WORLD TOUR, USA - Journal no. 11

World tour begins – Journal no. 11

25^th March to the 30^th March 2011

 

Terminal 5, Heathrow, UK

Well it all started very early one morning at Heathrow’s Terminal 5. Peter Sorge, my good friend, kindly dropped me off somewhere around 4.00 a.m., at the iconic British Airways building, far to early, but no complaints. I certainly didn’t want to miss what promised to be a ‘life changing’ experience. At the time I remember being full of apprehension, doubt, some missing giving’s, tired and excited. Clearly I had no idea how things would turn out.

Check-in, customs and passport check competed, its then simply a process of moving to the Gate of Departure at the appropriate time and we're off.

Landing at San Francisco International Airport

The journey time from London, Heathrow, U.K., to San Francisco, U.S.A., was approximately 13 hours, flying some 5371 miles or 8645 km. Great relaxed flight with British Airways with the seat next to me vacant.

Passing through Americans Customs at the newish International Airport was everything that I expected it to be retinal, fingerprint and passport scan; an efficient, professional and friendly service with, perhaps, more Hispanic and Asians working behind the counter than I’d anticipated.

Transport to central San Francisco is easy once you understand how things work; I guess I must have seemed like a novice traveller to most onlookers at the time. The BART airport overland, basically a loop line, links with the mainline underground rail network that radiates out to all central and outlying suburbs.

I’d deliberately chosen to stay at a place called ‘The Andrews Hotel’ supposedly within walking distance from Union Square, so at least a well known place to ‘aim’ for.

Interestingly enough, the BART carriages are so much wider than our train or underground system although with little else that is different.

We finally pulled up at the Union Square station about 45 minutes after leaving the airport terminal and after a somewhat circumvented route I found my way to the hotel.

Facts and history of San Francisco

San Francisco, officially the City and County of San Francisco, is the financial, cultural, and transportation center for the San Francisco Bay Area. A region of 7.6 million people that includes San Jose and Oakland suburbs, encompassing a land area of about 46.9 square miles (121 km²).

The northern section of the San Francisco Peninsula has a density of about 17,179 people per square mile (6,632 people per km²). It is the most densely populated city in the state of California and the second-most populated in the United States, after New York City. 

In 1776 colonists from Spain established a fort at the Golden Gate and a mission named after Francis of Assisi a few miles away.

Upon independence from Spain in 1821, the area became part of Mexico and under their rule the mission system gradually ended and the land privatized. In 1835, Englishman William Richardson erected the first independent homestead, near a boat anchorage around what is today Portsmouth Square. Together with Alcalde Francisco de Haro, he laid out a street plan for the expanded settlement, and the town, named Yerba Buena, began to attract American settlers.

Commodore John D. Sloat claimed California for the United States on July 7, 1846, during the Mexican-American War, and Captain John B. Montgomery arrived two days later to claim Yerba Buena.

It was renamed San Francisco on January 30 of the next year with Mexico officially ceding the territory to the United States at the end of the war.

Despite its attractive location as a port and naval base, San Francisco was still a small settlement with inhospitable geography.

The California Gold Rush of 1849 propelled the city into a period of rapid growth, increasing the population in one year from 1,000 to 25,000, transforming it into the largest city on the West Coast at that time.

The promise of fabulous riches was so strong that crews on arriving-vessels deserted and rushed off to the gold fields, leaving behind a forest of masts in the harbour.

California was quickly granted statehood, and the U.S. military built Fort Point at the Golden Gate and a fort on Alcatraz Island to secure the San Francisco Bay. Silver discoveries, including the Comstock Lode in 1859, further drove rapid population growth.

With hordes of fortune seekers streaming through the city, lawlessness was common, and the Barbary Coast section of town gained notoriety as a haven for criminals, prostitution, and gambling.

Entrepreneurs sought to capitalize on the wealth generated by the Gold Rush. Early winners were the banking industry, which saw the founding of Wells Fargo in 1852 and the Bank of California in 1864.

Development of the Port of San Francisco and the establishment in 1869 of overland access to the Eastern U.S. rail system, via the newly completed Pacific Railroad helped make the Bay Area a center for trade. 

Catering to the needs and tastes of the growing population, Levi Strauss opened a dry goods business and Domingo Ghirardelli began manufacturing chocolate.

Immigrant laborers made the city a polyglot culture, with Chinese railroad workers creating the city's Chinatown quarter. In 1870, Asians made up 8% of the population.

The first cable cars carried San Franciscans up Clay Street in 1873 and the city's sea of Victorian houses began to take shape. Civic leaders campaigned for a spacious public park, resulting in plans for Golden Gate Park. San Franciscans built schools, churches, theaters, and all the hallmarks of civic life. The Presidio developed into the most important American military installation on the Pacific coast. 

By 1890, San Francisco's population approached 300,000, making it the eighth largest city in the U.S. at the time. At the turn of the century, San Francisco was a major city known for its flamboyant style, stately hotels, ostentatious mansions on Nob Hill, and a thriving arts scene.

Three-quarters of the city was destroyed by the 1906 earthquake and fire. San Francisco was quickly rebuilt, hosting the Panama-Pacific International Exposition nine years later. 

During World War II, San Francisco was the port of embarkation for service members shipping out to the Pacific Theater. After the war, the confluence of returning servicemen, massive immigration, liberalizing attitudes, and other factors led to the Summer of Love and the gay rights movement, cementing San Francisco as the center for liberal activism in the United States.

Today, San Francisco is one of the top tourist destinations in the world, ranking 35th out of the 100 most visited cities worldwide, renowned for its cool summers, fog, steep rolling hills, eclectic mix of architecture, and landmarks including the Golden Gate Bridge, cable cars, and Chinatown.

The city is also a principal banking and finance center, and the home to more than 30 international financial institutions.

Union Square - ‘Heart of the city’

I’d arranged to stay for five nights at ‘The Andrews Hotel’, Post Street, approximately 600 yards from Union Square. 

As it materialized, it was a good choice; the Red and Blue Tour buses start there tours in Union Square; the Powell & Hyde trams, built in 1906, run along Geary Street and pass through the Square on the way to ‘Pier 39’ and ‘Fisherman’s Wharf’. China Town is about a mile away as is the ‘Port of San Francisco’ and the ferry terminal.

‘The Andrews Hotel’, built in the early 1900’s and arranged over eight floors, withstood the earthquake of 1906 and was subsequently restored to its former glory by the current owners. 

It’s a comparatively small hotel in the scheme of things; however, the accommodation was of a good standard. 

Occupying for corners of Union Square are painted hearts attributed to the song, ‘I lost my heart to San Francisco’, sung by Frank Sinatra, the crooner Dean Martin and Tony Bennett over the years.

Five days to explore California, U.S.A.

Interestingly enough I’d arrived in the U.S., of A., with very mixed feelings, almost expecting to dislike the larger than life ‘American’ portrayed by Hollywood. Brash, loud, over confident and naïve so whatever happened it would prove to be a bonus.

Clearly 5 days isn’t sufficient time see what California, or rather San Francisco, has to offer. One thing that you quickly realize, even on such a short visit, is the sheer size of everything. 

The North American continent has extraordinary access to what appear to be endless resources. From its huge multi-cultural population, the volume of natural resources on tap, the extent of available land to build on or to enjoy as a natural amenity it really is incredible. It’s very clear how a country like the U.S.A is perceived as the ‘Powerhouse of the Civilized World’, it is!

San Francisco is a good example; most cities would be pleased if they had one iconic landmark such as the ‘Golden Gate Bridge’. This city has at least three other bridges that span the wide bay all of a similar magnitude.

As you move round the city outskirts, you’re aware of the sheer size of everything along with the volume of material available to the American people. The last time that I drove through such wide-open countryside was when I was travelling the plains of South Africa. Commercial factories, showrooms, retail outlets and offices occupy 100’s and sometimes 1,000-acre sites.

Driving past a car show room, a distribution center or factory you will invariable find hundreds of vehicles, grouped and neatly positioned. A deliberate ploy to convey how successful and large the business is, I guess.    

Golden Gate Park is a good example. In the park you will find a massive building the ‘Californian Academy of Science’, a huge museum with 9th floor-viewing gallery, a full size eighteen whole golf course, a Bison sanctuary, several large lakes (some as big as the whole of Hyde Park) and a championship polo field and stadium. The funny thing is they’re all lost within the massive wooded grounds and landscaped gardens.

One other than becomes very clear Japanese cars dominate the roads including the American bastion of the 4x4 pick-up market. There almost no 'built in the USA' cars on the road, amazing. Absolute and complete domination. 

Hills of San Francisco

San Francisco is famous for its hills, with more than 50 hills within the city limits. Some neighbour hoods are named after the hill on which they are situated, including Nob Hill, Pacific Heights, and Russian Hill. 

Near the geographic centre of the city, southwest of the downtown area, are a series of less densely populated hills

San Francisco's tallest hill, Mount Davidson, is 925 feet (282 m) high and is capped with a 103-foot (31 m) tall cross, built in 1934. Dominating this area is Sutro Tower, a large red and white radio and television transmission tower.

The nearby San Andreas and Hayward Faults are responsible for much earthquake activity, although neither passes through the city itself.

The San Andreas Fault caused the earthquakes in 1906 and 1989 with minor earthquakes occurring on a regular basis. The threat plays a large role in the city's infrastructure development. The city has repeatedly upgraded the building codes, requiring retrofits for older buildings and higher engineering standards for new construction. There are still thousands of smaller buildings that remain vulnerable to quake damage, however.

Franciscan - Restaurant to the rich and famous

I couldn’t let the opportunity pass, the ‘Franciscan’ is an Italian restaurant set along the Fisherman’s Wharf area of San Francisco, or Pier 45, frequented over the years by the rich, famous and infamous. 

The galleries of photographs that adorn the walls as you climb the stairs are testament to that.  Winston Churchill, as a young man, David Niven, Frank Sinatra, Dean Martin, Victor Mature, Jerry Lewis, John Wayne, the list and photo’s are endless. 

It’s arranged primarily over the 1^st floor, maximizing the view across the Bay, with the Island prison of Alcatraz, Angel and Treasure Islands and the Golden Gate Bridge visible in the distance. 

The décor would seem to be akin to a 1950’s Diner with gaudy bright red padded and upholstered seats, crescent shaped dining booths, polished chrome ornaments with the bar as the focal point.

The food, wine and service, despite my somewhat casual tourist attire were excellent. Well worth a visit and it’s that not expensive!!

Afternoon touring the docks

There are 45 ‘Wharfs’ or ‘Piers’ each with an equally imposing entrance building or gate. Most have been renovated to create space for residents and visitors alike to relax in.

The most famous is probably Pier 39; surrounded by expensive boats, a small amusement park, fine restaurants and boutique shops. 

Then there’s Fisherman’s Wharf noted for its fish restaurants and the infamous Pier 33 the departure point for the Island prison of Alcatraz.  

Moored along the docks are one of the few remaining floating WWII Liberty ships, so well used during the war, a working WWII submarine, many tall ships and the restored paddle steamer, 'San Francisco Belle'.

Interestingly enough, everything in San Francisco seems so familiar, I guess, because so much of the city has been on show to the public so many times over the years in celluloid.

You can’t help but feel comfortable here. As you turn a corner or walk the streets there’s always something memorable to see. 

A typical street made famous by Steve McQueen in ‘Bullitt’ sloping down to the bay area for example, Alcatraz and Golden Gate Bridge the backdrop for so many Hollywood blockbuster movies. The historic Victorian quarter used many times, once in a film called ‘Pacific Heights’.  

One other thing despite my reservations to the contrary the people are just so god darn friendly. The service in hotels, restaurants and the like is just so professional, attentive and pleasant not the smarmy, ‘have a nice day’ that I had expected. I love the city, its people and the places. 

Grand tour of San Francisco

The second full day in the city I was a little unsure what to do, it had been raining and promised to continue throughout that morning, I was also conscious that I had a limited amount of time left.
Strolling around Union Square I noticed several tour buses pull-up and decided, if the price was right, to take a trip round the city.
For approximately 25 dollars the red double-decker open-top bus loops continuously round the city offering a ‘hop-on, hop-off’ service. Great if there’s something that takes your interest and what better way to orientate oneself. Below is the list of places that we past along our route.

Fisherman's Wharf: The cannery at Del Monte Square, Hyde Street, shops and restaurants.
Lombard Street: The most crooked street in San Francisco.

Palace of Fine Arts: One of only a few surviving structures from the 1915 Panama-Pacific Exposition.
Golden Gate Bridge: The international symbol of San Fran Francisco.
Golden Gate Park: De Young Museum, California Academy of Sciences and the Japanese Tea Gardens.
Haight Ashbury: Home of the Hippie and Beatnik Movement of the 1960s.
Civic Centre: See City Hall and the Asian Museum of Art.

Union Square: San Francisco's central shopping district, Theatre District, Westfield Centre and cable cars.
China Town Gate: San Francisco's Chinatown.
Barbary Coast: Where Chinatown meets the Financial District.

North Beach: Peter and Paul's Church, San Francisco's Little Italy including Italian cafes and restaurants.
Alcatraz Landing: The departure point of the ferry for the infamous Alcatraz Island.
Pier 39: Aquarium, restaurants, shops and close up views of sea lions.
Fisherman's Wharf: Enjoy the Dungeness crab and famous sourdough bread.

Bus tour round the iconic city

We pretty much followed the route as indicated above, with the weather improving along the way. Hardy chap that I am I decided to take a crows-nest view from the outset on the top deck, wrapped in my waterproof, with many more joining me as things got better.

We looped down to the bay area first past Fisherman’s Wharf, Alcatraz Landing, and Pier 39 before heading to the Financial Quarter. Next was the Iconic ‘Golden Gate’ bridge still one of the largest and longest suspension bridges in the world. 

Originally conceived in 1898 it took just over 4 years to build and links the district of Presidio to Marin County. There are three other major bridges in the bay area.

After a short coffee break and several photographs later we moved inland, initially, to China Town. 

Interestingly, China Town is in within walking distance of Union Square something you realize fairly quickly travelling on the open-top bus.

A point of interest the Asian community, originally persecuted by the American people, carry out most of the menial jobs here. It’s generally accepted that the city would grind to a halt if it weren’t for them. Buses, trains, restaurants, hotels, cleaning, the list is endless and all would cease to function. 

Next it’s off to Lombard Street, the most crooked street in San Francisco, the Palace of Fine Arts and Golden Gate Park.

Its great touring high-up on top of the red bus it helps to determine what’s worth coming back to see at a later date.

The final leg of the journey took us past North Beach;

Haight Ashbury, Alamo Street (the Victorian wooden buildings home to the stars, like Keanu Reeves and Arnold Schwarzenegger. 

The Civic building before looping back to Union Square. All told a great morning and part afternoon out, well worth the money.

After finishing the tour I wander back to China Town to have a long look round and have a late lunch.

‘Golden Gate Bridge’ facts and figures

The Golden Gate Bridge links San Francisco with Marin County and considered one of the architectural marvels of the Twentieth Century. Constructed during the years of the Great Depression, the Golden Gate Bridge held the title as the longest suspension bridge in the world for many years with a span of 1.2 miles.

The ‘Golden Gate was the vision of a distinguished engineer, Joseph Baerman Strauss’s, who designed and over saw the construction, originally started in 1928.

Before its completion in 1937, the bridge was considered impossible to build, due to persistently foggy weather, 60-mile-per-hour winds, and strong ocean currents, which whipped through a deep canyon below. In fact, the bridge is commonly known as the "Bridge that couldn't be built."

Despite these unforgiving natural elements, the bridge was constructed in a little more than four years at a total cost $35 million. Eleven men lost their lives during its construction.

Even today, the massive bridge is often shrouded in fog. The bridge sways 27 feet to withstand winds of up to 100 miles per hour. International Orange was the color chosen for the bridge because it blended well with the bridge's natural surroundings. The two great cables extending from the bridge contain 80,000 miles of steel wire, which is enough to circle the equator three times. The amount of concrete poured to form the foundations of the bridge would be sufficient to create a five-foot sidewalk from New York to San Francisco.

200,000 people celebrated the opening of the bridge in a weeklong holiday and party.

Financial Centre and Port

Today is Sunday, so it’s all’s quiet in the financial district, however, a perfect time to wander round the area without constantly bumping into people. 

One of the common themes across the city are the covered walk-ways that crisscross the district, often enhanced with artwork, cozy seating areas, landscaped and linking businesses, offices, shops and restaurants to one another.   

Ultimately all of the roads and paths lead down the gentle sloping hill to the ‘Port of San Francisco’, originally the principle offices and storage area for goods imported into the city. 

Its also where many immigrants from Russia, China and South America were processed in the late 1800’s and early 1900’s, only after spending long periods of internment on Angel Island. Virtually trapped with the only way off a 1½mile swim across treacherous waters.

One of the reasons that Alcatraz was such an effective prison housing many of America’s most dangerous criminals was because the Bay swim is considered impossible.

The ‘Port of San Francisco’ building has now been completely restored and another one of the many social spaces that seem to be common place here, filled with boutique shops and restaurants.

Boat across the Bay to Sausalito

Wandering around the Port of San Francisco rather spontaneously I decided to take a boat across the bay to the city of Sausalito in Marin County. It seemed like the day was turning out nice so why not. It also provided an opportunity to get a close-up of Alcatraz and the Golden Gate Bridge.

Alcatraz Island

Sausalito

The city of Sausalito and exclusive suburb perched on the hillside, more akin to town is full of individual houses, boutique shops and restaurants and a complete contrast to the fast and furious metropolis of SF.

Trip to Yosemite National Park

The 28^th March, my birthday, I decided to organize something special like a trip to the stunning Yosemite Park. An early morning pick-up from my hotel for what promised to be a perfect day of sunshine; according to our guide there had been heavy snow the night before. He assured us that the Park was open and all of the main roads cleared.

On our tour bus Alisha (or Sou-Lin) from Soul, South Korea, Dana, a TV producer from Tel-Aviv, Israel. The tour bus driver, John, a New Zealander by birth, extraordinarily knowledgeable; two ladies from Washington, two guys from Melbourne, a husband and wife from Sydney, a couple one from Italy and the other from Albania, and finally a French Canadian from Quebec. The United Nations all on one the bus!!

It’s a fairly uninteresting 3-hour drive from the city to what is effectively a mountain wilderness, a perfect escape from the hustle and bustle of city life. 

A man named John Muir championed the park and in 1886 with the help of his friend and fellow camping buddy, Theodore Roosevelt, it was declared a National Park, policed by the army.

The day of the visit was just about perfect, the lull after the storm. Apparently 10 foot of snow fell across the Park the previous day, blocking roads and creating a severe risk of avalanche. Not today, however, most roads had been cleared, the sun was shining and the air crisp. 

It really is a wonderful place to visit!! The highest peak rises to well over 14,000 feet and it takes several days to reach the summit. Stunning scenery, wonderful walks, excellent skiing conditions and superb fishing. 

There are some of the most difficult climbs in the world right hear, for example, the sheer face of El Capitan rising 7,000 feet into the air. There is also an abundance of wildlife including wild bear and mountain lion.

Facts about Yosemite National Park

Yosemite National Park spans the eastern portions of Tuolumne, Mariposa and Madera counties in the central eastern area of California. Covering an area of 761,268 acres (3,080.74 km²) and reaching across the western slopes of the Sierra Nevada mountain chain.

Over 3.7 million people visit Yosemite each year: most spend their time in the seven square miles (18 km²) of the Yosemite Valley. Designated a World Heritage Site in 1984, Yosemite is internationally recognized for its spectacular granite cliffs, waterfalls, clear streams, Giant Sequoia groves and biological diversity. Almost 95% of the park is designated wilderness. 

Although not the first national park, Yosemite was central to the development of the park ideal largely attributed to the work of people like Galen Clark and John Muir.

Yosemite is one of the largest and least fragmented habitats in the Sierra Nevada and supports a diversity of plants and animals. The mountain range varies from 2,127 to 13,114 feet (648 to 3,997 m) and contains five major vegetation zones; chaparral/oak woodland, lower montane forest, upper montane forest, subalpine zone, and alpine. 

Of California's 7,000 plant species, about 50% occur in the Sierra Nevada and more than 20% within Yosemite. There is suitable habitat or documentation for more than 160 rare plants in the park, with rare local geologic formations and unique soils characterizing the restricted ranges many of these plants occupy.

Granitic rocks and remnants of older rock characterize the Geology of the Yosemite area.

About 10 million years ago, the Sierra Nevada was uplifted and then tilted to form its relatively gentle western slopes and the more dramatic eastern slopes. The uplift increased the steepness of stream and riverbeds, resulting in formation of deep, narrow canyons.

About 1 million years ago, snow and ice accumulated, forming glaciers at the higher alpine meadows that moved down the river valleys.

Ice thickness in Yosemite Valley may have reached 4,000 feet (1,200 m) during the early glacial episode. The downslope movement of the ice masses cut and sculpted the U-shaped valley.

Day out in Golden Gate Park

After viewing some of the park from the tour bus some days earlier I was determined to take a closer look round ‘The Golden Gate Park’.

Consisting of 1,017 acres (412 ha) of public grounds and configured as a rectangle. It is over three miles (5 km) long east to west, and about half a mile north to south.

From the Bohemian Haight district in the North the Park slopes steeply, at times, down to the wide sandy beaches along the North Beach and the Pacific Ocean coastline. 

The park houses a 9^th floor viewing gallery in the Museum building, surrounded by ornate grounds, an outside auditorium and the huge Californian Academy of Science building.

There’s a beautiful Japanese Gardens, with Azaleas in full bloom, and an oriental tearooms. A Victorian Glass House, or ‘Conservatory of Flowers’, as it is better known, a bison sanctuary, polo filed and stadium, lakes and a Dutch windmill.

Flight to New Zealand

It’s the 30^th March today, and I fly to Los Angeles, before moving on to Auckland, New Zealand.

My views on the USA and its people have altered completely, the people, country, countryside and places are stunning.

P.s I’m well and having a fabulous time by the way.