Charlie took the cable car from the marina to the famous crooked street, Lombard Street, and from there to her hotel near Union Square. It was mostly for the experience!
There is a cable car museum too which could be interesting to see. The way how they work is very unique. The cable is below the street and constantly moving. The driver clips the car onto the cable to get it moving and lets it go to stop the car. At the end and start points, in order to turn the car around, they drive it onto a wooden platform that they turn manually. Charlie observed it while waiting in line for the cable car. Certainly a fascinating thing to see and a unique thing in the world.
Muir Woods
Around 30 minutes outside of San Francisco is another popular destination: Muir Woods, the ancient redwoods by the coast. Charlie visited them as part of a guided tour which seemed to be the easiest to do. You could get there by public transport and with a shuttle bus, however this is complicated and takes more time than Charlie had.
The Muir Woods are a national monument and you have to pay an entrance fee, unless you have a national parks pass. There is one main trail that goes along a river in a loop. Depending on how fast you walk you can do this trail in 1.5 hours. For other hiking trails that start here, you should plan more time. The loop is sufficient to see these giant, ancient Sequoia trees and admire them in all their beauty. They can reach a height of up to 360 feet.
If you are driving to Muir Woods, please be aware that you need to make a reservation for parking in advance because spaces are limited.
Sausalito
Part of the same guided tour was a visit to the town of Sausalito. Some would describe it as a Mediterranean coastal town and whilst there were some elements of that style, Charlie would have rather described it as an English coastal town. The architecture and layout against a mountain by the waterfront reminded her more of Dartmouth than of the Mediterranean.
It is a nice place for lunch and you could take a ferry from San Francisco across the bay to get to Sausalito. A bit outside the town, you can spot some houseboats and even the larger floating houses which were originally build as a tax evasion technique.
Alcatraz
We’ve ticked off the Golden Gate Bridge and the cable cars, only one thing is still missing out of the must-dos in San Francisco: Alcatraz. The former federal prison is located on an island in the bay and visible from almost any point along the coast. To get there, you catch the official Alcatraz ferry from Pier 33. Once you’re on the island, you can explore on your own. Inside the cell house, there is an audio guide available which is already included in your ticket. Charlie did not listen to the full tour because it was simply noisy and busy. There were around 200 other people that had stepped off the ferry with her and most of them were inside the former cell house at the same time. Some of them had crying and screaming kids. Take this in combination with the echo in the building, it simply wasn’t enjoyable to do the audio tour.
It was interesting to see Alcatraz, but in all honesty, one of those ferry trips that take you around the island would have done the job too.
Karl, the fog
On a final note, fog in San Francisco should be mentioned. It even has a name, Karl. Charlie spent two full days in San Francisco and 3 more days a bit further down south along the coast – she hasn’t met Karl. Maybe the things they tell us about the strong fog in San Francisco aren’t true? Charlie might find out on her next visit to San Francisco.
