I've lived in the Bay Area for a number of years and I used to strongly dislike going into San Francisco, primarily because driving was a nightmare, parking was a nightmare, the maze of one way streets was a nightmare, and getting lost was a nightmare. However, since the Bay Area Rapid Transit (BART) train station was built in Pleasanton, visiting the city has been a pleasure.
My brother and his family visited us from Hawaii this past summer and they had the great idea of doing a walking tour of San Francisco. They printed off a couple of walking tours from the Frommers Guide and enjoyed a day in the city on foot. It was such a great experience, I decided to go on a walking tour of the San Francisco Presidio. Patrick and I took the day off from work, hopped on the BART, and enjoyed an urban hike in the city. We walked through Chinatown and to North Beach, where we enjoyed a nice Cappuccino and pastry. We then walked west to Crissy Field and over to the Presidio. We strolled through the historic grounds of the Presidio and then linked into the wonderful trail system, finding our way to the Golden Gate Bridge and back to the heart of the city. We finished off with a few pints of Guinness at the pub and a light dinner at the Gordon Biersch brewery. We eventually found our way back on the BART and returned home to Pleasanton.
Today is my wedding anniversary....18.5 years of marital bliss (just kidding)...so the wife and I headed into the city for a short walk, a bit of shopping, and lunch at Kuleto's. Unfortunately, we had to return home early because of other obligations...AKA, picking up kids from school. The weather was beautiful and we had a good time.
If you're ever sitting on the couch bored, try a walking tour of your local city. Research it as if you were a tourist and get out and enjoy the city. It's amazing how much fun is waiting for you, right around the corner.
Monday, October 17, 2011
Walking San Francisco
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Wayne,
ReplyDeleteI LOVE the photo's in this, especially the last one. Was it a reflection through the window or did you do a double exposure? What a fantastic time, walking through the city.
We were in San Francisco a few years back for our 15th wedding anniversary. We took our kids with us (yeah, we're weird about taking our kids on our anniversary trips) and stayed just outside the Marina Dist. We walked everywhere we went and what a marvelous time it was. Our kids still remember everything about that trip and how cool it was to walk to the Golden Gate Bridge, to walk up the backside of Lombard (VERY STEEP!), to walk through China Town, and once in awhile we'd jump aboard a trolly or bus when we got tired from walking.
There are so many things to see that it's a shame to go whizzing by in your car when you could be walking and enjoying the small things you'd never otherwise see.
Great blog post, happy anniversary! and may you and your wife have many more years of wandering the world together.
Thanks Sandy. In the reflection shot, we were on the sidewalk looking up at the building. The older buildings around us were reflecting in the glass.
ReplyDeletePerhaps next time we will do a weekend walking tour, spending a night in a hotel...