San Francisco

The time I spent in San Francisco wasn't as productive as I'd hoped – I was very tired after the flight and feeling quite down from leaving New Zealand so it took me a couple of days to really get back in the mood.

It didn't help that San Francisco airport had a near-total dearth of information about basic things like how to get into the city on public transport. When I finally found an information stand that actually had a person standing behind it, she was really of very little use – recommending a shared shuttle which was twice the price and quite a bit slower than the BART train which I ended up taking. Now, I know that just sounds like whingeing, but I've arrived in quite a few airports over the last few weeks, and I know it can be done a lot better than SFO do it.

And, that's all I'm saying about San Francisco's tourist information. Oh, except that the information office right by my hotel on Market Street didn't really know much about what they were doing, sending me off on a wild-goose chase that effectively wasted an entire afternoon. They use a number of volunteers in the office, which is great on paper, but only if they actually know what they're talking about. The city should pack the whole lot up and send them to New Zealand if they want to find out how to run tourist information.

However, I did see some of the city, so here are a few fairly random pictures:

Firstly, this is the Ferry Building from the city side:
Prior to the 1989 earthquake that area with all the palm trees was occupied by a two-level elevated highway.

The Bay Bridge, which runs over to Oakland – the bridge has two levels carrying traffic in the two different directions:

And yet another shot of a cable car – this one is crossing Mason Street on its way to Fishermans Wharf via Hyde Street. It crossed my mind that in the most litigious country in the world it's amazing that they still let (encourage) people to stand on the outside of a moving vehicle. Don't get me wrong, it's great that they do, I'm just surprised. My cousin, who is a lawyer, tells me that there is a limit to how much you can sue a public body for and the cable cars are owned and operated by the city.

San Francisco has the largest Chinese population outside China. The area is a riot of colour with hundreds of shops and restaurants:

After the 1906 earthquake, the Anglican Grace Cathedral was built to replace an older church that had been destroyed in the fire. Work didn't actually begin until 1928 and wasn't completed until 1964, but it seems to me that the long wait was worth it.

Even before you get inside, you see these doors:

These are the so-called Doors of Paradise, made from the same moulds as the doors to the baptistry of Florence Cathedral, which were made in the 15^th century.

The interior has many beautiful stained-glass windows including the famous rose window and this one:

which is dedicated to Albert Einstein and includes the famous equation E = mc².

The interior is very much like any other Anglican Cathedral:

There is also a chapel dedicated to victims of AIDS which contained some of the sections of the AIDS quilt – a (now enormous) quilt made up from panels sewn by the friends and families of AIDS victims. It was very moving, and photography didn't seem appropriate. As might be expected of one of the most liberal dioceses of one of the most liberal branches of the Anglican Communion, the cathedral has a very welcoming policy towards gay people. Members of the clergy and laity even took part in the Pride march in June.

Indeed, near the entrance was a plaque emphasising that this was a building for everyone, not just those of a traditional religious viewpoint. A welcome is extended to those of all faiths and none, to those damaged by traditional religions, to those needing to find quiet or peace, to those seeking answers. It seems to me that this is the sort of outreach that Jesus Christ would be offering.

Pier 39 is one of the old fisherman's piers, but is now an entertainment hotspot. Of perennial interest are the resident sea lions:


There are a fair number of sea lions here, but there are times when all of those pontoons are covered in them. The record was set last November at 1,701, though I've no idea who counted them, or how they did it.

When they first arrived, about 20 years ago, the sea lions were treated as a menace, but all attempts to persuade them to move on failed and eventually they were given their own pontoons and are now protected by law.

One of the most distinctive buildings in the city is the Transamerica Pyramid, named after, but no longer occupied by, the Transamerica Insurance Company:

Ghirardelli Square was once a chocolate factory but is now just another collection of bars and cafés.

As its centrepiece, there is this fountain:

It was designed and sculpted by Ruth Asawa in 1968. She wanted to create something that would appeal to all ages. The idea of a nursing mermaid was intended to give back to the old a fantasy of their childhood and to give to the young something to remember when they were old.

And that was it for San Francisco. I'm sure there was much more I could have seen and done, but it was a good visit and it was nice to reacquaint myself with a city I haven't been to for around 15 years.