We flew in Sunday evening late, and I had Monday and Tuesday to explore the city. Monday morning I routed my way past Union Square and further into town, a 45 minute walk. My destination, City Lights Booksellers and Publishers. I read a bunch of Beat poetry in college...Ferlinghetti, Ginsberg, Kerouac, etc. City Lights in San Francisco was where much of that Beat movement was centered. It was such a charming and fascinating old bookshop! Creaky wooden floors, skinny and winding staircases, a maze of bookshelves in odd formations that didn't seem to have any rhyme or rhythm to their placement, almost like a maze. It was delightful and I lost track of time completely, browsing for hours.
I took a different route back and wandered through Chinatown...the largest outside of Asia and the oldest in North America. It's a pretty fascinating place.
I hadn't intended to visit Fishermans Wharf this trip since I'd been so many times before, but I woke up Tuesday morning and decided to go anyway...such is the sentimental pull of the place. I took a cable car from Union Square down to the Wharf. Union Square is at the end of the line where the cable cars get physically pushed around by cable car workers on a turntable to be able to then head back the way they had come. Interesting that after all these years it hasn't become automated. My seat was right next to the car operator and it was fascinating watching him pull on the levers that allowed us to start and stop on those steep hills.
Once in Fishermans Wharf I meandered in no hurry and with no real purpose other than to see the busy wharf in different ways than I had before. I explored and spent my time in areas I hadn't ever visited and took my time people watching. It was a throughly enjoyable afternoon.
The sea lions are always such a draw for tourists visiting Pier 39, but instead I walked down the much less crowded Pier 40 and was rewarded when two sea lions came over and playfully swam around right at the edge of where I was standing. I also got a pretty stellar view of Alcatraz.
Walking further west than I'd ever explored before, I found myself at Hyde Street Pier...the resting place of a bunch of old historic maritime vessels. I was giddy! I spent a good while poking around all the ins and outs of the old ships.
There was a little beach adjacent to Hyde Street Pier and across the street from Ghiradelli Square (which somehow with all my visits to San Francisco, I had never visited before. And yes, I did eventually meander up there to get some chocolate before heading back into town.) I spent an hour here, reading a book while digging my toes into the sand and listening to the waves break on the shore. Could there be anything better than reading on the beach?
The line for the cable car was long. And for some reason, the cars were slow in coming. Rush hour, maybe? It took over an hour to get through the line, and by that point in time the clouds and fog had rolled in, the wind had picked up, and the temperatures had dropped. Not unusual for San Francisco, but I sure was chilly by the time I made it back to Union Square. When Bryan texted to tell me he would be later than expected, I made a beeline for the closest Starbucks for some hot chocolate and an almond croissant while I waited.
The next morning we were headed to the airport by 4:30am. I wouldn't have minded staying longer but really, it was just about right for a San Francisco quick fix.
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