A walk in the wind

San Francisco can be deceptive. Although it looks wonderfully sunny and warm in the morning and so donning a T-shirt you set off towards the parks it is in fact blowing a gale nearer the coast and the wind can be cutting - I found out that I am the only person that I see not wearing a jacket and in fact going around In nothing more than a T-shirt 0_0 I try to give a stiff upper lip, like a true Englishman and succeed J After four hours of walking and finding every sunny/sheltered street I settle into the vault of the Grace Cathedral for an ice cream and diet Pepsi in order to have a quiet spot to catch up on the blog before heading for the free shows in Union Square performed by AXIS (a very good dancing group who make use of both free and powered wheel chairs)…

This morning I had decided to explore Nob Hill, China Town and Little Italy on my way back to Fisherman’s wharf. It being Sunday the streets were alive with people all fishing for a great deal in the warren of shops throughout Chinatown and I was amazed to see lots of ‘fake’ ivory products like carved tusks and huge ornaments, which could only really be housed within a mansion garden - the whole of Chinatown is a riot of colour and well worth a walk through with its red and gold motifs, lanterns and wall murals - the whole community is dynamic and in motion with store owners shouting their wears from the doorways and packages being transported around you on hand pallets… a rather breathless dance to spend any time in…

As you continue on a walk through China town you arrive at a large road junction and suddenly find yourself in Little Italy - bordered by the ‘St Francis of Assisi’ shrine. A wonderful church containing a beautiful range of icons, stained glass windows and reverential sculptures, it is a place of tranquillity and peace. Simply stunning, a hidden gem within a fairly plain exterior. Walking further into the Little Italy you come across a veritable mass of Mediterranean style cafés which all have little tables and chairs outside on the street - many with ’industrial’ strength heaters blowing hot air from above you to compete with the biting wind. The Italian flag is painted onto all of the lampposts and signs while the whole atmosphere is laid back - quite a difference from the dynamic nature of Chinatown, even though they are just yards apart!! Today is ‘Mothers Day’ in the USA :) [So happy mothers day mum]… I was impressed with one tiny café called ‘Mama’s’ which had an enormous queue outside the door waiting for a table towards lunch time - but the whole line was chatting and looking forwards to being seated at some point in the future while being served Italian coffee while they waited on the sidewalk. Amazing and very family orientated.

Back on Fisherman’s Wharf I visit the ‘Musee de Mechanique’, a bizarre little museum with a plethora of fair ground coin machines from the C19th onwards - some famous names are here in pinball but they are not the real attraction… The mechanical dancing figures, drum operated pianos, moving scenes and peep hole boxes (all for 25c-75c each) bring the whole place to life with loud music and mechanical whirring. One of my favourites was a life sized ‘Laughing lady’ in a glass case which animated - something that I think I would feel quite terrified by if I was a young child again but something not to be missed if you are here!! All ages will love it for the nostalgia of the past as well as providing the young with something more than a games console :)

Finally it was time to head back to Union Square and I found the wooden tram (cable car) stop just off from Fisherman’s Wharf and bought a ticket ($5 one trip), but soon found to my chagrin that it only went every 10mins and that there was rather a long queue for its use 0_0 I decided to hold my ticket for another day and walk back… Which is when I find the magnificently appointed Grace Cathedral and decide to make it a quick stop - turned out to over 30 mins. Definitely worth a visit.