I LEFT MY HEART IN SAN FRANCISCO

What a great town San Francisco is! San Francisco is a really world class city, and you can find just about anything there, from great restaurants to art and culture.

There’s good news and bad news about San Francisco. The good news is that you can walk most of the city. It’s only something like 7 miles by 7 miles, and it can’t sprawl out like other cities because of the bay. The bad news is that most of that area is covered by steep hills, some of them so steep the sidewalk is grooved so your shoes don’t slip! But, the hills shouldn’t stop you from enjoying San Francisco.

When I’m in San Francisco I usually start out at the famous Fisherman’s Wharf area. It’s a complete tourist trap, of course, but that doesn’t make it any less beautiful. For me, the greatest thing about the Wharf is the food. I just love fresh seafood. Fisherman’s Wharf definitely fills that bill. Munching on a crab sandwich with sour dough bread, I couldn’t be any happier.

From there, you can make your way through the city’s North Beach area. This is a nice area with lots of European influence. There are French bistros, Italian pizzerias and great places to get coffee.

Then you have Chinatown. San Francisco’s Chinatown is one of the most famous on this side of the world, and you really feel like you’re in Shanghai or somewhere walking around. The signs are all in Chinese, there are pigs hanging in shop windows, fantastic… and best of all is the food.   

After leaving Chinatown you can head into the downtown financial district. There are skyscrapers, art museums, crowded sidewalks, people rushing around… it’s exciting. But, here’s what I mean about San Francisco. It was a quick walk from Fisherman’s Wharf, through North Beach, Chinatown, and into the bustling downtown business district. It was like walking through 4 tiny cities, and there is still more.

Golden Gate Park is a little further. You can take a bus part way and then get out at the famous Haight-Ashbury district. This is where the Grateful Dead lived, and the hippy movement and all of that, and you’ll be glad to know that none of it has changed. It’s great! You can see so many strange characters walking around, even though the neighborhood has become a tourist spot. There was one guy riding around on a unicycle with long dreadlocks and written across his face was the word “MEAT” in acrylic paint or something. I have no idea what that meant, but when I looked at him there was something in his eyes. Maybe still on that 30-year acid trip that blew his mind way back when.

But, that’s the beauty of San Francisco. It’s like a little microcosm of the whole world all in one city. It’s great, I Left My Heart there so, “I’ll Be Back!”.

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