It seems like a lifetime that I had been living and working so far off the beaten track that I had lost sight of it. No, not a loss of sight due to an ever advancing age. But i had seriously forgotten what it was like to go to place so unimaginably overrun with tourists that the sound of unfolding maps was actually deafening. After choosing the destination of "south" for my current multi-year exploration, it was pretty much inevitable that i would end up passing through San Francisco.There is clearly no denying the raw tourist magnetism of the city of San Francisco. 
There are some cities which are blessed with a famous landmark or two. A few places are lucky enough to have a cool atmosphere which is instantaneously accessible to even the most novice traveller the second they step off the plane. Some places are good for families, others for solo travellers. But... there are hardly any locations in this world that have it all. San Francisco is one of the few places I know (and I've been a place or two) that I would have to say has it all.
There are some cities which are blessed with a famous landmark or two. A few places are lucky enough to have a cool atmosphere which is instantaneously accessible to even the most novice traveller the second they step off the plane. Some places are good for families, others for solo travellers. But... there are hardly any locations in this world that have it all. San Francisco is one of the few places I know (and I've been a place or two) that I would have to say has it all. Perfect? No. Nowhere is! But simply by taking into account the iconic
landmarks that grace the city, it's already head and shoulder above the competition. I cannot really think of another place where something as simple as public transportation has become such a unmistakable trademark of a city. Growing up seeing Rice-a-Roni commercials, I wasn't even sure where San Francisco was. But the image of those cable cars chugging up the ridiculously steep hills (I grew to hate those steep hills) was forever blazoned into my memory. Since 1873 those little trolleys have brought the chronically lazy home. Nowadays, they aren't exactly serving the car-owning public. Playing the hardcore game of "spot the local" will generally go unrewarded. But the brakemen (and newly anointed brake-women) put their backs on the line day after day for the camera wielding tourists. At least the tourist are a little bit lighter after shelling out the $5 single ride ticket cost.
landmarks that grace the city, it's already head and shoulder above the competition. I cannot really think of another place where something as simple as public transportation has become such a unmistakable trademark of a city. Growing up seeing Rice-a-Roni commercials, I wasn't even sure where San Francisco was. But the image of those cable cars chugging up the ridiculously steep hills (I grew to hate those steep hills) was forever blazoned into my memory. Since 1873 those little trolleys have brought the chronically lazy home. Nowadays, they aren't exactly serving the car-owning public. Playing the hardcore game of "spot the local" will generally go unrewarded. But the brakemen (and newly anointed brake-women) put their backs on the line day after day for the camera wielding tourists. At least the tourist are a little bit lighter after shelling out the $5 single ride ticket cost.
Assuming all the squealing from the cable cars has left the intrepid vacationer with hankering for some grub, 
there's no better place to quench the aforementioned hankering (I've taken a shining to the word hankering) than The Fisherman's Wharf. To be honest, Fisherman's Wharf is not my cup of tea. Incredibly overcrowded (and i was there in the off season), more touts for boats trip than you can shake a stick at and that's not to mention what are quite possibly the most scarily aggressive freaking sea birds you'll ever have the misfortune of tangling with. But it is here, especially around Pier 39, that you can get some surprisingly cheap seafood not long ripped from their watery homes. Then after downing fish and chips or crab or whatever, check out the free entertainment provided by the sea lions who have taken over one of the piers. Nightclubs, restaurants, museums, cafes, parks, jogging tracks... the list goes on and on.
I haven't even mentioned the biggies of the Golden Gate bridge or Alcatraz (each big enough to warrant their own blog entry). While poor old Tony Bennett seemed to have misplaced a vital cardio-muscle in the city, it is his song that probably sums up best, "The loveliness of Paris seems somehow sadly gay. The glory that was Rome is of another day. I've been terribly alone and forgotten in Manhattan. I'm going home to my city by the bay."
I haven't even mentioned the biggies of the Golden Gate bridge or Alcatraz (each big enough to warrant their own blog entry). While poor old Tony Bennett seemed to have misplaced a vital cardio-muscle in the city, it is his song that probably sums up best, "The loveliness of Paris seems somehow sadly gay. The glory that was Rome is of another day. I've been terribly alone and forgotten in Manhattan. I'm going home to my city by the bay."
0 comments:
Post a Comment