My daughter Chaye had a Phlebotomy exam she needed to take, so the two of us drove to Santa Rosa the night before, and stayed with my bestie Catherine. Thankfully, Catherine grew up in the area and knows her way around.
The following morning she drove us into the city by the bay, (Cudos to the band Journey for coining that phrase). San Francisco happens to be one of prettiest, congested, dirty and eccentric places in the country. Let me explain-
We parked downtown next to Cafe De La Presse, which has the worlds best cappuccino, and is across the street from the China town entrance. After we fed a thousand quarters into the parking meter for a mere thirty minutes of parking time, I stood near the car and looked up at the skyscrapers surrounding me. The detail and architecture of the buildings are breathtaking.
I wondered how old some of them were, and how amazing it was that they survived the earthquakes. I looked at the engravings, brickwork and designs in awe.
"Excuse Ma'am", He said to me, "Tell your friend to turn her wheels inward towards the sidewalk or she'll get a ticket." I looked over at Catherine's car, we were parked on a steep downward slope and even I knew that the wheels of her car should be turned inward.
After we fixed the wheels and thanked the doorman, we walked to the building where Chaye was taking her test. She still had an hour before the exam so we decided to walk around China town. The roads are very narrow and even at eight thirty in the morning, people filled the sidewalks.
As we walked back towards Chaye's building, I noticed several bags of trash scattered between the gutters and sidewalks on almost every block we passed.
A homeless man was picking up cigarette butts from the streets and pocketing them for later, another man walked by having a conversation all to himself that included fits of laughter.
The cafes were cooking breakfast, the smell of bacon and garlic mixed with the nauseating sewer steam and transit bus exhaust. It wasn't pleasant, but thankfully a cool breeze from the bay was blowing in fresh air.
After we dropped Chaye off to take her test, Catherine and I drove over and met my son Austin and his girlfriend at the farmers market taking place around the Ferry building.
I bought some fruit, falafels, a bottle of lavendar lemonade and a purple bell pepper from the vendors, then we walked around down town.
While in Neiman Marcas, I noticed a canary diamond ring that was part of the Ivana Trump line. It was priced at $251,000.
I started to laugh, thinking how I had written almost the exact same thing in my first manuscript 'Southerland Skye'. It's in the chapter where Southie goes to the city with her sister. While they are shopping in an upscale department store, she notices a similar ring and is shocked at the amount on the price tag .
We picked up Chaye after her test and drove to Sea cliff drive, where multi million dollar homes over look the bay. After enjoying some time on the beach, we headed to the Haight Ashbury district.
We walked through some of the oddity shops including a store called 'Loved to Death' that has been on several TV shows.
Austin bought us dinner at a bistro and then we decided to leave the city before it got dark. It was Saturday, and the more eccentric and less endearing were venturing out for the evening. Traffic at night is worse than in the daytime. Everyone's going out to eat, drink and do whatever. And, you really have to watch out for the taxi cabs, they'll cut right in front of you without any notice, and they drive like maniacs.
I love San Francisco, it's an amazing place with so much culture, diversity and history, there is something for everyone to enjoy. If you decide to go, let me give you a tip; September and October are the best months to visit. The weather is gorgeous and the temperature ranges in the 70's.
This is a photo taken from Sea Cliff drive with the Golden Gate bridge in the background. To the far left is my son Austin and his girlfriend Nicole. We had a great time, and I can't wait to go back.
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