Taking an early morning stroll along through Chinatown (‘All under heaven is for the good of the people’) I ended up walking up to Pier 39, viewing the fishermen at work. I completed my day with a Vanilla Chocolate cup cake at Ghirardelli Square (once home to one of America's most famous chocolatiers), walking along Fisherman’s Wharf with its market places, shops, galleries and top seafood restaurants; watching the sea lions getting their sun bath, passing the Boudin Bakery museum with it’s yummy smell and going on a Cable Car ride up an down some of the steepest hills back to Union Square for a quick shop before stoping by at Sutter street where Romy works.
- / – / – / - / – / – / - / – / – / - / – / – / - / – / – / - / –
After Romy dropped me off to leave my luggage at the Hostel where Justin works, I had one of my typical breakfasts (hot chocolate and a blueberry muffin) and went to the GoldenGatePark to see MC Hammer at the Bluegrass Festival. Too cool – U can’t touch this. This hit was his last song and he got all the kids up on the stage to rap and rock with him, awesome.
After my musical experience I power walked through GoldenGatePark to the Ocean Beach (Cliff house and Dutch wind mills), passing a huge Reservoir for Bisons. It’s a really windy area and the water is not suitable for swimming, but surfers take advantage of the waves. Well, actually I wouldn’t because for me the water was too freezing and dangerous with it’s big waves.
Not in the mood for expensive Japanese Tea Garden, Academy of Science or exhausting De Young Museum walks, I went to Haight street for window shopping. Back in the mid/1960s, this was perhaps the most famous intersection in the world, a place where young people came from all over the world in search of love and peace. The Haight today is actually a whole new scene, saving a few hippie and beatnik relics.
At night I walked down to Castro to get a better feeling about S.F.’s queer culture and its historic section of Upper Market street, marked with rainbow flags, somewhat of a gay Mecca. It’s a district where I can imagine to live one day, but it’s too expensive with all the gay people from all over the world who would pay more money for rent as they should.
A quick stopover at Civic Centre, an area where government and the cultural arts intersect, and it was time to go back to the hostel to have sushi dinner with Justin, talking about differences in American and Austrian cultures and habits (..bussi bussi society,’Mahlzeit"’, coffeeToGo, Starbucks, etc…). Later on we went out for the pub crawl, meeting two nice guys from New Zealand (then lost them), a fellow from Melbourne, a few Germans of course: Christian from Berlin, Dieter the Schwaebe, Jochen, Marina & Magali…
Last bar was Amsterdam after we got kicked out of the one club over the street (300 instead of 108 people in the club). Trying new sorts of beer, I had a chat with Alan , Justin’s friend and I also met his girlfriend Nancy. They are such a cute couple, you wouldn’t believe its too beautiful. Was so fun this night but had to get up in the morning
- / – / – / - / – / – / - / – / – / - / – / – / - / – / – / - / –
Time for breakfast – hot chocolate and a delicious muffin, then walking to the Ferry Building located at the foot of Market Street and the Embarcadero, the waterfront area at the northeast edge of the City featured by a palm tree lined promenade with views of the Bay Bridge.
What I didn’t expect was to run into the 2 German girls Marina and Magali from the pub crawl. S.F. with its 7x7 miles is not that big.. However, we split, I went to the AT&T Park, my first time to see a Baseball game. This Park, home of S.F. Giants is quiet unique, there’s a free viewing spot. Was awesome, Giants lost though.
Alcatraz, Spanish for pelican, the island served as a military base in the 1850s and an incarceration facility for war prisoners during the Spanish/American war. In 1934 the Rock became the infamous maximum security prison, with residents including Machine Gun Kelly, Al Capone and Robert Birdman Stroud. Although the island is only a mile from shore, there is no evidence of any successful escapes across the icy bay. The prison was the only one in the federal systems that touted hot showers, a luxury design to keep prisoners from acclimating to cold water.There also was a 18 month occupation by Indians of All Tribes which saved the tribes. Well, I wanted to go on an Alcatraz Rock tour but it was already booked out, so after a ride with the F-Line vintage streetcar trolley from the 1920s and 30s, i again went to the GoldenGatePark to see Bonnie Prince Billy. Was freezing cold and foggy, just San Francisco weather.
Fog is nature’s natural air conditioning in the Bay Area. During the spring, summer and fall, the land heats up more quickly than the water of the Pacific. When the icy ocean waters meet the warmer ocean air, condensation advection fog. City hills trip the fog in certain neighbourhoods, so while Golden Gate Park may be cold and cloudy other parts of the city are enjoying sunny skies.
Afterwards I walked along Haight Street to say goodbye to my beloved City, stopping by at the coffee where Alan works.
Alan and I played pool billiard against two ‘testosteron’ guys , being the ‘best team ever’ and we won!!! After three beer we met Justin, Nancy and their two roommates at a bar close where they live (little Shamrok @ Lincoln btw 9th&10th).
Good bye San Francisco – I love you – I’ll be back soon, I promise!!!
