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Post by anshjain97 on May 9, 2013 14:45:27 GMT
Firstly, I'd like to thank all those who helped me with this trip. I had 5 full days in the city- and at first planning is difficult. My earlier trips to US were when I didn't plan anything. Last trip I planned a bit- but we saw very less. This trip I was determined to see everything I had planned. After my last US trip, I had been to places where either the city center was almost completely walkable/had amazing public transit or where car+driver/taxi was relatively cheap. Here in SF cabs are expensive and while the city isn't too large, there are too many inclines everywhere, or where there aren't, one neighbourhood where I rather not walk would separate two interesting ones. But luckily SF had a good transportation network. My flight docked at about 10pm or so- passport control was quicker than I thought- except for the fact that the system had gone down for 5 min or so just as we turned up at the counter for entry processing. I was surprised at the airport's lack of bustle when we exited. And...finally that blast of cold wind! Felt nice after days and days in Bangalore with perpetually hot days. It was too dark to see anything- or take good shots from a moving car. But the lights of the skyline still looked impressive. So...there was nothing done this day. But I was excited for the next. Really, there's something special arriving at night...waiting anxiously for the clock to turn till you can actually start exploring. But then, daytime arrivals are great too- you are gradually introduced to the city as you arrive. Breakfast was nice but very pricey at the hotel- the spread was relatively small but the quality amazing. My introduction to the city was from the San Francisco Chronicle- whether it was about cutting down gun violence in the area of Richmond or about an artist who quietly lived, and painted, at his house in Portrero Hill using his neighbourhood as inspiration. And finally, this is my favourite moment if I arrive at a new place at night: stepping out of the hotel the next day! There was that cold air, the slight whizzing of the traffic, and smack-opposite was Union Sq- a public place great for tourists lounging about, office-going crowd relaxing during lunch and shoppers taking a break. Below is Union Sq. Here's the pillar. And here's the inscription on the pillar: We walked down till the junction with Market St, the street which connects the nieghbourhood of Castro to the Embarcadero- the seaside road. It is amongst the prime tourist area, while also being important as the main financial district of the city- this bit is closer to the Embarcadero. This is San Francisco's famous streetcar- running along Market St to the Embarcadero and then along it to the northern seaside area of Fisherman's Wharf. We decided to go there. Here is the inside of the streetcar. We got off where Market St intersects with the Embarcadero. There was a superb view of the Bay Bridge and also the Ferry Building.
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Post by bjd on May 9, 2013 15:55:47 GMT
The streetcar looks like old Toronto streetcars!
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Post by anshjain97 on May 9, 2013 16:27:42 GMT
Hmm...actually, these historic streetcars are imported from various cities, one being Toronto.
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Post by bjd on May 9, 2013 18:07:59 GMT
I was told old Toronto streetcars were bought by the city of Alexandria in Egypt. At one time (1970s when everybody wanted to build more roads, highways, etc), they were going to get rid of Toronto's streetcars. Then they realized that because they are electric, they don't pollute like buses and cars, so they replaced the old ones by new ones.
Being Toronto, always trying to be interesting and a "world class city" (their words), they call them Red Rockets.
Every time I go to Toronto, I take the opportunity to ride a streetcar. My favourity form of public transport.
Sorry for the hijack, Ansh. Back to San Francisco...
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Post by spindrift1 on May 9, 2013 21:59:29 GMT
I am really enjoying seeing San Francisco. I haven't been there and probably won't be going so this is a treat. Thanks Ansh.... So far, do you think it's a nice as everyone seems to say?
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Post by Don Cuevas on May 9, 2013 23:52:59 GMT
The Dewey's Victory Monument has a superficial resemblance to the Angel of Independence in Mexico City.
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Post by anshjain97 on May 10, 2013 2:44:11 GMT
Thanks guys. No worries on going off topic. Spindrift, it's a great city- lots to see and do- but it is probable that some exaggerate. Nevertheless, it's a great city. I wouldn't mind going back some years from now.
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Post by Deleted on May 10, 2013 12:31:50 GMT
Great shots of a great city, ansh. It's been a few years now since I have been there, and have been pondering on and off about going back sometime. The streetcar also looks like the ones in Vancouver! The one of the old streetcar that bjd put up is similar to the ones in the West (of Canada) , back in the day.
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Post by anshjain97 on May 10, 2013 13:17:51 GMT
Thanks, Deyana. But as someone who's seen streetcars only on and off, I feel all look the same! Now, we decided to take the same streetcar north along the Embarcadero and got down at its terminus at Fisherman's Wharf. Great views of the bay from the streetcar, punctured occasionally by the identical-looking pier fronts and also the very touristy Pier 39 (which I will come back to later). We started walking west on Beach St. The architecture there seemed to be similar to what I had seen in pictures of beach areas in the US- long, short buildings; I've forgotten my earlier visits to beachy areas in US though. Beach St: And here is a picture of a road leading off Beach. It was the first time I started to appreciate the city's inclines. And here's the famous Transamerica Pyramid. We stood, waiting, in the short but time-consuming line for the cable car on Beach St. The views from here of the bay and the Golden Gate bridge were amazing. Beach St is usually a block away from the seaside but at this point the shore curves inward. And then, finally, the cable car started. Starting from here, it goes through the steep slopy roads of the posh residential areas of Russian Hill and Nob Hill, and ends at the Powell-Market junction. This was a hell of a ride- not much like a roller coaster- but as exciting because of the views at some angles. Here, you can see the rooftops of Chinatown (towards the right and beyond), North Beach (SF's Little Italy) looms ahead, with Coit Tower at the summit of Telegraph Hill (as you can see).
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Post by anshjain97 on May 10, 2013 14:10:06 GMT
More views from the cable car. We then walked along Market St, looking at the various place where we could buy basic daily stuff (water etc) and went to the Financial District. I like being around skyscrapers but it was dull that day; while there was some traffic, there were very few pedestrians. Luckily, I came back on a weekday as well when it was more interesting. But we walked around still. Here's the Transamerica Pyramid- the tallest building in SF- in close. And from another angle... There were a few people scuttling in and out of it, which I found surprising, being Sunday. And here's Columbus Av, the northwest-southeast av on whose south end Transamerica Pyramid is located. Here's looking north-west towards North Beach where the area would be more lively. And here's a random view of the Financial District.
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Post by anshjain97 on May 10, 2013 15:32:55 GMT
Some interesting architecture in the Financial District: Disappointed with restaurants closed in the area, we went to a Chipotle outlet close to our hotel (amazing food!- my brother who studies in the US keeps on raving about it). At least this area wasn't quiet... After resting for a while in our room, we went to Union Sq again so I could take better photos- the morning pictures weren't as good due to the photogenic part east of the observer. Then we walked uphill north a few blocks till the junction of Powell with California. Another streetcar line runs on it which dropped us right outside Grace Cathedral, in the desirable Nob Hill area. It's a pleasant place, and the street perpendicular to California (Taylor St) ran downhill from right there, offering good views. First, here's Grace Cathedral Here's Huntington Park, opposite the catherdal. And here's the viewpoint, opposite the cathedral, but on the other side (the cathedral occupies a whole block). 4 or 5 blocks north of we were is another nice viewpoint, according to my indispensable Time Out SF guide. So we decided to go there- the road gets progressively steeper, where parking must be done at 90 degrees to the road. Reaching the viewpoint may be tiring for some, as testified by this small cartoon drawn on the viewpoint's perch. Views were good, of course. The area is a nice, rather quaint that Sunday evening, residential area. The real reason we came was as my dad had work in Menlo Park (town near Palo Alto). So were supposed to change hotels- and go to Menlo Park the next day- but then my dad decided against it (for our convenience). So we went to the Metro station- from where he would need to take a metro to the CalTrain depot, to take the CalTrain- a commuter train- to have a look around.
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Post by spindrift1 on May 10, 2013 22:27:01 GMT
I'm amazed there seems to be little traffic on the streets - which is a good thing of course. You did a lot of walking - how hot was it? Did you do any supermarket shopping and if so, did you notice many products that were different to those at home? I'm always interested in a quick look at supermarkets just to compare. I didn't see any in Tamil Nadu by the way!
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Post by anshjain97 on May 11, 2013 3:00:33 GMT
I associated the lack of traffic be it being a weekend evening. Traffic certainly increased over the weekdays.
It was cool/cold but sunny that day- max around 14 or 15C- but got slightly warmer as the days progressed.
I also am interested in comparing supermarket stock- and occasionally take a few discreet photos. Yes, we went to the nearby Walgreens and CVS- and of course most things were different to what's available back home. But not very surprising due to earlier visits to the States. Before I came, I knew I had to get a few bottles of the Nesquick flavoured milk- I loved it on my earlier visit and couldn't find it outside US. Bought several bottles this time.
I've only been to a few Western-style supermarkets in Tamil Nadu.
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Post by nycgirl on May 11, 2013 3:12:53 GMT
Very enjoyable report, ansh. I like all the viewpoints you show. I'm going to SF this summer (only for the weekend, unfortunately). These photos make me look forward to it even more.
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Post by anshjain97 on May 11, 2013 5:58:31 GMT
Thanks, enjoy your trip!
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Post by anshjain97 on May 11, 2013 6:15:55 GMT
At night, we decided to roam near our hotel for a bit, visiting Union Sq and walking around half a block further east. Union Sq at night: Lots of department stores are located in the area: It looks as if I used my monthly limit on Flickr so I need to wait until next month to continue. Sorry!
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Post by Deleted on May 11, 2013 6:31:07 GMT
It's been so long since I was last in San Francisco that it is almost like discovering a city that I have never seen before -- except for the Transamerica building and the Golden Gate bridge!
I think that there really is significantly less traffic in the streets of the city than there used to be. BART is really extremely popular because the commute from the other side of the bay was a nightmare for all of the people living there -- either being stuck in the bottleneck of the Bay bridge or having to go around the southern side. My brother was living in the Bay area during the 1989 earthquake that destroyed part of the Bay bridge and if BART had not been able to stay in operation, it would have been catastrophic for the economy.
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Post by anshjain97 on May 11, 2013 6:37:44 GMT
I see, Kerouac. However, there's significant traffic elsewhere in the Bay Area. Every morning when the TV was switched on, there was some bottleneck due to some accident- one was on the Bay Bridge.
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Post by Deleted on May 11, 2013 6:53:10 GMT
Oh yes, the entire state of California is totally clogged with traffic. San Francisco has the peculiar advantage of being a city in which most people don't want to drive (the hills scare them, especially for parking), unlike places like Los Angeles where they will drive even just two blocks to avoid walking.
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Post by lugg on May 11, 2013 7:07:15 GMT
Fabulous report Ansh and your photos just get better and better. Much of this was new to me as although I have flown into and out of San Francisco I have never stayed. It certainly looks like a great place to spend some time.
My experience was quite different in the Trinity Alps Wilderness which was where I was heading to from SF, but then it is such a remote part of California there were few people either.
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Post by anshjain97 on May 11, 2013 7:40:14 GMT
Thanks, lugg.
Even San Diego wasn't much clogged when I was there. In fact, it was positively empty.
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Post by Deleted on May 11, 2013 7:40:53 GMT
I knew somebody would pin me for that! Yes, once you get away from the California coast, you have the road all to yourself!
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Post by spindrift1 on May 11, 2013 18:13:32 GMT
Ansh, if I make statements in my Tamil Nadu thread that are not correct, please correct me. I would like that very much!
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Post by anshjain97 on May 12, 2013 3:32:43 GMT
No problem, spindrift, I'll try my best.
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Post by Deleted on May 12, 2013 13:00:19 GMT
Thanks for taking me back in time with your trip report Ansh. I am long overdue for a trip back there as I have 2 very dear friends who live there so would have free lodging. Airfare to there is very expensive however. I love SF dearly as it holds very fond memories for me. (My husband proposed to me over the telephone while I was there). I spent significant time there in the '80's and divided my time there staying with friends in two vastly different sections of the city (downtown and Diamond Heights). Everyday I would set out to explore a different section of the city. I familiarized myself with the superlative transit system quite easily. I would explore on my own and then meet my friends for dinner each evening sampling a vast variety of ethnic cuisines. I found Chinatown in SF to be much more interesting and varied than NYC's Chinatown, hands down. Likely because I believe SF has a much larger Asian population. It is very expensive there though and I don't find it to be as friendly a city as NYC is despite popular notions otherwise. I also saw a lot more homeless and mentally ill persons while I was there. it was quite surprising to me. Thinking back however, it may have had to do with Ronald Reagan having drastically cutting the budget for mental health services. Did you venture out into Napa or Sonoma and explore any of wine country while there?
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Post by bixaorellana on May 12, 2013 15:02:57 GMT
Wonderful report & pictures, Ansh. You really did a great job of capturing the tall buildings and cityscapes, which is hard to do.
Are those beams of light streaming down from the cathedral ceiling, or some kind of fiber-optic installation?
Sad to say, many of your pictures aren't showing up for me. I'm getting a large multi-language message from Flickr instead.
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Post by anshjain97 on May 12, 2013 15:55:41 GMT
Thanks guys. My parents would have liked to visit Napa or Sonoma and while we were considering, I declined because of there being lots to do in SF itself. Besides the old eternal excuse "leave something for the next time" . Hi Bixa- those things in the church indeed seem to be some fibre-optic installation; they're not light for sure. That's strange- because all those shots are appearing at this end. If it's possible, please tell me the location of these pictures which aren't coming and I'll see what's wrong. I'll open a PhotoBucket or ImageShack account and upload more photos rather than waiting for next month. cheers
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Post by htmb on May 12, 2013 15:57:45 GMT
Ansh, as I mentioned earlier, it's been many years since I was last in San Francisco, but I, too, have a lot of great memories shared there. I used to know my way around fairly well and spent time mainly in the Berkeley, Stanford and downtown areas. I'm enjoying hearing about your trip and seeing your wonderful photos which help bring back some of those memories.
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Post by anshjain97 on May 12, 2013 16:11:41 GMT
Cheers guys- glad you're enjoying this.
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Post by bixaorellana on May 12, 2013 20:57:16 GMT
That's strange- because all those shots are appearing at this end. If it's possible, please tell me the location of these pictures which aren't coming and I'll see what's wrong. Sent you a PM. It looks as if I used my monthly limit on Flickr so I need to wait until next month to continue. Sorry! Ahh ~~ just saw this! Probably why the pics aren't showing.
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