The Early Morning Drive Down California Street

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The Early Morning Drive Down California Street





It’s 6:15 in the morning

The air is cool and it is as dark as the middle of the night.



You coast down the side street in your cold vehicle… passing people walking briskly to the bus stop where they will ride to their daytime life.



As you cruise down California Street there is a quietness that is inviting and peaceful. It is a special time of day, as a residential area in a large city is still resting, but beginning to come to life.



What do you see?

Houses, hospitals, restaurants and a Starbucks already getting ready to provide the fuel to wake up the masses for another day.



The lights are coming on at the large University of California San Francisco campus where perhaps a future doctor will be trained, who will help cure cancer.



California Street begins to take you on its ski slope ride, up and down hills. Speed up, catch the green lights as the synchronized lights entice you to play the game of going the longest distance without braking. The countdown on the walk lights tell you if you will win or lose.



Taxi cabs cut in front of you, as they stop to pick up a fare. The cabs swarm around, as if they own the road, driving slow in the fast lane, stopping and starting at irregular times…



Ah Fillmore, the Christmas lights are on, the business are coming to life, early bird people are headed to eat at a small restaurant.. Then up the hill you go to reach the pinnacle and highlight of the drive, just a mile away.



You stop and cough at Gough Street.



You go past a busy Van Ness Street around trucks parked in the right lane as they unload their cargo early in the morning.



Polk. What interesting things will you see here??



Be careful. The cable car tracks make a slippery surface for tires to slide on.



Then up the hill you go, coming to the climax of the drive..











You see the Grace Cathedral Catholic Church on the left.. the beautiful old Pacific Union Club building next to Huntington Park also on the left. The Fairmont Hotel, Mark Hopkins….



Beautiful architecture and interesting history surround you …



It is all so beautiful… Stopping at the light on Mason to catch the most gorgeous view of the city below and a portion of the Bay Bridge at a distance, takes your breath away.



Now comes the most fun part of the drive.



Go down one block and stop at the light for cable cars on Powell Street. Then head down the steepest part of the hill. hitting green lights at Stockton and Grant, you can let your foot off the brake and coast down the hill. When you hit the intersection, the road is flat and you can feel the air as you fly over the crest of the hill.



Now you’re in the financial district. People are going to and fro… Cars are turning, life is beginning for another day…







(Note: The part about "stop and cough at Gough Street" is an attempt at humor, as I always find it funny that Gough is pronounced like cough, and it sometimes makes me subconsiously cough when I see the sign.. 😊)

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Comments

[Margaret]

Brings back memories
Reminds me of the night drive we took last January. I liked zooming up and down the hills. And especially liked seeing Coit Tower at night.