I'm using the term "rediscovering" very loosely here. The last time I was in San Francisco, I was maybe eight years old and, to be quite frank, I mostly remember seeing the Golden Gate Bridge from the vista point. And only because we have a picture of it.
This time, we actually just stopped by. We were there for ten hours tops. Not even. We took the first LA-SF flight, left (most of) our hand luggage at the airport luggage storage and took a cab into the city (it took 40 min!). We just grabbed breakfast at a coffee shop so we didn't waste any time, although I can't fathom how you can possibly regard breakfast as a waste of time...
We walked along the embarcadero, which is just by the bay. It's quite lively and beautiful.
This is the first time I saw a bike path in an american city. I have to admit that I was quite impressed. But I guess it totally fits into the SF lifestyle: vegan food, sustainability, innovation. Come on guys, the silicon valley people don't mess around!
It actually felt a bit like home. You feel as if you are somewhere in Europe, the atmosphere is so different from San Diego. It's not the happy outgoing mentality, it's the anonymous big city mentality. SF seemed like a mix between California and Germany, which was what we thought would be ideal, but turned out not to be the ultimatum. You always want what you can't have. Anyway, enough with the philosophy (or my attempt at it).
I just had to take a picture with this adorable cow (there's even the Golden Gate Bridge in the background). Where do you think I found her? The clouds, the cows... Ben&Jerry's anyone?
Go have a clam chowder in a bread bowl. You'll find many places that sell this specialty. It was 11AM when I had the chance and it seemed so inappropriate to eat it at that moment, so I didn't. Listen guys, if you're there, have it. It's my biggest SF regret. Don't let it come that far. Seize your chance. Have the clam chowder, be it 9AM or 11PM.
Wow, only now do I realize how much this has affected me. Weird.
If you walk all the way to the end of the embarcadero, you can catch a cable car!
You ride up and down the famously steep streets of San Francisco. If you look at the right moment, you can even catch a glimpse of Alcatraz! I don't know about you, but I am really attracted to all things crime and suspense, and I really would have liked to see Alcatraz in all its terrifying splendor. Unfortunately, the boat tours take up a few hours and we couldn't fit it into our short day. (My pleading changed nothing.)
Chinatown isn't far from midtown (where the shopping streets are... hint hint). We walked around a bit, but time was flying and we still wanted to go to the beach... Is that even normal?
We took the bus down to Golden Gate Park. We had gotten up at 4AM so I was falling asleep in the bus every two seconds, oblivious to what I would still have to endure. We got off I don't know where and walked. And walked some more. The park was so long, it took us like an hour to get to the beach that was on the other side. We were tired and starving. I don't know how this didn't turn into some rolling-on-the-ground-whining-around-begging-for-food-crisis, but it didn't. My siblings and I were basically just fantasizing about the food we wanted to eat. Memories to cherish.
We got to Ocean Beach eventually. Dad wanted to take us to the Cliff House, it's very well known and has appeared in Hitchcock movies. Now isn't that an argument for a film buff like me? (I really wish I were.)
After walking for another half hour along the beach, we were finally there.
There was a sort of bistro upstairs, where the waitress we talked to was shockingly rude and unhelpful. I'm still mad.
So we headed downstairs and were welcomed by a lovely waitress. We were in a bit of a rush, which meant that we couldn't have a proper meal. Nevertheless, we managed to squeeze in a few orders of the best truffled fries ever.
Alongside the usual beer, coke etc, we had this. Ginger Beer. Sounds ew? It is not. This doesn't contain any alcohol, tastes tangy and fresh like ginger. No one liked it except for me. I was surprised but not unhappy... It's a bit spicy, so mixing it with water is a good idea, like here:
I know you were waiting for this. I'm not going to look because these still make my mouth water. But you can go ahead.
Perfect taste and crispness.
Someone was especially delighted.
We had to hurry back to the airport in order to catch our flight back home to Germany. One last look at the beach, ...
... one last drink at the airport, and we were good to go.
x
PS: That last drink is my childhood fave, a Shirley Temple. Sprite with grenadine syrup. Why don't I have diabetes?
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