Observations about San Francisco
Notes from my trip to the Bay.
I just got home from a trip to the Bay Area, where I spent the majority of Monday roaming around San Francisco, getting into a few nicks and crannies outside of the tourist destinations. Here’s a few observations:
- Mass transit is good in most places. I rode mass transit from the South Bay, starting from a light rail that took me into Mountain View. From there, I was able to take the CalTrain which takes you right into downtown San Francisco. My plan from there was to take the Muni light rail to Ocean Beach, in which there’s a stop across the street from the train station where that light rail route will take you all the way there. All my mass transit experiences were solid, whether it was a trolley, light rail, or commuter train.
- When the hell did the skyline explode here? It’s probably been a decade since I was in downtown San Francisco, but I remember when the TransAmerica Pyramid was the most prominent building in the financial district. Now, that building is hard to find as many of the newer towers hide most of it from most angles and the newer SalesForce Tower reaches into the clouds.
- Ocean Beach is worth the trip. This isn’t a glamorous beach by any stretch. You won’t find any board walks or other entertainment like you will down the coast in Santa Cruz. But, if your mission is to decompress, this spot has plenty of wave action and a nice footpath to do the trick for you. China Beach is also worth mentioning in this space. As a bonus, if your mission is to explore Golden Gate Park, Ocean Beach sits right next door to the west. And yes, the Muni light rail will take you here. Surprisingly, I didn’t freeze myself while I was out there.
- The Ferry Terminal Building is now a big food hall now. I walked in there to check out the building itself and was surprised to find a mix of food options across the entire ground floor of the place. I’m not sure how long it’s been like this, but it’s a cool use of the space.
- Who needs leg day when you have San Francisco? There’s a popular photo people take of this city where you’re looking through a cavern in the financial district and you can see one of the spires of the San Francisco Bay Bridge through it. It’s a cool shot and I decided I needed to take that photo myself. That photo is taken from the corner of Stockton & California on top of a hill. Luckily for me, I was able to avoid much of this hill from where I caught Stockton at Powell, so I only walked a block up a steep hill. But, coming down this hill had to be at least four blocks and I couldn’t fathom climbing this mini mountain from the bottom of it.
All in all, I did what I wanted to do in the Bay Area. I’ll have more thoughts on this over the coming days as well as photos to share. All of that said, I’m happy to see my cat again.
