Cc - Blogabond

It took me some time to copy, download, upload, choose, categorize and select the pictures. But here it is, San Francisco!

Strong contrasts - homeless people in the Civic Center in San Francisco

As I mentioned before, San Francisco is a city to love. It is extremely diverse from skyscrapers in the Financial District to cozy neighbourhoods on the Russian Hill. From splendour and wealth of Hillsborough Heights to the poverty of homeless people on Market street. From great hills to shady valleys. From very typical American Neighbourhoods, to some of the coutry's most famous landmarks.

A street

The only thing which is quite stable is the weather. The daily high and low can vary by only 5-10 degrees Celcius between the summer and the winter. However, within the city at the same time the difference can be the same - the many hills act as barriers for the air, condensers for the clouds and give shadow from the sun. In general, during my stay there, the temperature was just perfect. It was great to take a break from the hot and humid climate of New York.

On the way to the bridge

Perhaps the the city's most famous landmark is the Golden Gate bridge.

The bridge has an impressive height of 227m

Now you may ask: why do you call it Golden? It's red. Well, apparently the official color of the bridge is "International Orange". It is however not what the bridge was named after - the area in general is called "The Golden Gate". And was called that way before the bridge was even planned. So it was natural to call a bridge which was built there "the Golden Gate Bridge".

During one day I saw the bridge from a ferry and I walked over it. The day after I was on a bus that went over it. And each time the bridge looked different.

Misty bridge

The ferry ride was an interesting albeit a bit crowded experience. As we approached the bridge the music intensified and resembled very much the Indiana Jones theme. Combine that with the wind from the bay blowing in your hair and you have the answer why it was called "Bay Adventure Cruise". That time the bridge was only partially covered with fog (from the western side).

Golden Gate is a busy motorway

During the walk, the fog cleared. Later I found out that this is not typical for August, and most people who come here to see the bridge in the summer leave the city without actually seeing the bridge. What is interesting is that the fog can start really suddenly when you enter the bridge.

San Francisco from the Bridge

The bridge is location for many sad incidents too. It is estimated that an average of 1 person per every fortnight jump from the bridge to take their lives. If you ask - is it really that high? I have to say: yes, it is. The microclimate also creates a strong wind and a low temperature throughout the year - so even though it's warm in the city, you will want to put on your windbreaker when you're on the bridge.

Some people just can't help throwing a missile...

Once a German daredevil tried to jump from the bridge - with a film crew, professional suits and stunt advisors - and did not make it alive. Therefore the bridge is full of different warning signs.

A photoshoped picture of me and the bridge - only 25 USD!

While queuing up for the ferry we were approached by a woman with a camera who took a picture of us while we happened to be standing on a green background. After the ferry arrived at its destination it turned out that there was a nice picture of us with the bridge waiting, all nice and photoshoped. I guess people who happen to be there on a foggy day are willing to pay, but I was not. In fact, I am thinking about starting an online business: you and America's most famous landmarks - just upload your pic and we will put you wherever you want.

Alcatraz as seen from the city

Another famous landmark of the city is the Alcatraz island - a former maximum security federal prison. Located on an island with steep shores, surrounded by cold and tracherous waters of the bay, this used to be a place nobody was supposed to escape from.

The Alcatraz Island

Yes, there were several attempts. The most famous one was depicted in the movie "Escape from Alcatraz" with Clint Eastwood. Shortly before the prison was closed, a group of three prisoners managed to get out by making the air vent a bit wider, so taht they could get out of the cell. Then they needed to drill another hole in a grill (motor from a stolen vacuum cleaner) and make their way to the shores and away on rafts (made from raincoats). Nobody knows if they made it, but these are the only cases where the bodies were never retrieved. On the other hand, the fact that they never sent a postcard could also indicate that they never made it ashore. Apparently, at that time it was the only federal prison where the inmates had hot water in the showers - to prevent them from getting used to the cold waters of the bay. Because the island had to be supplied from the land even with fresh water, the average cost of keeping one prisoner per day was USD 1,000 at that time!

Indians welcome

A little known fact about the island is that after the prison was closed, the facilities were occupied by Indians. Based on the law stating that any unoccupied federal property can be resettled by native Americans, they took the island. You can see on the picture the "Indians Welcome" sign which is a leftover from those times. Did they succeed in keeping the island? Well, not more than they did keeping the continent. They were expelled after less than 2 years.

A cable car in San Francisco

San Francisco is also known for its cable cars - who hasn't seen a movie in which a character rushes to the nearest block to catch a cable car and then rides up and down the steep slopes holding on to the pole leaning outside of the car? Well, a small disappointment here. The cable cars indeed used to be a means of public transportation (apparently the accidents when horses were pushed down by the carriages were not a pleasant view). So San Franciscans came up with an idea of a cable car - it is not a tram, nor a bus, nor anything else. There is a cable in the ground which you can hear moving all the time. When the driver wants to depart, he just pulls a lever to grab the cable and the journey begins. Smart, huh? Well, but back to the usage. After the 1906 earthquake most of the cable car system was damaged and the city switched to regular trains and busses and trolleybusses (all of which are present in the city today). They also decided to restore 2 or 3 lines of cable cars for historic purposes. Today, cable cars serve tourists ONLY, cost 5 bucks per ride and are very congested. There goes the magic of the cable cars.

The Coit Tower

Coite tower is an interesting building located on the telegraph hill. It was donated to the city by an eccentric lady who as a child had been rescued by firefighters from a hotel fire. Unable to become a firefighter herself (sexist pigs), she used to wear an uniform and hang out with her mates in pubs. Today that's called "a woman in men's clothing". The tower she donated has the shape of nozzle of a firefighter hose.

San Francisco downtown from Coit Tower

The view from the tower is trully stunning. Just take a look here.

San Francisco downtown from Coit Tower

And here.

San Francisco downtown from Coit Tower

And here.

San Francisco downtown from Coit Tower

And here.

It's definitely worth the 5 bucks. Well, unless it's one of those really really foggy days.

The City Hall in the Civic Center

The Civic Center of San Francisco is home to some of the representative bulidings in the city, such as the city hall and the Asian Art Museum. As it turns out, the original city hall, along with most of the buildings from that time, perished in the 1906 earthquake. Unfortunately, due to bribery, the building was erected using poor quality materials. Therefore during another "big one" as San Franciscans call everything tahat goes above 7.0 Richter scale, in 1989, the building nearly collapsed. It was however rescued and today stands on rubber foundations, that will shake it gently when another earthquake comes. San Francisco is also where the United Nations Organization was founded, and nearby the civic center is a UN plaza, with columns commemorating admissions of subsequent countries to the organization. Poland proudly stands on the 1945 one.

Entrance to the Muir Woods National Monument

Moving outside of the city I found a great opportunity to explore some of the Californian nature. Unfortunately, today's main tree is eucaliptus which was imported here from Australia for timber. Unfortunately as it turned out, that was a poor decision because eucalyptus crackles and breaks very soon after it is cut. However, after a 17-mile drive from the Golden Gate bridge I entered the Muire Woods National Monument.

Sequoia Sempervirens - the tallest living creature on Earth

It is home to the tallest creatures on Earth - the seqoias. It's not the same trees as the ones in other parts of the state, especially in the Yosemite National Park. The latter are the largest (as in volume) and the Muire Woods are said to be the tallest. And yes, indeed, they are impressive.

The Redwood Forrest

The Redwood Forrest as it is called used to grow all around the state. However, after the fires caused by the 1906 earthquake (the gas pipes burst and fires raged in the city for several days after the quake) demand for timber was high. Luckily, a gentleman called Muire bought a parcel with a forrest and didn't let anyone get trees from there. Nice of him. Today Muir Woods is a National Park with wild nature, great trees, however a bit limited in size.

A deer in the Muir Woods

On the way I felt that I am traveling around a state that recently went bankrupt. Before it was hard to notice that among all the trendy houses with pools, glamorous buildings and porsches standing in the dirveways. But in that one place, on a road climbing a steep hill, a part of one lane collapsed. Normally that would be taken care of - groundworks would fix the slope and a new layer of asphlt would go on top. During bankrupcy, however, the lane is separated from the other one by a number of poles stuck in the asphalt and a big sign "use one lane only". "We're waiting for better times" should follow. Somehow even when I write it it kind of has an Austrian accent.

Sausalito from the above

On the way back we took a look at Sausalito - a "mediterranean-like" settlement across the Golden Gate bridge from San Francisco. Indeed, from the above it looked quite nice.

Sausalito - expensive houses and nothing to do

But in the town there was nothing to do at all - just a few shops with keepsakes for tourists and some ice cream places.

Fog coming down the hills

But the fog was there.

A view on the foggy bay from Sausalito

Yes, it was.

Can you find a bridge in this picture?

Speaking of fog, that day the bridge was not "fully visible".

Golden Gate in fog - view towards the bay

But it was still better than many other times.

The Castro district - San Francisco is famous for its tolerance

San Francisco is said to be famous for its tolerance. Especially in the Castro district, a lot of businesses, and I mean a lot, have the famous rainbow flag. Even elements of infrastructure which were completed during the "Summer of Love" and after have certain special features. By the way: a recent poll says that more people know that the Summer of Love took place in San Francisco than that the United Nations Organization was born here. Which group are you?

Conspiracy Theory supporters

What people in San Francisco are not tolerant about is when somebody calls their city Frisco. Apparently this really gets on their nerves and this word, commonly used in Los Angeles, is forbidden at the Golden Gate.

San Francisco tour record

To finish off my entry about SF let me include some of the pictures form the city tour you can buy from one of the many companies operating here. You can see the route on the picture to the left.

The Palace of Fine Arts

The palace of fine arts was completed 9 years after the 1906 earthquake for the event of a world fair. Even today it acts as a symbol for the city's rebirth.

San Fransicso has many ethnical enclaves

San Francisco has many national enclaves, with one of the largest China Towns in the US.

Transamerica Pyramid - the tallest building in San Francisco

The most recognizable building of the city's skyline used to be heavily criticized by the inhabitants and was very much disliked in the first years of its existence.

Mission Dolores - the oldest building in San Francisco

The oldest building in the city is Mission Dolores.

JP2 visiting Mission Dolores

But I was not the first Pole who ever got there.

An Indian hut on a cemetery of Middion Dolores

Mission Dolores has an interesting cemetary.

Downtown San Francisco in Fog

The tour included some scenic drives but this time the weather did not allow for enjoying panoramic city views. ("the golden gate is right in front of you")

Sillicon Valley Companies

That is it. For those of you who are looking for an IT job, there are many opportunities in teh SF Bay. What is interesting is that the two most famous ones, Google and Yahoo, are located in teh centre of the valley and very close to each other.

A tunnel built, yes, in the 1970's

911 conspiracy theories still thrive.

That's it from San Francisco. I look forward to going there again!

The City by the Bay

San Francisco, United States

Heading South?