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Published: October 2nd 2010
Coit Tower
This is one of the lifelike murals from the bottom of Coit TowerI took the Amtrak train from Sacramento to San Francisco after my aunt/cousin Tania dropped me off downtown. It is a beautiful train ride as you pass through the mountains before going along the edge of the bay and then hopping on a bus in Oakland that drives into downtown San Francisco. The only part that s-u-c-k-e-d was that the bus driver refused to stop at Fisherman's Wharf, the final destination on my ticket. I think I didn't hear him announce something but he was clearly one of my least favorite people on the trip. That was pretty much the only negative at all in San Francisco as Danny (my friend Dede's husband) picked me up near Union Station and we drove to their apartment just off of Geary and 22nd Street (right through the center or town but on the western side of the city (I think?). Danny was really generous with his time while I was there. The amount of time he gave me in picking me up, loaning me his car and bike, doing tours with me, getting me situated and eating together were more than I ever could have expected from someone I just met. Dede has
done very well indeed. (As have they both in my estimation).
Dede and I used to teach together at Siam University in Bangkok for roughly one full semester when I first started there some six years ago. She and I (along with my other American friend Matt) became quite good friends and I had the opportunity to meet up with Dede on some of my travels. For example, we shared some scary rooms in Hong Kong once. She returned to do an MA in Linguistics (I think) in NYC before spending some time teaching in Spain where she and Danny met. (He had been doing freelance work for the BBC). She has been in San Francisco for over a year now and they both got married earlier this year. This is only the second time I had seen her since Thailand......I crashed on her floor in NYC just before I started my graduate degree in Thailand some 4 years ago. It is so good we have been able to stay in touch because Dede is one of the best people I know. A number of positive but colorful adjectives are only a start. Now, I can just say I
Old Cars
Still love the cars I see in California. The Beatles were probably new when this Beamer was released. am grateful for the opportunity to be their first house guest and to have such a fun time.
While I was in San Francisco, Dede worked during the days and I was either on my own or with Danny. He and I did a tour of the formerly Italian (but now Chinese) North Beach area down near the Coit Tower and stretching towards Chinatown and the old red light district. We also shared lunches together. Most mornings I (after doing some exploring on foot or on Danny's bike) I went to the cafe near their house to get online. For some reason, the connection was not happening in their wired but finicky apartment. Danny was working on a story and doing some blogs while I was there but still managed to do this and do the North Beach tour with me. It is so cool that San Francisco offers tours of much of the city free. The guides have all been quite knowledgeable, informative and enjoyable on these 2 hour walking jaunts according to Dede and Danny (who have done some 8 of them.)
They rent a quaint but small and convenient apartment situated just off the Geary
(expressway) which is much like a big street that drives through the middle of town. It has a garage, laundry, a kitchen but is very small so I slept on an air mattress on the floor. (Not so different from in the large Boston apartment except that my room was the living room here). The apartment is in a great neighborhood with Russian delis and bakeries, lots of cafes, dim sum, Mexican, Thai, and Japanese food to name just a few. Golden Gate park is within easy biking distance and you could walk as well. A bus takes you downtown fairly quickly from here. (San Francisco relies on buses much more than Boston and is a little bit less walkable because of the hilliness.......but equally convenient for most of the city. I am still partial to Boston's public transport perhaps because I am so much more familiar with the city.)
My first day in San Francisco (after the fiasco with the bus driver) I had lunch with Danny at the apartment and dropped my things off. After that, I had just enough time to strut onto the end of Fisherman's wharf and take some photos of the Golden Gate
From the roofs of San Francisco
Danny suggested this shot as we overlooked the bay from the roof of a police station near Chinatown. and Alcatraz. Walking through Golden Gate park and beach area because there are lots of colorful characters as well as great opportunities for people watching. I met Dede at her work which is near the wharf and Danny joined us for drinks at a local but touristy watering hole. From there, we returned to a pot chicken roast that Dede had started in the morning before work. It was an early night but a good time to catch up with Dede and get to know Danny a little bit more. He is from Australia but had been living in Madrid for many years and after a long freelance career with the BBC, he is now trying to get going here in the US. (It appears tough to land good positions but he is busy).
On my second day, Danny and I did the North Beach tour and returned to have lunch at the apartment. I then took the bus back to North Beach so I could explore the Coit Tower which overlooks the San Francisco Bay from high up in the hills. I met a stunningly intelligent and beautiful Austrian girl who had gotten lost and we did some
Max in his car
We finished our discussion here before he drove me back. The parking meters were running low so we left Starbucks to have a nice conversation here. He feels so vibrant and young inside. walking near the tail end of my journey. Somehow I didn't manage to get any of her information as we parted ways on the run but with lots of awkward smiles. I was late meeting Dede for the San Francisco Giants game and she was headed to find the Ferry Building (which I hadn't a clue how to find). It was quite peaceful up there and walking down a set of stairs behind the tower gives you access to some beautiful trails and gorgeous houses built on the hills. In general, the architecture on the hills of San Francisco is worth many many looks. It is a special part of San Francisco and has a ghostly reminder of some Mexican and South American towns I have seen albeit with its own style.
The Giants game was so much fun as some 55 students and staff from Dede's work, (EF International) where she coordinates interns, chaperoned them all to the ball park. It is one of the league's prettiest and most pleasant sitting on the bay. The students were hard pressed to understand this culturally American game. It is not an easy game to explain or watch if you are
Dede rooting for the Giants
You need the blur to express the excitement of the game sometimes. These ridiculous signs served as a medium for fun all evening. new to it. But most appeared to enjoy it such as singing the 7th inning stretch song for which they had been given the words.
The same day I did the North Beach tour, I had a long lunch with my uncle Max at a local dim sum place around the corner from Dede and Danny's. We also stopped at a Russian bakery which he knew well and finished at Starbucks before he dropped me off in his big and comfortable looking Beamer. I had never had more than a few moments with Max and much like visiting all of his children on this West Coast swing, I thoroughly enjoyed getting to know him a little more. For the most part, I listened as he talked but he has a certain charisma and related some nice memories of my parents that he recalled.
The following day (after blogging at the cafe in the early morning) I took the car and drove across the Golden Gate Bridge and into Sausalito to get some pictures of the stunning views from there. Prior to that, I had gone to the local Anchor Steam Brewery hoping to get a look at some
Taco truck
Only on the West Coast would something like this be commonplace. I got a delicious taco for nothing. See the next photo. of their craft produced whiskey and gin. I was out of luck and they directed me to a local liquor store where I might find some. Apparently, Anchor Steam is the only place in San Francisco (that I am aware of) that produces craft liquors on a commercial scale like this. So I couldn't get any. In fact, the owner of the shop told me he would pay me $100 if I could find a bottle of the Portrero craft whiskey Anchor Steam produces. I settled for some locally produced watermelon beer and some Sauvignon blanc to give my hosts. On my last evening, we enjoyed some of the watermelon beer and went to a local Japanese restaurant to enjoy hot pot with Kobe beef and various vegetables.
My last day in San Francisco, Danny lent me his bike and I did a brief tour of Golden Gate park in the early morning. Many of the museums and public gardens (like the botanical garden) were shut down at this time of day, but many bikers, joggers and local Chinese doing their exercises were dispersed along my ride. After having a Mexican lunch down the street from their apartment, Danny
gave me a ride to the airport. Some 30 plus hours later I sit in a hostel in Melbourne about to embark upon my first day of exploring in Australia. I will probably do one day in Melbourne before moving on to Sydney tomorrow.
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Helen
non-member comment
San Francisco
Sorry about that bus driver but aside from him you really got to know this appealing city, thanks to Dede and Danny, his bike and car. Sounds like lots of food variety, too, from the taco truck to Max's dim sum--so glad you saw him and got that great photo. Mostly it was great that you had Dede's and Danny's companionship, and got to see the Giants game in Candlestick park with the two of them and Dede's students. I envy your biking through Golden Gate park, seeing the Tea House and the Chinese doing their exercises. The last time I did that was with my sister Pat.