Besides its other attributes the city has a history of survival. It survived the bubonic plague which became epidemic between 1900 and 1904. And in 1906 an earthquake decimated it resulting in a fire that destroyed eighty percent of the area. But San Francisco survived and grew to be the unique and interesting city it now is where tourists visit and want to come back again and again.
Fisherman's Wharf is one of those places you want to return to. There are a large variety of street performers, each with their own unique talent. And everywhere there are shops which, though expensive, have merchandise ranging from the exotic to the erotic. And definitely not to be missed is Pier 39, the haven of hundreds of sea lions barking their happiness at having found a sea lion's heaven. Dozing on the docks they soak up rays of sunshine and bask in human adoration. On my first trip to the Wharf, we went to a seafood restaurant and had Lobster Thermadore, a French dish of a creamy mixture of lobster and cognac in a lobster shell served with a browned cheese crust. It was spectacular and although that particular visit was close to twenty years ago, it has been engraved in my memory as being my best restaurant meal ever.
On one of our visits to San Francisco, we took a bus tour and visited Alamo Square, a row of houses of Victorian architecture. They are beautiful, historic buildings and definitely worth a visit. We also saw Lombard Street which supposedly is the most crooked in the world. The crooked portion has eight switchbacks and is about one quarter of a mile long. We also saw the cable cars which were originally built between 1860 and 1880 designed to transport people in this hilly city from one area to another. It's worth knowing that one of their stops is Fisherman's Wharf. And we made a brief visit to Golden Gate Park. The gardens were first begun in the mid 1870's, designed by a Scottidh gardener who lived in the park until he died in 1943. There are thousands of trees, several water features, a Japanese Tea Garden, flowers and a number of other attractions in this huge park situated near the Golden Gate Bridge.
On another trip we visited Mission Dolores founded in 1776 and which I particularly enjoyed. It is the oldest intact building in the city and the cemetery is the only one within the city limits. Both cemetery and gardens are adjacent to the old mission. The markers in the cemetery date from 1830 to 1898. Visiting this mission will be extremely interesting for anyone who enjoys discovering and learning about the history of the places they visit. On that trip we also went up Telegraph Hill and viewed the 210 foot tall Coit Memorial Tower, built in 1933. The hilltop area offers an excellent view of the Golden Gate Bridge and the Bay area. Another excursion we took was a boat tour of the Bay so as to be able to view the city, as well as Alcatraz, from the water. It is definitely a different way to enjoy San Francisco and its harbour.
On one trip we visited Chinatown which is the oldest in North America and the largest outside of Asia. Established in 1848, it has its own life and culture. It happened to be my birthday on this visit so we enjoyed a Chinese meal to celebrate the occasion. Although not quite the same calibre as the Lobster Thermadore, it was excellent just the same.
Although I have seen much of this beautiful and interesting city, we have not as yet visited the zoo, the aquarium, the numerous museums and the many hiking trails and parks. And this list is not complete by any means as there are hundreds of other attractions in the San Francisco area.
Interestingly, on my several visits to this city, we had yet to encounter fog to the extent where it distracted from either our explorations or our enjoyment. However, on our last visit we crossed the Golden Gate Bridge, heading north as we left the city, and parked on the other side just as the fog was rolling in. It had been a beautiful sunny October day which changed before our eyes as the fog slowly undulated its way towards us. It was a spectacular sight to witness and one I'm glad we hadn't missed.
It is definitely a city I will go back to again ... and again.
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