PAGE FOUR
New York City - Andrew, Jacqui and her Mum - 2006
At the end of 2006 another short visit to New York was in order for jewellery purposes. This was in early December and Christmas Season was in full swing. We had presents to buy, so one of our side trips was to FAO Schwartz. This time we arrived early enough to see the little opening ceremony that is performed every morning. Waiting for the shop to open was a very cold experience indeed as the wind whipped down through Central Park and along Fifth Avenue not bothering to stop without going straight through anyone foolish enough to be hanging around outside.
Jacqui's Mum looking very cold outside FAO Schwartz, New York
Pullitzer Fountain at Fifth Avenue, New York City
Soldiers at FAO Schwartz, New York City
Inside the shop it was nice and warm and, being this close to Christmas, even FAO Schwartz was more impressive than usual with vast quantities of toys everywhere to be seen, including a full size woolly mammoth!
A Mammoth Problem? FAO Schwartz, New York
Doggies in FAO Schwartz, NYC
Pink doggies in FAO Schwartz, NYC
Another place we knew had a little Christmas Market was Bryant Park, so we stopped by here also (and Andrew bought a woolly hat having developed very pink ears whilst walking around bare-headed). Here there was a skating rink set up which added to the very strong Festive feeling which New York was giving off.
Skaters in Bryant Park, NYC
Skaters and Empire State, Bryant Park, New York
Bryant Park Christmas Tree, New York City
Elsewhere in New York City
Fifth Avenue, New York City
Also on this trip we found ourselves by the Flat Iron Building, so Andrew got some photos of it close up. From the little park across the road he got some interesting shots of the Empire State Building poking its top half above trees and decorations. Curious grey squirrels watched him as he took the pictures.
Flat Iron Building, NYC
The Empire State Building, New York, New York
Also the Empire State Building, NYC
Times Square during the Day, New York City
A New York Squirrel
Although we didn’t get much time for general tourism on this very brief visit, New York had a very special atmosphere so close to Christmas which even the bitter cold could not diminish … it was warm enough, after all, for this bear to sit outside on a bench!
A Bear on A Bench, New York
San Francisco - Andrew, Jacqui and their Mums - 2007
A year after our trip to New York the Fearsome Foursome of Andrew, Jacqui and their Mums headed to the other side of America. The flight was a long one, but stopped briefly in Chicago’s O’Hare Airport. A little too briefly as the changeover was extremely rushed making us wish we’d paid a bit extra for the direct flight.
Finally, we touched down in San Francisco, California. Although still in America, this city turned out to be so unlike New York it felt like another country!
Our hotel was on the edge of the centre of town, so it was generally a taxi or tram ride into the centre to visit anything.
The following day, vaguely rested and having had a nice big American breakfast, we headed into San Francisco’s famous Chinatown. Well known throughout the world as the largest concentration of Chinese people outside of China itself, this vast sprawling central part of San Francisco spreads across the middle of town and is surprisingly very steep. We soon figured out that San Francisco is built on not so much a series of hills as one long ridge of hill which spreads along the peninsula upon which the city sits.
Chinatown Arch, San Francisco, California
Jacqui and the Mums in Chinatown, San Francisco, CA
Jacqui with Andrew? San Francisco Chinatown
Chinatown, San Francisco, California
The main street of San Francisco’s Chinatown is Grant Avenue and we found ourselves walking along it. A stop at a coffee shop part way along and then you cross by Old St. Mary’s Church. Here we saw our first San Francisco Trolley Car as it headed across Grant Avenue heading up Nob Hill – a journey we would make ourselves later on.
Old St. Mary's Church in Chinatown, San Francisco, CA
San Francisco Tram, Chinatown
After you cross here things take on an even more Chinese feel, as if the further from the Chinese Arch you get the less touristy things feel. Then suddenly you are out of Chinatown and heading into North Beach (where once again Little Italy butts up against Chinatown just as it does in New York).
Chinese Lanterns, Chinatown, San Fancisco, CA
Chinese Man playing an Erhu, Chinatown, San Fransciso
Chinatown Wildlife, San Francisco, CA
San Francisco’s Chinatown is undoubtedly large and along the main roads is quite touristy, turn a corner or two and you are in a much more grim version of Chinatown, this is an area where you can imagine opium dens and tongs operating, although this is probably just an over-active imagination.
Old and New in San Francisco, California
We wandered down and found ourselves for the first time at legendary Fisherman’s Wharf, once the heart of San Francisco’s fishing industry and now, largely, a tourist infrastructure par excellence. The first day we didn’t see much of it as it was getting a bit late and out on Pier 39 was decided chilly. So we ate, took a taxi back to the hotel and decided to come back the next day.
Fisherman's Wharf, San Francisco, CA
The next day we headed for Fisherman’s Wharf straight away and began to enjoy the different speciality shops which cluster along Pier 39. Yes, this is a very touristy place, but so what – it was hugely enjoyable. The shops have a quirky feeling – for instance the year-round Christmas shop – and the people are all friendly. An absolute highlight was Chocolate Heaven – a super chocoholics shop.
Andrew & Jacqui looking silly, San Francisco, CA
Jacqui's Mum looking silly, San Francisco
The Pier is well-known for its colony of sea-lions and it was quite cool to be able to see these surprisingly large pinnipeds basking in the midday sunshine – although there was a pretty rank fish smell emerging from their blubbery ranks.
Sea Lions off Pier 39, San Francisco, California
Crab Statue at Pier 39, Fisherman's Wharf, San Francisco, CA
We had a brilliant fish meal at the Neptune’s Palace seafood restaurant overlooking San Francisco Bay and with a great view of Alcatraz (which we never got to in the end). Jacqui tried the famous Bay Crabs and we all had some of the most succulent fish we’d ever tasted.
Alcatraz Island, San Francisco, California
We found ourselves back at Fisherman’s Wharf several times throughout our trip – it really is the heart of San Francisco.
Clock on old Harbour buildings, San Francisco, CA
Man who Knows His Onions, San Francisco, CA
The next day we headed for the Market at the Old Ferry Terminal. This was another of those surprises that San Francisco kept springing on us. Not only was there a great farmers market on outside with lovely fresh produce (including a man with giant onions) but also inside there was yet another series of speciality shops – this time all with a foody orientation.
The Bay Bridge, San Francisco, California
Outside offered street entertainment and great views of that lesser known San Francisco bridge – the Bay Bridge.
Street Entertainment California-style
Inside we browsed through various shops and had a totally genuine Chinese tea – server not in cups, but in little bowls. We all tried different teas, including Andrew’s Mum who actually hates tea!
Andrew's Mum enjoying some Chinese Tea, San Francisco
Tram up Nob Hill
Tram to Nob Hill, San Francisco, California
From here we finally boarded a trolley bus and rode up Nob Hill. Nob Hill is the highest point in San Francisco and the ride up gives you those iconic views of the road disappearing down hill in a series of undulations (the ones you see police cars bouncing down in movies). Nob Hill is crowned by Grace Cathedral – a very good copy of Notre Dame de Paris which has recently been cleaned up a great deal giving it a pristine look.
The Streets of San Francisco!
Outside the Cathedral a film crew were making a film (we never did find out what film). At one point Andrew and the Mums climbed up on what looked like a parked trolley car to have their picture taken, only to be chased off by a frazzled looking film crew member who told us that it was not a trolley car but rather an expensive prop from the film! I suspect that we were not the first people that had had chased away that day.
Grace Cathedral, San Francisco
The next day we took our only trip outside of Downtown. This was to the very symbol of San Francisco – the Golden Gate Bridge.
First View of the Golden Gate Bridge, San Francisco, California
Now some people might say, “huh! A bridge is just a bridge”, but that is certainly not the case. Anyone who has been to such as the Humber Bridge, the Brooklyn Bridge or the Millau Viaduct would know this is not the case.
The Wonderful Golden Gate Bridge, San Francisco, California
The Golden Gate Bridge, San Francisco, CA
The Golden Gate Bridge is, in some ways, the ultimate bridge. Functional, yes – to our surprise it contains a six lane motorway but at the same time it has an elegance unrivalled by almost any other bridge I’ve seen.
All of Us at the Golden Gate Bridge, San Francisco, California
On the Golden Gate Bridge, San Francisco, CA
The Golden Gate Bridge, San Francisco, CA
The proportions seem just perfect, especially when seen from the Visitor Centre viewpoint high above Fort Point where it arches in an elegant curve across the mouth of San Francisco Bay over to Marin Point on the opposite shore. We were very lucky in that we got a fairly clear day and although occasional clouds did cross the view we did not have to see the Bridge obscured by the famous fogs of San Francisco.
Fort Point under the Golden Gate Bridge, San Francisco
We spent a good while around the Golden Gate Bridge, and crossed part way over it. We spent our tourist dollars in the extremely good souvenir shop and then decided it was time to look for a taxi back into town.
The Golden Gate amidst the Flowers, San Francisco, California
Here we were very lucky, we picked a taxi driver who took us on a grand tour of the area between the Bridge and the City, describing to us what we were passing in some detail. He then took us to the top of Lombard Street – the famous “Crookedest Street in the World”. After a brief pause we were taken down its torturous zig-zag. Once at the bottom we parked and had time for a few photos before heading onwards to our destination at Fisherman’s Wharf (for dinner). He was one of those truly great cab drivers that you occasionally meet up (although far too many are at the other end of the scale sadly) and he made our day at the Golden Gate Bridge end on a superb up.
Lombard Street - "The Crookedest Street in the World", San Francisco, California
Our final full day in San Francisco was spent going to some of the other odds and ends we hadn’t yet seen. We had passed by a rather neat looking little gardens, the Yerba Buena Gardens as it turned out, and we had decided to go for a little relaxing walk that morning.
Modern Buildings in San Francisco, CA
It turned out to be a very pleasing little stroll with the added bonus of finding a carousel with which we all turned the clock back to our childhood by having a ride on!
Fools on a Carousel! Yerba Buena Gardens, San Francisco
From here we headed to Little Italy, centred around the park near St. Peter and St. Paul Church. Here we relaxed as California finally began to live up to its sunny reputation – up until now it had been slightly chilly and decidedly overcast.
St. Peter and St. Paul Church in San Francisco, California
Little Italy in San Francisco, California
Andrew's Mum relaxing in San Francisco, CA
Little Italy, San Francisco, CA
Our final stop on our last day was across the other side of town in the Café Bar at the top of the Marriott Hotel on 8th Street. From here a fantastic view can be had across Downtown San Francisco, although unfortunately the windows are oriented in such a way that the Golden Gate Bridge is not visible. However, the views are a joy to behold and we had intended this to be our last point of call in San Francisco before heading home.
View of San Francisco from the Marriott Hotel, CA
Another view of San Francisco from the Marriott
Restaurant up on high, Marriott Hotel, San Francisco, CA
Jacqui's Mum admires the view, San Francisco, CA
The next morning, however, we had about an hour after breakfast, so we quickly had a wander up to the Capitol building which was close to where we were staying. Unfortunately, even in the morning, the parkland outside was filled with some of the less desirable inhabitants of San Francisco, so we didn’t linger for that long.
Capitol Building, San Francisco, California
A taxi ride took us back to the Airport. Returning we were due to change airplanes in Los Angeles rather than Chicago. This meant a smaller aircraft that did not fly so high, so as we passed southwards down California we got some superb aerial views of the desert land and the San Andreas Fault before turning in over the wide bay on which Los Angeles sits. From the air we got a great idea of the sheer size of the City of Angels, spread out in a massive grid as far as the eye could see.
Fields in California
Another view as we fly to LA
The San Andreas Fault, California
Approaching Los Angeles Bay, California
Never Ending Grid Plan in Los Angeles, California
Our brief stop in LA was much more measured and relaxing than our even briefer stop in Chicago had been and we left California behind us with some very good memories indeed.
Downtown Los Angeles from the Air, California
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