Leaving One’s heart in San Francisco

Visiting San Francisco as a tourist, way back in 1981, I fell completely in love with the city. Almost three decades later, especially keeping in mind that rapid development has taken place globally and cityscapes tend to get transformed beyond recognition in that time, one grabbed the opportunity to make a visit to the favourite city. Not only had the cityscape not changed a bit, it was exactly as I remembered it, if not better.

The best thing about San Francisco is its unique character. Unlike most of the other cities which tend to look more-or-less the same, San Francisco has distinct architecture, topography and landmarks, not to mention weather. Whereas in most US cities houses tend to be accompanied by vast expanses of green land either cordoned off by low fences or just maintained as open spaces with no barriers around them, San Francisco has houses that are attached to one another, with hardly any gardens, let alone acres of land around it. The houses tend to be an eclectic mix of Victorian and modern architecture, with lots of turrets, bay windows and decorated roofs.

Since the city is not at one level laid out on steeply undulating land, the topography is nothing like you see anywhere, and frequently you find yourself at the bottom of a one-way street, looking up at a steep climb with houses on either side that suddenly blend with the horizon, as you cannot see beyond the crest of the street.

As for the weather – be prepared for really chilly winds in San Francisco, more so in summer than in winter! Temperatures remain more or less the same throughout the year – around 16 degrees Celsius – but the wind chill factor is such that one must always have a coat nearby even in summer.

No trip to Frisco, no matter how brief, is complete without a visit to Fisherman’s Wharf, and especially to Pier 39 and the nearby Ghirardelli Square. The sea lions basking at pier 39 – apparently they made the pier their home after the earthquake in 1989 and have remained there since — are a delightful sight and provide photo ops. No less is the iconic Golden Gate Bridge visible from the pier, or the infamous Alcatraz island – once a notorious prison and home to Al Capone and now a museum that is accessible by ferry. 

Ghirardelli Square is where the famed chocolate factory used to exist once, and where today, the favourite locally produced Ghirardelli chocolates are sold in abundance. One can easily spend a day browsing in the many boutiques, novelty and souvenir shops there, as well as at the rest of the wharf, and eating at any of the numerous restaurants overlooking the bay. A must-try is the clam chowder or tomato soup served in sourdough bread bowls at Boudin, that are quintessentially Frisco, and just what the doctor ordered in the cold weather! Time permitting, drop in to Musee Mecanique also, located on pier 45. A ‘penny’ – it’s more like 50 cents now! – arcade museum with twentieth century games and artifacts, it is a riot with its photo ops, and over 300 amusing interactive games and fortune predictions.

If you don’t have much time to spend in San Francisco as we did, another site not to be missed is the Palace of Fine Arts Theatre. A visual treat with its amazing architecture reminiscent of a Roman ruin and the surrounding park area is just as breathtaking. No wonder then that you see many newly married couples getting a professional photo shoot done there with the amazing flowers, pond and Roman pillars presenting a regal backdrop.

The Ferry Building Marketplace, built in the late nineteenth century, is the place for you to visit if you have a penchant for fresh organic food and products. With a vast variety of hand-made cheeses, chocolates, ice creams, honeys, not to mention fresh meat and vegetable products, the Ferry Market is a fabulous farmers’ market and a lot more, in a covered historic ferry building.

And of course, no trip to Frisco is complete without visiting Lombard Street – or the crookedest street in the world as it is popularly known – which is basically one portion of Lombard Street spread over a block steeply zigzagging. It is a must-see attraction for all tourists who have to experience a drive down the street at least once. If anything, it was even more beautiful than I remembered it this time round, with a profusion of delightful flowers flanking either side of the narrow street, making it look like something out of a fairy-tale. We walked as our hotel was not too far from it, but if you don’t happen to be in possession of a car then you could very well take the famed cable car or tram to it as well, which is the world’s last manually operated cable car system – thus killing two birds with one stone. 

Of course, two days are simply not enough to enjoy San Francisco the way it truly deserves, but we managed to pack in all these places and a few eateries – like ChaChaCha, a tapas place, and the restaurant at Inter Continental Hotel, where we were staying – which didn’t leave us satiated, but content nonetheless. Once again I had left my heart in San Francisco and would have to visit it again to retrieve it.