On a particularly cold day in Bangalore winter (not very cold, I admit, but I have thin skin), I sit shivering in my shawl, and wondering what to do on a cold morning when the rest of the house isn’t up, and I can’t get any sleep – because it’s too cold. Have I said that enough times? Yes, it’s probably a balmy 13 degrees for most of you, but in Bangalore, that rarely goes below 20; it’s cold.
Anyway, up and bundled under a warm shawl and sipping a hot chai, I decided to scroll through my old photos—my favourite mindless pastime—and I came across a bunch of dazzlingly bright, sunny photos of San Francisco from my work trip last year—yes, that place that’s always cloudy and foggy.
I have been to San Francisco quite a number of times, but this was the only time the sun was blazing hot—early May, far too early for such heat!
Anyway, I don’t have much to say about the place as much. I last visited in 2011, and not much has changed, but also everything has changed. Back when I visited in 2011, I loved the downtown areas around Market, the central square, and the massive Macy’s, but this time, everything looked a little rundown and tired. A lot more homeless people on the street, and quite a few of them with mental health/drug use issues. My colleague and I wanted to linger around and do a little window shopping, but as the evening progressed, the place looked a bit too seedy, and we made a hasty exit.
Chinatown has cleaned up nicely though, and we spent a good couple of hours buying fortune cookies, fridge magnets (much cheaper than the tourist areas), and other fun knick-knacks for very cheap.
Another rather pleasurable activity was going on the open-top bus. I actually have never done this before, but it was a hot day, we were jet-lagged and didn’t want to walk everywhere, so we booked one and then sat on the top enjoying the sun and feeling like we did something – instead of sleeping off the jet lag in our room.
And last but not least, no San Francisco visit is complete without a long ramble down the pier all the way to Ghirardelli Square
Ghirardelli chocolates are the only chocolates I like from the US, so I indulged here, getting bagfuls to take home. Their ice cream is pretty great, too—always to share, though. US portion sizes are insane.
I usually find food at hyped-up places overrated, but the ice cream was absolutely delicious. We loved every bit of it. What was overrated, though, were the Wonka chocolate bars, which my son asked me to get him.
The day ended with a ride on the cable car – something I hadn’t done before (timings never aligned). Co-incidentally, the cable car goes very close to our place of stay, so it also made for a regular commute while also being a fun and novel, albeit touristy experience.
Ending this post with one of our best food experiences – roadside dining at a cozy, family Italian joint in North Beach. This was one of the better neighborhoods, and we really enjoyed the atmosphere, and the food was simple but also probably the best thing we ate during our stay.
Overall, with my third visit to San Francisco – the sheen has worn off a bit. Still a nice place, but fraying around the edges. I still love the city, but it’s not going to be a priority to visit on other business trips. Surprisingly, I felt that San Jose – that slightly, impersonal, techie city had a lot more going for it this time around. Downtown San Jose, the Westfield shopping mall areas, and some other places were a delight – now, if only they would fix the public transport.
