The location of San Francisco means that it is regularly windy and today wet ;) however, the streets are alive in the morning with the keen faces of competitors taking part in the 12k run through the city to Golden Gate Park. Most of the runners had made the effort to attend ‘costumed up’ in a whole range of ways… there were cheerleaders, nuns, police, garish disco deevers, warriors, famous stars and several naturists wearing nothing but their number, a smile and shoes!! All very good humoured with many runners interacting with the crowd (handing out sweets, shaking hands or just waving) while the crowd cheered them on in the drizzle and cold… After an hour I headed for a coffee :)
Walking eleven blocks inland from Union Square through the inner city areas of San Francisco I come across Japan town, a small group of clustered shops and services aimed squarely at the Japanese visitor/resident. A large pagoda stands within a small park with stone seating to take time out and relax (to drizzly for that today)… inside the shopping mall I am transported back to Japan with stores selling Ramen, Sushi and other Asian dishes (labelled in Japanese and English). The mall also has lots of individual stores selling products from Japan including newspapers/magazines printed in Japanese. Definitely worthy of the name ’Japan town’
Leaving Japan Town I head for the ‘Civic Centre’ via Jefferson Park (turns out to be a patch of grass surrounded by some poorly looking trees and a big sign saying dog exercise area 0_0 not recommended. The whole area is a little run down with visible graffiti over not only buildings but also the vehicles!! The recreational areas have high lockable fences while even the homes on the ground floor have locked shutters over windows and cages on doors to deter intruders - there are small ‘middle class’ communities living in small housing areas with their own entry gate. Felt a little on-guard walking these streets but was eventually rewarded with the site of the Town Hall - a grand and impressive structure with gold embellished dome decorated with fantastic murals/carvings. The entire area is filled with wonderfully wide avenues, rows of trees and French style architecture - for the first time I could really see San Francisco as the Paris of the West ;) The tree lined and gravelled walkways providing the lovely crunch under foot as I walked to get the best shots of the City Hall, Symphony building, veterans building and war memorial. Definitely worth the stroll to see from Union Square, although I would recommend walking along Market Street instead of the route that I took :)
Once again I am taken aback by the sheer number of vagrants on the street today - As I sit in a café on Market street watching its wonderful rainbow flags flapping in the breeze, the passing trams clattering past and people going about their daily humdrum, I witness several tramps sifting through the bin directly outside for scraps… 0_0 As I walk back along Market Street I see several more, generally more than one for each block!! some calling out randomly, some sleeping against the walls on cardboard beds while others are organising their possessions on carts… It saddens me to see people living in such a way.
The YHA downtown, located within spitting distance of Union Square, is an amazing place to explore San Francisco from - staffed by knowledgeable and welcoming staff who provide a number of unique benefits… For example: bagel/toast and coffee breakfast, cheese and wine tasting. Beer tasting, Film and pizza nights and guided walks/evenings out [All FREE just make sure to sign up first]. More than just a YHA…
Thanks guys :)
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