What is your favorite to visit? I was thinking about the many places that I have visited. I have seen many places and in fact have visited in at least 35 states and parts of three countries. I do not count my two hours in Japan as a real visit. In fact I have visited a couple of places that some think of as separate countries only because of their lack of thinking.
What was my favorite? I think that must be Fisherman’s Wharf in San Francisco. It goes back to my early days in California. It was always a treat to travel to San Francisco. We lived in Fresno and if you have any way to get out of the very hot summer weather (100°+) you traveled to San Francisco. The difference would sometimes 105° in Fresno and 69° in San Francisco. While in high school I had the opportunity to do several field trips and the time I spent in San Francisco is what I consider some of the more fun parts of high school.
The picture that I took to accompany this article was actually taken in July of this year and yet it could have been taken on any of my trips to visit that iconic tourist destination. Some see this as a tourist trap, but I do see it as a working port and the historical aspects make it just as interesting for me on every visit. In my mind I can see the railroad cars being put on the barges for the trip to Oakland or further. I can imagine an actual working fishing fleet and not just sport fishing that seems to be in the forefront of the area now. Pier 39 is not the same as it was when it opened. The original thought of only local proprietors seems to have lost some of its luster with some large retailers now on the pier. The takeover of the K dock area by the sea lions has added to the charm. This trip we missed seeing them because it was the season that the mammals go south for the summer and to start new families. Yet hearing that they travel to southern California for this seems strange to me.
Changes do occur and the very famous DiMaggio’s restaurant is now a Joe’s Crab House. Of course many young people do not know the origins of this place and the importance of the name both to the seafood industry and to the history of baseball. This place is almost as important as the cable cars.
Going to that city without taking public transportation would be a crime. Only San Francisco has as many classic choices. The Cable Car, the trolley, and Bart all are great local transportation that also attracts the tourist. The trolley line down the Embarcadero uses vintage cars from lines all over the world that have been restored to their original look with the designs showing how they had looked in their original cities. I was on a car that originated with the Chicago Transit Authority (CTA). Was it déjà vu? Had my family or I actually been on that car when it operated in Chicago?
That is what the city does; it can be so many things to so many people. Yes Ft. Point is a must, yes walking out on the Golden Gate Bridge is great, and yes even following the construction of the revamped San Francisco Oakland Bridge is great and it will be even more when the new section is completed and replaces a very bland section with something worthy of that dramatic area. Still I feel that Fisherman’s Wharf is still my prime area of the city.
No comments:
Post a Comment