Day 1 San Francisco

Day 1 in the books. SF is one of those cities that you love to visit but will eventually hate if you live there. The amazing variety of neighborhoods, terrain, climates, people, food, weather  and iconic views is simply amazing. Sydney is the only other city that can rival SF in those categories. As a visitor it's all amazing, you walk out of CVS and you spy Alcatraz across the bay, walk out of Safeway and the Transamerica Building looms over you, grab a coffee and take in a view of the bay and the Bay Bridge, or simply walking you come across the humming of the cables along the cable car tracks. As a visitor it's simply stunning and the stuff of memories. But when you live here all of the becomes routine and simply background noise. But after living in the city a while you notice the bums, the trash, the crazy traffic complete with crazy drivers, the insane wait times at good restaurants, the impossibility of parking without paying a king's ransom. At first you learn to deal with all of those issues, but you're simply the camel putting straws on your back. One day will come that last straw...but maybe that's true about any big city. LA has jaded me for sure. I only lived in SF for 3 months and enjoyed my time there...

But anyway, that's my two cents, now on to the day.

I left LA at 6am, almost my normal time to leave for work. So I had to keep telling myself during the drive, relax (!), you're not commuting to work you are on vacation! I was going to time lapse go pro the drive but there was fog and mist all the way from my house to the top of the Grapevine! That was one deep costal layer. Anyone when it all cleared, the normal Central Valley scenery appeared...

Coming down out of the Grapevine

There's something I love about these hills, I think it's instinctual

5 or 580 you get to choose

Crossing the Bay Bridge into SF, midday light traffic

Walking around the financial district you always get great views!

I ended up staying in the Financial District at the Club Quarters. My favorite Hilton was double the price, so I relented and went cheap. But it really did not matter, if you are in the Financial District you are in the center of it all. Chinatown, North Beach, the Embarcadero, the piers and the wharf are all quick walks or rides away. I did a few Jump bike rides around the area and can say biking in SF is the way to go but it is dangerous. Even with a bike lane there's something crazy about cars doing 50mph about two feet to your left.

My Jump bike with Alcatraz is the background

Embarcadero Center

Skyline view from the Embarcadero

For some reason Portsmouth Square and Chinatown have always been the center of my times in SF. On my list of favorite things in life to do on Sunday afternoons, a stroll down Grant and Stockton is probably ahead of watching a great football game on TV. The people, the stores, the weird crap they sell is just simply amazing. Add in a quick stop for dim sum and some bubble time and life is truly great. And don't forget, you get the amazing views and different weather patterns on every step!

Grant Street Chinatown

Skyline view from Portsmouth Square Park

Just off Portsmouth Square was my favorite candy shop, Sweet World, now closed

Still there after 20 years, my go to late night revolving sushi restaurant

Refrain from doing bad things Tuesdays and Thursdays, there no confession.

Old St Mary's, on California in Chinatown

After rolling through Chinatown I walked through North Beach and all of it's strip clubs and headed to the Embarcadero and the wharf. Still as touristy as ever---but I am a tourist now not a resident.

Well enough for day 1. I've got a date with Yoda for lunch so prepare I must!