26 March 2015 - Being a Tourist

My sister lived in San Francisco for 40 years. I stayed with her many many times and got to see a lot of the city. We rarely did the tourist route when we were together. Whenever I arrived she usually had a list as long as my arm entitled "When Lauri Comes to San Francisco" that was filled with opportunities for seeing, doing and eating.  I don't think we ever came close to completing a list. 

The last several times I was in SF I actually did some normal tourist activities, well sort of. And it was fun. 

Sitting at the very top of Telegraph Hill, Coit Tower is one of my favorite places. It is a monument to honor firefighters, commissioned by Lillie Hitchcock Coit. She was my kind of woman. She lived large, smoked cigars and gambled wildly. Okay, sorta my kind of woman. She was a volunteer fireman and devoted a lot of her time to firefighting after being saved from a fire when she was a child. 


At night the tower just glows. Beautiful. 

The two best ways to see the tower are by climbing up the stairs on Telegraph Hill. I like to climb up the Greenwich steps and return on the Filbert stairs. 

The stairs are fairly steep but they wander through beautiful gardens and are a joy to climb, especially if you stop to smell the roses. Stopping to admire the view is always a good way to catch your breath rather than admit you need to take a rest for a moment. 




                                              

The hill is filled with homes, but it is too steep for roads. Anyone who lives here climbs the stairs to get in and out with groceries, furniture or anything else. I don't envy the postman or movers.

The picture above is a gate off the stairs leading to someone's house. It is all very charming. There are beautiful sculptures, mosaic work and art all through the gardens. 
 

Most of the art has been created by the owners, not just purchased.

If you are a gardener or just love flowers and incredibly beautiful settings, the Botanic Garden at Golden Gate Park is for you. 

I particularly love how there are hidden follies tucked off the main paths. It is a treat to discover them. 

 Golden Gate Park also has a fabulous carousel that is definitely on the not-to-be-missed list. It is a restored 1914 Herschell-Spillman menagerie carousel meaning that in addition to horses it has rabbits, pigs, tigers, lions, dragons, zebras, deer, and camels and many more. 

Not only that, it is the cheapest, best entertainment around at only $2.00 a ride. Look at these animals! How could you not want to take a spin or three?

And as long as you are at Golden Gate Park go up to Stow Lake and take a ride on the paddle boats. 

 You get to paddle under bridges, see waterfalls, a Chinese tea house and if you are lucky enough to be there in April, the Great Blue Heron babies will have hatched and you can watch the parents feed them.

Another favorite spot is the labyrinth. It is at a wonderful spot that overlooks the ocean and the Golden Gate Bridge.  Start at the Sutro Baths, take the Land's End trail to Eagle Point.

The trail leads past one gorgeous vista after another and ends up here. 

Need a little music after all this fresh air?  Every Saturday and Sunday afternoon the Legion of Honor hosts an organ concert on one of the biggest pipe organs around. It boasts 4500 pipes ranging from 1/2 inch to 32 feet long.  The sound rattles your bones. Well worth your time.

I often need to escape from the city noise, crowds and general bustle. That calls for a trip across the Golden Gate Bridge to Mount Tamalpais. There are over 50 miles of trails through picturesque rolling hills. In the Spring they are green and covered with wildflowers. 

  

Mount Tam is a great spot to decompress. The trails are narrow, but flat for walking although the hills themselves are pretty steep. 


I often get the urge to roll down them but I don't think I'd be able to stop. 

Other decompression places involve ferry rides. Take the ferry to Angel Island for a day of hiking. Or take the ferry to Tiburon, walk up behind the historic Old St. Hilary's church and take the trails up to the top. From there you can see San Francisco, Oakland, Richmond and all three bridges. 

Being a tourist isn't all that bad. There truly are many things for everyone to enjoy, no matter what it is you like to do or see. And I have done and seen a lot of San Francisco and there is still so much more to discover. We shall see what transpires on my next trip!