California through a windshield (4: San Francisco and Napa)
View from the tiny roomed Adante Hotel, Geary Street
San Francisco is a great walking city. I loved strolling around downtown SF as opposed to LA or San Diego. It seemed to me as if the city had more character. Maybe it’s because I’m from India, but a little less cleanliness seems a little better. There’s something about that little scrap of paper flying about that makes walking on the road that much more mysterious and exciting somehow.
View from the ledge at night
A random alleyway in Chinatown. But it was worth walking down
Kaka? In Chinatown? For anyone who follows football/soccer, what the hell?
Walking down Market Street was great, and we walked for a good two hours. Although I admit a lot of that was because one of us really needed to buy a jacket and so we stopped at every other store. Ugh. Jacket shopping, not the most interesting thing to do. But when after two hours you end up at Haight Street, its completely worth it. The pictures speak for themselves. Its just a great road to walk down, and drink too. I saw a few really unorthodox pubs which were just beckoning me to go in.
Market Street
And parading down it
Haight Street can surprise you!
Pub at Haight Street (one of many)
It even had a fake fireplace!
Golden State Park, Hippie Hill inside it, Fisherman’s Wharf, Lombard Street, the Golden Gate Bridge, we saw all that, and it was great, but truly the best part of San Francisco was just exploring it on my own terms. Everyone knows about the tourist destinations, but how a city really appeals to you at the end of the day depends on what it reveals behind those destinations. How you feel, what you see, the people, hospitality, colours, and everything else.
Words of advice:
1) You must visit Napa Valley, buy wine, bread and cheese, take your car out to the middle of nowhere, and have a little picnic. Now I’m not the biggest fan of wine, but I could tell how much it was being enjoyed!
2) Watch out for a man who tries to scare you by hiding behind a plant and then appearing out of nowhere when you pass him on the sidewalk at Fisherman’s Wharf.
3) People watching at Hippie Hill is amazing. Just sit down there, and you will be entertained.
An example of ‘character’ :)
Golden State Park
Hippie Hill (Golden State Park)
Near Fisherman’s Wharf and Lombard Street
Yep, you read it right
Downtown Napa
Our picnic spot
Photo credits: Rodolfo, Chansun, and well.. Me
yayyyyy ! my feet made it to your blog hahah whenever we all get together again , (if ever possible) we should do another road trip . maybe somewhere in india , or in italy … wherever . these pictures are so nostalgic , make me really happy just to think about our trip :)
:)
Great photos. I love SF and Northern California. You’re right – Napa is wonderful.
SF was my favourite for sure! We even visited Davis, not too far away, which was a small university town. Really quaint! The whole region is nice
Hi Alap,
I went to SF a few years ago and really loved it too. The city definitely has character! Thank you for posting photos and reminding me of that great city – I think I would love to live in the area one day.
Btw. I wish I had read your words of warning before I went. I was an easy victim to that man at Fisherman’s Wharf…
Haha! It’s an interesting way to make a living isn’t it? I appreciate the creativity of the guy! I definitely felt like I could live around there too sometime, it was that awesome..
I enjoyed your commentary on visiting San Francisco and Napa Wine Country. As someone who grew up in the Bay Area I think you did an excellent job of describing the unique character and charm of the city. Too many tourists visit and only focus on the main tourist attractions but so much (if not nearly all of it) of San Francisco lies in the unique character the city embodies. Now, I live in nearby Lake Tahoe, about 3-4 hr drive away, and I recommend you visit it on your next visit to Northern California!
Thanks for the comment, glad you agree with me! Ummm I would have visited Lake Tahoe but we didn’t have enough time. We even missed the national parks, so yes, another trip to California is in order at some point of time. I was pretty sure of that even before I set out :)