On The Buses

Monday, 24 August 2009

Road Trip Day 5

I allowed myself the luxury of not setting an alarm today and woke up naturally feeling refreshed and ready for my day sightseeing in San Francisco. My hip felt pretty good today too which was a huge relief. It's still troubling me, but each day feels a bit better.

The "Complimentary Breakfast" here at America's Best Value Inn, Golden Gate is pretty funny. It consists of the coffee and juice machines in reception with a tray of muffins. I had horrible coffee, adequate juice and a passable chocolate muffin then started my day with a bus ride into the centre of the city to go buy my Muni Passport, a single pass to let me use the city bus system including the famous cable cars.

The Streets of San Francisco

The Cable Cars are, as the guidebook says, pure tourism as they are slow and outdated, but they are part of the City's appeal and I'm not afraid to join the tourist herd when needs be. The wait lasted about 45 minutes, but as I queued I got a call from Kate from TrekAmerica and we had a good natter about our respective plans. It was so good to hear from her.

Once on the Cable Car, it clanked its way a lot further than I had thought. I'd imagined a five minute ride, but it probably lasted 20 minutes or more and over a long distance. It also stops at the top of the famous section of Lombard Street which doubles back and forth 7 times and is marked on the map as the "Crookedest Road".

Fisherman's Wharf

The cable car ended its journey at Fisherman's Wharf which is a mix of culture, restaurants and tacky souvenir shops. I took a walk around the ships on display at the Maritime Museum, then up to picturesque (and chocolate themed) Ghiardelli Square. I had lunch at Lori's Diner, as recommended by Danny, and enjoyed my Popcorn Shrimp with fries and an Oreo Cookie Milkshake. Yummy!

From Fisherman's Wharf, I started taking the buses and made my next stop at Coit Tower. There's a short $5 elevator ride to the top which is well worth it for the views across the city. You really get to see the hills and variations in steepness of the roads. It's a beautifully quirky city and this is the place to take it in.

Golden Gate Park

I took a bus back into the centre of the city, then another out to the huge Golden Gate Park (which is nowhere near the bridge by the way). I'd received recommendations to go to the Japanese Tea Gardens so I made sure to stop there, once I found it... bad map, bad! It's very tranquil, even with people milling around and I even took a few moments of contemplation at a Zen garden. I also met a very pretty little bird who was kind enough to let me take a photo. I haven't got a North American bird book yet (will add to shopping list) so maybe someone else can identify it for me?

Properly Cold

By now, the low cloud was back overhead, cutting out the sun and making it feel properly cold. I actually quite liked the feeling and it made a change from four weeks of hot and/or humid weather.

I walked through the park some more before completely failing to find my next bus home... did I mention the bad map? So, after a longer walk than I really wanted, I took two more buses back to my hotel.

Punt

I said I'd try to be a bit more adventurous for dinner tonight, so walked along the street from my hotel and looked for something that isn't part of a chain. I stumbled upon a Thai restaurant that looked very nice and had a great, cheap menu.

I'm so happy that I did as my charbroiled chicken in pineapple sauce with sticky rice was delicious and great value too. I must seek more random eateries out on my trip.

Now, back at the hotel, I need to turn in as I'm back behind the wheel tomorrow on my way to Ukiah.

Goodnight.

Stats - Day Thirty-One

Distance travelled - 0 - Stayed in San Francisco (though I covered a good few miles by cable car, bus and on foot too!)

State count - 16 + DC

Room numbers stayed in - 203, 1, 148, 212