US diary: part 1: San Francisco

This post also appears in Bahay ni Kumareng Grace. I decided to post it here also because of the trauma of “hackers.” Important posts like this need back-up. And I’m posting it here for MY own sake.

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Arriving in a new country always leaves me palpitating. After all, it’s like a whole new world. Much like when I first stepped in to European soil, I was like a giddy child when our plane landed in San Francisco. My father kidded me, “Oh, humalik ka na sa lupa ng Amerika.” Even if my father would conclude at the end of the trip that the places looked the same [and I’d like to think he was just being sarcastic], with the exception daw of the Grand Canyon, I thought otherwise. Each place we visited was unique in its own way, each having its own charm.

San Francisco was our Ellis Island for this trip. I remember it was not too busy when we arrived, and we were almost the only ones going through immigration. I was a bit worried about this part of the trip because of the stories of some friends [na pinahirapan daw sila ng immigration officers]. But it turned out there was nothing to worry about…we went through in a breeze. Hmmmm…was it perhaps because my mother was in a wheelchair, or because my aunt, who is a nun, was with us? But they were not with us in line, kami lang ni Wendy! So I would like to think of it as more of God’s hand working! Anyway, on we went, ready to face the Land of Milk and Honey [at least for us Filipinos].

Our first taste of San Francisco [and the United States, for that matter] was the very cold weather! Paglabas pa lang ng airport, ayun na! I was surprised because it was colder outside the airport than inside! Grabe! My aunt and cousins were not kidding when they said malamig sa San Francisco. That fact that the city was in the bay area made it very cold. Kung baga in addition to the already cold weather, may breeze pa! O diba, para kang naka electric fan sa loob ng freezer! Even Wendy, who is very “thick skinned” [naka aircon na tapos naka tapat pa electric fan], was no match for the weather! This was, however, a welcome change for us because the Philippines was experiencing one of the hottest summers in years. So bring the cold weather on!

Wendy here, for the first time, succumbed to coldness. And to think she would want to live where there is snow! Now she’s changing her mind. My cousins’ tip: Layering is the key! Put on lots of layers; it’s easy to shed off when you’re feeling hot.

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The good thing we had going for us in San Francisco is that we had relatives (an aunt and cousins) who have been living there for almost 20 years. Thus, we a taste of authentic San Francisco. After all, they knew the ins and outs of the city. And so we drive and explored the streets of San Francisco.

Now, this scene is very San Francisco, where streets can get very steep! I remember a scene in Princess Diaries where Mia struggled to drive her car up a steep street only to stall at the top. Well, it turned out that the street was in San Francisco! Imagine trying to bike, skateboard, or rollerblade here. Buti na lang, automatic halos lahat ng kotse sa US, kung hindi, patay mga drivers dito pag traffic!

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One of the things I honestly didn’t expect to see in SFO [simply because I didn’t know it was there] was Lombard Street, more famously known as “The Crookedest Street.” Not only was it crooked, but it was also beautiful! The green plants made it more pleasing to the eyes! Also, I was surprised to see that cars were actually passing the street! In operation pala sya! My cousin also told me that houses/condos along the street are so expensive, perhaps because they are part of a tourist spot?

I’ve only seen this street in pictures; it was much nice for real. We got off at the top and walked our way down the street. The pedestrian lane was straight down, but if your riding a car, you will be going the “zig-zag” way.

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Another popular destination is San Francisco is Pier 39. Pier 39 is by the bay area, which makes it a really cold place. My aunt told me that Pier 39 is a great place to be during July 4th celebrations because you will have a great view of the fireworks.

Pier 39 has rows and rows of restaurants, shops, and entertainment stops [like magicians]. Strolling along the area was so fun…marami kasing makikita. As a tourist, of course, everything was worth looking at and stores were worth going in

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Visible from Pier 39 is the famous Alcatraz, which was once a famous military fort but more known to be a prison. Now, it is a tourist destination, accessible by ferry from Fisherman’s Wharf, just beside Pier 39.

It has been claimed that no prisoner has ever escaped from Alcatraz. Yes, there have been attempts, but the isolation of the island, the cold waters, and the sharks swimming by made it almost impossible for prisoners to escape.

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 Also near Pier 39 is one of the most famous, authentic SFO restaurants, Boudin Cafe, which serves sourdough, which, they said, originated in SFO. Boudin is a very comfy and homey place, para bang while eating, you feel so at home and you take your time eating. I’m guessing it’s a popular hangout for people, tourist and local alike, because the place was always full..and we were there on a weekday!

In Boudin, you can watch the bakers make the bread; you can even interact with them through a microphone. The bakers will show you how they make the bread, from start to finish. There were also baskets of bread going around the ceiling of the restaurant, which is their way “delivering” the baked breads. Cute! Boudin has one of the best clam chowders. Yummy! Yun nga lang, Wendy hated the sourdough. Uto to this day, she says she loved everything she ate in SFO, except for the sourdough. He he!

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 If Boudin is the food to eat in San Francisco, the thing to experience [meaning one you shouldn’t go home without experiencing] is riding the San Francisco cable car. Ever since I saw Curtis Stone riding one in the station ID of Discovery Travel and Living, I’ve always wanted to ride one. Riding is cheap, just $5 one way from end to end.

The cable car is one of the means of transportation in San Francisco, meaning it isn’t just for tourists.

I rode standing [not, that’s not me on the picture], which, they told me, is the San Francisco style. It was so much fun really. I felt the cold wind of SFO in my face, not to mention I saw the beautiful houses, buildings [some with industrial equipment], and people while we went around. It was definitely a great experience.

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And of finally, a trip to SFO will never be complete without a glimpse of the Golden Gate Bridge. Built in 1937, for a time, the Golden Gate Bridge was the longest suspension bridge.

No, it’s not made of gold, but it was amazing nonetheless. Ganda!

Crossing the Golden Gate. It was a short ride. You may, however, walk the bridge from end to end. There’s a lane for pedestrians [right side of the picture], as well as for bikes.

View at the other side. The traffic and flow of cars are more visible from here. The view of San Francisco from this side is also beautiful.

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 San Francisco was one amazing place. The weather, the people, the houses, the sites…I loved them all! Not to mention that the pace of life here is not as fast as that in, say, Los Angeles and New York. I loved the fact that San Francisco is a city and yet it didn’t feel like a city. It was like a cross between city and province. Things were well paced, not everything was city-like, and living was more like in the suburbs. Just right for me!

As the song goes, “I [might have] left my heart in San Francisco.”

Next stop: Los Angeles.