OUR FAMILY HOLIDAYS
0250 Californian Holiday -- San Francisco
Along with many
Americans, I put San Francisco top of the list of my favourite US cities; albeit
that the list is very short, since most other US cities usually are
characterised by all that is worst in modern life! San Francisco, though, has
more character than almost any other city in that vandalised nation. I guess
this is due to the fact that, like Manhattan, the land is scarce
and those making use of the buildings have had to be inventive. Apart from
that, its culture seems much more vibrant than any other American city. The
cable cars alone make it
a
much more interesting place to visit. The example of people literally hanging
onto the sides of the cable cars as they travel up and down the hills, rather
than sitting in the cars which inhabit the monotonously flat grid-irons of other
US cities, somehow or other the free spirit encapsulates which seems to be
around.
On the cable car
Once more, on our Californian Holiday, we were put in a hotel in a poor neighbourhood, with rooms which were barely adequate. The level of maintenance was such that one stage we found ourselves locked into the room and had to phone down to get someone to release it. This was particularly problematic since it was at the time my parents had just telephoned to say they had arrived in San Francisco. This is where our two paths crossed, and we had three days together.
Of course the first thing we had to do was to go on the cable cars. Pat hated the culture, with everyone talking to everyone else all around the cable cars. I loved it.
We first went down to Fishermen's Wharf and Ghirardelli Square, where the new action then was - full of restaurants and tourist attractions – and had a lobster lunch there.
As was our wont, we also did several tours. One of them was to the Chinese Garden and to the area where the seals inhabit the rocks.
If you look very carefully you can just about see the seals!
And thence to overlook the Golden Gate Bridge.
Another day we went across the Golden Gate Bridge to Sausalito and the Redwood Forest beyond it.
Pat wanted to go on the trip to Alcatraz, but I persuaded her and my parents to take a trip round the Bay.
Alcatraz from the boat!
It was less than interesting and Pat was not too happy when I later, with IBM, went to Alcatraz by myself!
The obligatory night out was to Chinese restaurant in Chinatown. The food was almost as good as Chinese restaurants in this country! We then went to the Oakland Bridge, or at least to the island in the middle of this, where we were supposed to get a wonderful night-time view of San Francisco. To be honest it was not worth the petrol. Apart from that I popped down to look at the new underground, which was rather like any underground -- but of rather better quality.
We also went shopping, including the branch of Macy's. I and Pat were down in the basement, walking along looking at the goods on display, when I suddenly realised there was a fireman trudging alongside carrying a fire hose. Worse still, I heard him muttering to his companions "Well I can't see where it is". Having rushed outside, we found the whole block surrounded by what seemed like dozens of fire trucks. I guess it was a false alarm, but very alarming at that.
We had another
adventure when we decided to go and see the famous Hyatt Regency hotel. I got
it into my head that it was pyramid shaped and there was only one obvious
pyramid shaped building in San Francisco. We couldn't find our way in, until we
eventually managed to get into the car p
ark
entrance and popped up in the building’s reception area. When we went to ask
the security guard, on the reception desk, where the hotel was, we were suddenly
surrounded by guards with their guns drawn. We weren't supposed to be there, in
that it was Bank of America! Luckily they didn't shoot us on the spot.
The Bank of America!
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