San Francisco.....

As I rounded the bend I got my first peak at her. She was tall, beautiful, and had the longest legs I had ever seen. Her arms were wispy but you could tell her strength just by the way she stood there. Then just as quickly as she appeared she was gone again. A few seconds later I finally saw her in her full glory. Little did I know it was going to cost me $5 just to make her acquaintance. As I slowly approached my repose was interrupted by some asshole California driver (and I thought Atlanta drivers were bad) who was none to please with my rate of progress. He was in a hurry to get across. I casually gave him the one-fingered Georgia salute and went back to admiring the Golden Gate Bridge. What did you think I was talking about? San Francisco has three quarters of a million people packed in just 47 square miles. Every square inch is covered with a building, a road, or asphalt. Save a couple of little parks. Finding a parking space in this town was harder than finding hair on Mr. Clean unless you wanted to shell out 20 bucks.

I finally found a spot at a meter on Embarcadero and cruised Pier 39 for about an hour. On my way back to the van this guy started chatting me up about my van. He had one similar to it. He told where I could park for free during the day. I found the parking area and he was parked there to. You should see his rig. He added another bump out on the back part of the roof with what looked like a camper shell from a truck. I got a shot of the outside. The next day I went to the Haight/Ashbury area. I luckily found a parking space on the street. When I opened the door my nostrils were immediately assaulted with the stench of incense and patchouli (sp?). The guidebook gave directions to a few famous houses like Janis Joplin, The Grateful Dead, and Charles Manson. Could have skipped that but oh well. The street had plenty of 70’s throwbacks and if you want a tie dyed shirt this is the place. I was going to go to Lombard Street and China Town but I couldn’t find any reasonable parking at either location so it was time for Plan B. I had spot a halfway reasonable parking lot near Fisherman’s Wharf on my first day so Saturday I parked there and took the cable car. The cable car ride was loads of fun. I can’t believe they still let people hang off the sides still but that was where I rode. Very Cool. Lombard Street is the most crooked street in the world. I would hate to live near there. The place was swarming with tourist. China Town is the place for cheap haircuts and souvenirs. The cable car museum was very interesting with all the motors and sheaves. I had to change trolleys at the end of the line to get back to Fisherman’s Wharf. The change over was at Union Square, an upscale shopping area. The crowd waiting to board the trolleys was huge. I had to wait over an hour to get on. The guys who run them don’t seem to be in any hurry and to make matters worse there were several street preachers delivering their sermons at the top of their lungs. The worst was the one with the bullhorn. Those guys are so obnoxious. I am all for 1st amendment rights but man I wanted to shove that bullhorn down his throat after listening to an hour of his hell fire and brimstone. Needless to say I was relived to board the trolley and get back to the waterfront. It was a beautiful day so I cruised the piers again people watching and enjoying the sunshine.

Overall I liked the vibe in San Francisco. The people were friendly when on foot and the weather was pleasant. Loads of stuff to do and see. Tons of foreign tourists. Walking the streets I felt like I was in the UN. Off for LA……………Later Brett