Hello from San Francisco –
A Bike Ride across the Golden Gate Bridge and Dinner at McCormick
& Kuletos
A big storm was forecast for our second day in San Francisco, but
so far we had been lucky. Our culinary
tour through the North Beach area had gone off without a hitch.
Even the sun peeked out here and there. Local food and culture expert
Tom Medin who runs Local Taste of the City Tours, provided us with
a great introduction to San Francisco and its lifestyle as well
as a sampling of the culinary treats on offer in this bustling Italian-flavoured
neighbourhood in San Francisco.This three and a half hour tour had
not only enhanced our knowledge of San Francisco; the various treats
we were offered had also stimulated our taste buds.
How steep is Filbert Street?
We said goodbye to Tom on Washington Square and started heading
up a steep street called Filbert Street to explore another San Francisco
landmark: the Coit Tower on Telegraph Hill. Walking up the steep
incline I was amazed how people are able to park their cars on these
streets. As we continued further up the hill, a beautiful view opened
up towards downtown San Francisco, crowned by the Transamerica Pyramid.
Through the trees we even got glimpses towards the San Francisco-Oakland
Bay Bridge and the Golden Gate Bridge.
View towards the San Francisco - Oakland Bay Bridge
The Coit Tower was built in 1933 at the top of Telegraph Hill with
funds that were donated to the city by Lillie Hitchcock Coit, a
volunteer firefighter and philanthropist. Lillie had been rescued
as a child from a fire and held a life-long high esteem for firefighters.
The top of the tower actually resembles the end of a fire hose.
The structure is 210 feet high and the lobby holds some phenomenal
murals. These wall paintings were created in 1933 by a group of
renowned San Francisco artists as part of a government funded program
to keep artists employed during the Great Depression.
Coit Tower
The murals are really stunning. Life size images of themes such
as industry, agriculture, science and banking fill the space of
the main floor of the Coit Tower. For me one of the most striking
scenes includes the depiction of a robbery on a San Francisco street;
a few inches away the image of a traffic accident illustrates life
in the big city. The murals are very colourful and life-like and
present a true time capsule of life in the 1930s.
Industry in the 1930s
Newspaper images illustrate the headlines of the day; paintings
of every day people showcase the fashion of this fascinating decade.
Many of the images carry a theme of social justice and political
commentary of the times. Given my fascination with Art Deco architecture
and the 1930s in general, I spent a solid half hour at the bottom
of the tower, studying the images. For any arts aficionado, Coit
Tower is a great destination, and best of all, the murals on the
main floor are free to view.
"The Accident"
On the north side of Coit Tower is a viewing platform that provides
an absolutely astounding view of the northern shoreline of San Francisco.
The Golden Gate Bridge and Alcatraz Island figure prominently against
the backdrop of the Marin Headlands. From here we started to make
our way down the hill, using a narrow set of wooden stairs called
the Filbert Steps that took us along a steep descent through a beautiful
residential area of San Francisco. The gardens lining this narrow
walkway are tended and paid for by local residents, and many of
the houses adjoining it can only be reached from the steps.
View towards Oakland from the Filbert Steps
Once we were at the bottom we had reached The Embarcadero, the
roadway on the eastern waterfront of San Francisco. This major road
actually sits on top of an engineered seawall on reclaimed land.
The name stems from the Spanish word “embarcar” which
means “to board a ship”. Many piers line the Embarcadero
including famous Pier 39 which has become one of the San Francisco’s
most popular tourist destinations.
Pier 39 - one of San Francisco's most popular attractions
Pier 39 today is a popular shopping centre and tourist attraction
that holds a large variety of retail stores, restaurants and a video
arcade. One of the main attractions is the Aquarium of the Bay which
features local marine animals, including 50 sharks of different
species. The Touch the Bay exhibit allows you to actually pet a
number of animals including bat rays, leopard sharks, sea stars
and others.
The vintage carousel
Another popular attraction is the historic San Francisco Carousel
which was handcrafted in Italy and features illustrations of famous
San Francisco landmarks such as the Golden Gate Bridge, Alcatraz,
the Coit Tower and Lombard Street. Eighteen hundred twinkling lights
adorn the carousel, and children can ride on classic moving horses,
spinning tubs, swings and rocking chariots.
Sea lions lazing in the afternoon sun
Of course another attraction that cannot be missed are Pier 39’s
sea lions. A few specimens of this barking mammal species started
to arrive in January of 1990, shortly after the Loma Prieta earthquake.
Today there are several hundred of them, lazing around on the wooden
docks. During the winter there can be up to 900 sea lions, and watching
them is a popular activity for locals and travelers alike. We stood
for quite a while on the western side of Pier 39, watching the antics
of these endearing creatures.
Harbour scene near Pier 39
But then we had to leave since we had another important program
point on our schedule: a bicycle ride! We quickly headed over to
Bay
City Bike on Taylor Street, right in the middle of Fisherman’s
Wharf, a company that provides organized bicycle tours as well as
bicycle rentals. We met Steve, a young fellow with the most pleasant
and relaxed West Coast attitude, who outfitted us with two comfort
bikes and equipped us with all-important bicycle maps.
View from the bike of Fort Mason with the Golden Gate Bridge in
the background
San Francisco is a phenomenal biking city, something I can attest
to as an avid biker. I have cycled in locations such as Toronto,
Vancouver and Montreal, and in my opinion bicycling is one of the
best ways of exploring a city. It allows you to cover way more ground
than on foot, is more relaxed and less polluting than driving a
vehicle, allows you to stop everywhere and helps you burn a few
calories, so you can actually enjoy a guilt-free dinner.
Approaching the Golden Gate Bridge near Crissy Fields
Steve also equipped us with a free bottle of water and sent us
on our way. Although it was already close to 4 pm by the time we
got started, my dream was to cycle across the Golden Gate Bridge.
I just had to conquer this internationally famous landmark by bicycle.
Unfortunately we would not have time for the Golden Gate Bridge
to Sausalito Ride which takes you to the other side of the Bay and
involves a ferry ride back to San Francisco. We had to bring the
bikes back by 6 pm so we had to make sure we’d make it all
the way across the Golden Gate Bridge and back.
Getting closer to the famous bridge
After 4 pm we started riding westwards into the sunshine, past
Fort Mason, the Marina District and the wide outdoor expanses of
Crissy Field. At the Warming Hut pier, we rested for a bit and took
in the amazing panorama of the city on the right and the Golden
Gate Bridge to our left. Then we had to climb up a steep hill on
Lincoln Boulevard to reach the Fort Point Lookout and the southern
terminus of the Golden Gate Bridge.
Cycling north on the Golden Gate Bridge
The bridge, painted in the famous International Orange colour,
was starting to take on golden hues in the late afternoon sun. We
started crossing the bridge on the western side since the walkway
on the east side is restricted to pedestrians. I had a chance to
film the entire northwards trip, crossing the world's most famous
bridge. Cycling across this beautiful, world-renowned miracle of
engineering was an almost spiritual experience. I can only describe
it as a once-in-a-lifetime experience.
"International Orange"
When it was completed in 1937, the Golden Gate Bridge had the longest
suspension bridge span in the world, and even today it is still
the second longest suspension bridge main span in the United States.
With its two cantilever design, the bridge spans the 6,700 ft (2042
m) long treacherous opening of San Francisco Bay and represents
one of the Modern Wonders of the World. Many people said at the
time that a bridge could not be built, given the ferocious ocean
currents and the almost constant 60 mph winds.
Like a harp
The Golden Gate Bridge is one of the most aesthetic man-made structures
and its location, spanning the western end of San Francisco Bay,
offers breathtaking views of the city and the Marin Headlands. Several
years ago I had seen a documentary of the men that climb up the
bridge’s cantilevers to paint the structure, and I was just
marveling that any human being would have the courage to climb up
on the big metal pillars and the thick metal cables that connect
the two towers.
Some of the components of the bridge with the Pacific Ocean in the
background
The sun was starting to set as we started to cycle back from the
Marine Headlands, and the westwards view over the Marin County coastline
and the Pacific Ocean was simply breathtaking. We really stepped
into the pedals and raced back to Bay
City Bike to return our two-wheeled vehicles just around 6 pm
when the store was closing. What an exhilarating experience!
The sun is starting to go down
We took our bicycles back, thanked the folks at Bay
City Bike for a great experience and resolved to come back in
the next couple of days for another bicycling experience. We straightened
ourselves out a little and decided to head to another San Francisco
institution for dinner: McCormick
and Kuleto's -- a seafood restaurant located in the former Ghirardelli
Chocolate Factory. Mia Harriman, the General Manager, sat down with
us and gave us a great overview of this restaurant and the San Francisco
lifestyle.
Ghirardelli Square - a haunted place
First of all, she suggested a great liquid concoction to get us
started: hot cider enhanced with Grand Marnier, Amaretto and Frangelico
with a dollop of whipped cream. I don’t usually drink much
alcohol, but this drink was heavenly. I can see how one could ingest
several glasses of this tasty temptation. We enjoyed a beautiful
view through the panorama windows across San Francisco Bay. The
views in this city are truly spectacular.
Mia Herriman and Mario, the Maitre d'
Of course a bike ride across the Golden Gate Bridge makes you extremely
hungry, so we set off on our culinary adventure. I savoured my Heart
of Palms Salad, garnished with Serrano ham, Marcona Almonds, living
watercress and a sherry vinaigrette and followed it up with Fire
Roasted Pepper Aioli Red Crab and Shrimp Cakes. My travel partner
Leslie started with a traditional Clam Chowder, and then enjoyed
Tilapia with Roasted Pepper and Cajun Cream Sauce. This delicious
meal was the perfect highlight of an action-packed day.
My Heart of Palms Salad
Mia provided us with further information about this restaurant
that can seat more than 300 people. She explained that this restaurant
is part of an Oregon-based chain of 80 seafood restaurants that
are now located all across the United States. Mia herself hails
from Sweden and we had a good chat about the renowned San Francisco
lifestyle. She added that she enjoys the liberal mindset of San
Francisco and the cultural differences that coexist peacefully in
this tolerant city. She had come to the United States many years
ago as a nanny and become successful in the restaurant industry.
She added that McCormick and Kuletos values female managers as evidenced
by the fact that several of the executive chefs are female.
Mouth-watering crab cakes
We found out that the restaurant is housed in a building that was
part of the former Ghirardelli chocolate factory and dates back
to the 1850s. Apparently the building has its own ghosts and her
executive chef has met some of them. (I am sure the ghost sightings
have nothing to do with a certain hot cider drink….) The entire
square is said to be haunted.
McCormick & Kuletos
Mia also took me on a tour through the entire facility. The restaurant
is very spacious and the entire north side features huge panorama
windows. The view includes the northern tip of the Golden Gate Bridge,
the town of Sausalito and, straight in front, Alcatraz. Unfortunately
it was already dark when we arrived, but the view from these windows
must be stunning during the day time.
Every seat is a window seat
The décor of the restaurant is reminiscent of an ocean liner,
and curved wooden railings surround an elevated deck-like structure.
Mia explained that the restaurant has several levels and each level
has a great view out of the huge picture windows. She added that
every seat in this restaurant is a window seat. On the east side
of the building you actually see the Hyde and Powell Cable Car Turnaround,
a location that apparently about 70% of tourists in San Francisco
will visit at some point during their trip.
And a fabulous apple pie for dessert
I also had a chance to meet some of her coworkers who have been
at McCormick
& Kuleto's for more than 15 years. Karl, the bartender,
and Mario, the maitre d’, have both been here for a long time
and are well known among hotel concierges in San Francisco. The
entire crew including our waiter Geoff (who we kept calling “Gee-off”)
was bantering with us and they seemed to have a really good time
working here.
T he bartenders at McKormick and Kuletos
After a light-hearted evening and an action-packed day we started
strolling out into the night to catch the bus back to our Victorian
abode, the Queen Anne Hotel, to rest up for another day of discoveries
that would include a walking
tour of Pacific Heights to explore some of the amazing architectural
heritage San Francisco has to offer.
