Hello from San Francisco: Our Final Adventure
-
A Ride through Golden Gate Park and
Dinner at Colibri’s
Our last day in San Francisco welcome us with bright blue skies
and brilliant sunshine. In the morning we had already hopped on
one of the city’s moving landmarks and experienced a ride
in the open-air cable cars that make this city such a favourite
destination. Then we spent about three hours exploring the infamous
Island of Alcatraz, famous for the maximum security pentitentiary
that was located here from 1933 to 1963. What an eerie yet strangely
beautiful place!
Alcatraz - a reminder this was a hellish place
We arrived back at Pier 33 shortly after 2 pm and decided to have
a quick lunch in the sun at Pier 39. Among the hustle and bustle
of this popular tourist destination we took up a sunny spot right
in front of the historic Italian-built carousel to savour our selection
of French fries and crepes.
The popular vintage carousel at Pier 39
Then we had to hurry because by this time it was past 3 pm and
we still wanted to do a bicycle tour of San Francisco's northern
coastline and to explore Golden Gate Park. So we rushed over to
Bay
City Bike Rental where we used our Go San Francisco card to
take out two bikes to start our second bicycle tour of San Francisco.
The Go
San Francisco Card is a multi-day, multi-attraction pass that
lets you experience more than 45 attractions, activities and tours
at greatly reduced prices.
A tribute to Pier 39's sea lions
Steve, our favourite sales person with the great relaxed West Coast
attitude, outfitted us with comfortable cruiser bikes and even got
us a map and a free bottle of water to start our adventure. Now
we were definitely ready to head out and explore more of San Francisco’s
unique locations.
Even the seagulls ponder San Francisco's beauty
In the sunshine we cruised past Fort Mason Center and the Marina
District. We then stopped off at the Palace of Fine Arts, one of
San Francisco's most popular destinations and the only remaining
site of the 1915 Panama Pacific Exposition. Unfortunately the Rotunda
was under renovation and covered up by scaffolding, but the beautifully
carved Corinthian columns and the scenic pond still provided plenty
of opportunities for passionate photographers.
Classic details of the Palace of Fine Arts
On we continued past Crissy Field and up a steep hill to the Fort
Point Lookout, location of the southern terminus of the Golden Gate
Bridge. Then we continued uphill on Lincoln Boulevard, high above
Baker Beach and China Beach to Land's End where a wooden lookout
platform offered a phenomenal view of the Golden Gate Bridge.
A great view from Land's End
After taking a rest in beautiful Lincoln Park (which features a
reasonably priced municipal golf course with amazing Pacific Ocean
views) we continued past the Palace of the Legion of Honor, a European
art museum financed by a sugar heiress. Then we continued southwards
into Golden Gate Park.on steep 47th Avenue.
What a vista from the Lincoln Park Golf Course!
Golden Gate Park consists of more than 1000 acres of parkland that
is visited by 13 million visitors per year. The park has a range
of diverse features including the popular Japanese Tea Garden, the
San Francisco Botanical Garden at Strybing Arboretum, and the Conservatory
of Flowers. Stow Lake and Spreckels Lake are the main bodies of
water; and the De Young Museum, rebuilt and reopened in 2005, is
a celebrated destination for fine arts lovers. Golden Gate is also
home to the California Academy of Sciences, one of the largest natural
history museums in the world. The AIDS Memorial Grove was begun
in 1988 and continues to be the only national AIDS memorial in the
United States.
Residences near Golden Gate Park
I checked my watch, and by this time it was after 5 pm. We knew
our bicycles had to be back by 6 pm, so we had no choice but to
race through the park. I figured Golden Gate Park would need to
be a full-day destination for my next San Francisco trip which should
allow me to explore all the features of this fine urban park in
great detail. We made our way up the steep climb of Arguello Street
and came down through the Presidio, a former military area that
is now a beautiful wooded oasis in the city.
The sun is starting to go down
As much as we would have liked to stop and explore some of these
attractions, it was now very late afternoon and we were approaching
the 6 pm deadline for returning our bicycles. So we had to continue
our race to get back, but on our way we simply had to stop to catch
some nice sunset shots of the Golden Gate Bridge. Orange, pink and
purple hues were highlighting San Francisco’s most famous
landmark - an awe-inspiring view.
Sunset scene with Fort Mason in the foreground
Not surprisingly, we were a bit late returning our bikes, but the
folks at Bay
City Bike were very nice about it. They understood that San
Francisco just has too many beautiful experiences to offer that
can get travelers easily side-tracked. As an avid urban bicyclist,
I have to say that our two bicycle rides in San Francisco were definitely
major highlights of our entire trip. Sightseeing on a bicycle is
one of the best ways to get to know a city; and San Francisco is
a superb bicycling destination, with its gorgeous scenery and its
extensive network of bicycle trails. A ride across the Golden Gate
Bridge, as we had done a few days earlier, is simply a must to get
the full experience of this city.
Our cozy nook at Colibri's
After cleaning up, we spent our last evening at a Mexican eatery
called Colibri
Mexican Bistro, not far from downtown Union Square, where we
got to sample a variety of authentic dishes from Central Mexico.
Colibri is located next to the Hotel Diva and decorated in the style
of an early 20th century cantina. Warm hues of deep orange and burgundy
red adorn the walls, and solid wooden Mexican furniture creates
an authentic ambience.
Sopa de Tortilla, my favourite
Our exquisite tasting included guacamole (prepared right in front
of us with fresh ingredients), a “sopa de tortilla”
(tortilla soup, one of my favourites), “torta de elote”
(a cornmeal dish), as well as “nopales asados” (the
grilled leaves of the prickly pear cactus). While I enjoyed the
extensive vegetarian spread, my travel partner Leslie tasted “tacos
de pescado” (tacos filled with tilapia). We both commented
on the diverse range of flavours, the generous portions and the
friendliness of the staff at Colibri.
Freshly made guacamole
Like every Monday, live Mexican music was starting to fill the
air. Sarah Gallagher, the assistant manager, joined us briefly and
informed us that for a truly Mexican experience, Colibri
even features more than 350 varieties of tequila. To cap off a very
tasty meal I ordered one of my Mexican favourites: "crepa de
cajeta" - a scrumptious crepe with a caramel topping that is
made from goat's milk. Simply delicious!
And for dessert: crepa de cajeta
Thoroughly satisfied after a flavourful and filling dinner we took
the bus back to the Queen Anne Hotel, for our final night of sleep
in San Francisco, a city we had both fallen in love with in just
three and a half short days. Our delicious meal tonight was a fitting
end to our much too short few days in San Francisco, but the impressions
that this beautiful city had left on our soul will last a lifetime….
