Amtrak Adventure - Day 20 - Last Day in San Francisco

Call me crazy, but I love walking across bridges so when I discovered that it was possible to walk across the Golden Gate Bridge, I couldn't resist. The bridge runs from the tip of the Presidio, a former military base turned park, to Marin County across the bay. The park is quite a distance from the downtown area so initially we set off to the bus station at Fisherman's Wharf.

Fisherman's Wharf has been one of the major tourist attractions in San Francisco for many years, but sadly has become far too over-commercialized and bears little resemblance to the Wharf area that I remember from a previous visit in the 1990's. It looked more like Disneyland than a city pier complex and was almost as crowded.

At first I thought I was going to be disappointed in my hopes to see the sea lions - thought maybe they had been chased away in the course of redevelopment - but, luckily for them, I guess they are too much of a draw to be done away with completely and we found them tucked away between two piers, one of which had been turned into a huge viewing platform. 

Not quite the same as seeing them in more natural circumstances.

I had checked out the bus route from Fisherman's Wharf to the Golden Gate Bridge on Googlemaps and was pleased to see that the journey required only one bus, the number 4. However, when we enquired at the bus station as to where we could catch the number 4, we were told there was no such bus! We managed to get to our destination by following another couple who were heading in the same direction and had vague instructions as to which two buses were required. I couldn't believe that Googlemaps could have got it so wrong. Later, as we walked the bridge, we actually saw a number 4 bus - turns out it was a different company from the one whose driver we had asked!  

Anyway, when we eventually got to the bridge, we were delighted to find that it was not encased in mist at all, but that the sun was shining, the sky was cloudless and the views amazing.

the bridge from the city side

the view across the bay

looking across at the downtown area

Alcatraz 

We had been warned that the walk can be cold even in summer so we had piled on the layers and, maybe because the sun was out, it wasn't too bad. The walk back was colder because then we were walking into the wind. 

The bridge span is 1.2 miles long so the round trip only took about an hour. I was surprised at how many people were walking the bridge as I hadn't realised it was that popular a tourist attraction.  Having done it now, I can see why it is though, because if the weather is kind it's a marvellous way to get a bird's eye view of San Francisco. 

  

    

Amtrak Adventure - Day 19 - San Francisco Day 2

Following our day of walking yesterday, we decided a trip on a ferry sounded like a good idea. Not only would it give our feet a rest but it would also provide a chance to see the city from the bay. Recommendations suggested Sausalito, which is a thirty minute ride from San Francisco, would be the best option for an interesting half day trip so we made that our destination.

The ferry ride alone was worth it for the views. 

The ferry building dates back to 1898 when it was the primary point of entry into San Francisco. It was used to advertise the Panama-Pacific International Exposition which was held in 1915 and was the biggest event in the city since the 1906 earthquake. Huge numerals were added to show the year and the tower was lit up with white lights at night. As this year marks the 100th anniversary since the fair it was decided to commemorate the event with a new sign and similar lights which will remain in place until December 4th, 2015, one hundred years after the fair closed. 



Then there are the other iconic landmarks of San Francisco:

Coit Tower from the bay

TransAmerica Pyramid Building

Alcatraz

And what's this - the Golden Gate Bridge without the mist!
How lucky were we?

Sausalito is often compared to the French Riviera due to its Mediterranean style. Bridgeway Avenue, the main street in town, is lined with quaint shops and restaurants. It is a tiny community so it only took just over an hour to look around. 





Back in the city we headed for Ocean Beach and Golden Gate Park. San Francisco's transport system is first class with subway, bus, trolley-cars and tram options, all of which seem to run at frequent intervals. We took a subway and trolley-car from the ferry to the west-side of San Francisco, the trolley-car dropping us off one block from the beach. 

Don't you hate it when the beach is crowded?

True, it was a Tuesday. I'm sure it looks a lot different at weekends. 

From the beach we walked north and into Golden Gate Park. The lower end of the park was wooded and mostly deserted, at times we felt as if we were the only ones there (or at least the only ones walking). Every so often there would be an unusual shaped tree:

In the northern half of the park, however there is a lake and Japanese Tea Garden, two museums and manicured gardens, making it hard to believe we were still in the same park. My one regret was that we weren't staying in San Francisco long enough to be able to attend a concert in the park.  From the look of the outdoor performance area it would be a fun experience.

Stow Lake

Outdoor stage

Verdict: San Francisco continues to delight. There is so much to see and do that the city easily justifies more than a two night stay. Fortunately for us we still have one more day left in the city.

Amtrak Adventure - Day 18 - San Francisco

Okay, who turned the heating off? Fifty-one degrees with a high expected of sixty-one is somewhat chilly after getting used to the ninety degrees of our previous southern stops. Still, this is San Francisco and isn't part of the magic of the Golden Gate Bridge that it is shrouded in mist? The photos just wouldn't look right without it.

But perhaps that is a little too much mist. 








Still, better than on one of my previous visits when it rained for all forty-eight hours. 

Our hotel, The Golden Gate Hotel, was only a couple of blocks from Grant Street and the beginning of a walk recommended in the Lonely Planet Guide so we decided to start with that as an introduction to San Francisco. 




First up was Chinatown with its lantern decorated streets and pagoda influenced buildings. Gift shops and restaurants lined both sides of the road. 





A detour down a side road revealed an alley where Jack Kerouac used to frequent -often enough for it be named after him and to be worthy of this plaque in the road:

Murals decorate the walls. 

And round the corner is the delightful City Lights Bookshop, a book-lover's dream with a range of titles to satisfy any taste. 

 

Back on the street more murals such as this one decorate nearby buildings:

A block further on and Caffe Trieste serves up not only pots of wonderful loose-leaf tea but also delicious raspberrry and almond slices. Who can resist? Maybe Francis Ford Coppola couldn't either - he wrote the Godfather script under the Sicilian mural. 

Coit Tower

A couple of steep hills and many steps later we arrive at the Coit Tower. Built in 1933 the 210 foot tower offers 360 degree views of the city and, judging from my photos, conclusive proof of how gray the sky was.   At the base of the tower a fascinating series of wall murals depict life in 1930's California.

From the tower it is a short but strenous walk along Lombard Street to the 'crookedest street in the world'. The street has a forty degree slope and eight sharp turns to allow traffic to descend the steep incline. Flowers and shrubs line the route which has a fabulous view of the bay, making it a must-see attraction for tourists and, hence, very crowded. 

Next stop was Grace Cathedral which we happened on accidentally while wandering around Nob Hill. The impressive exterior made us curious to see what the interior was like, but when we entered we found the midday Eucharist in progress  so could only get a glimpse of the stunning interior with its huge gothic arches and fabulous stained glass windows. 

Somehow our wanderings managed to bring us back to Coit Tower so we headed for the Embarcadero which runs along the eastern waterfront and strolled from Pier 31 down to the Ferry Building. While also being the point of departure for ferries to neighborhoods across the bay, the building is also home to a daily artisan market selling everything from organic food to wood products and handmade soap. The food stalls were particularly tempting, especially the ones selling chocolate and offering samples!

Verdict: Despite the hills, San Francisco is an extremely walkable city, with many of the major sights in a compact area and fabulous views from the top of those hills. Thankfully, we have two more days to further explore the city.

  

Amtrak Adventure Day 17 - Los Angeles to San Francisco

If you have to start your day at a train station, Union Station, Los Angeles is not a bad place to do it. The Spanish Colonial Revival building not only looks good on the outside, but is equally impressive inside with a painted ceiling in the waiting room which, while appearing to be wood, is actually steel. 

If the idea of the forthcoming hours on the train are enough to drive you outside for as long as possible before getting on board, there is an outdoor patio decorated with mosaic tiles and a fountain as an alternative place to wait. 

Not all the station is in daily use. There used to be a restaurant and a large ticket office but these are now closed to the public and, this being LA, used only for filming and special events.

From Los Angeles we were heading to San Francisco on the Coast Starlight, reputedly one of the most scenic of Amtrak's routes. Two hours into the journey we began to see why. The train tracks follow the coastline from just south of Santa Barbara for over a hundred miles north. At first they run right alongside the beach. 

Then as the gradient increases continue on along the clifftops.  The views are stunning.

  

For part of the journey we were accompanied by a flock of pelicans. It's the first time I've ever seen pelicans in flight. 

We passed the spot where a ruptured pipeline had spilled oil into the sea on May 19th forcing nearby campgrounds to close over Memorial Day Weekend and instead be used as bases for the clean-up crews. 

The train passes through Vandenberg Air Force Base which is usually off limits to all but military personnel and a handful of residents who have bought up land sold off by the Airforce. This means that passengers on the trains are the only other people able to enjoy the views at this point.   

After San Luis Obispo the train moves away from the coast and passes through several tunnels as it climbs the mountainside. At once point it winds around a curve so huge that the front of the train can be seen from the back carriages! 

Taken from the back carriage of this train

The brown landscape could easily be mistaken for sand dunes, but in fact is more likely a result of the years of drought.  It changed again as we moved further north towards Salinas which is known as "The Salad Bowl of the World" because of the amount of lettuce it produces, and then towards both the "Artichoke Capital of the World" and "The Garlic Capital of the World" which need little explanation. I must admit you could smell the latter as we went by.  

Our journey actually ended at Oakland as Amtrak does  not go into San Francisco itself, but provides a connecting bus service to deliver passengers downtown. After an eleven hour train journey, the idea of the bus transfer was not particularly appealing but the ride over the Bay Bridge and into the lights of the city at night more than made up for the inconvenience.