San Francisco, CA

"Leaving San Francisco is like saying goodbye to an old sweetheart. You want to linger as long as possible. "
Walter Cronkite

San Francisco has definitely changed a lot since Walter Cronkite called it an old sweetheart. However, I still feel this way. San Francisco was always deep in my heart and after spending a few days there it was really hard to leave the city.

People say, that money is in New York, power in Washington, but freedom sips coffee in San Francisco. The city that was the capital of Freedom in 80' is now the capital of invention, new technologies and big corporations like Google, Facebook etc. But the freedom is still there. You can still find a borough with a peace sign in every single window.... or doors. Freedom is also visible in the dress code. New York is all about suit and fashion. The most popular dress code in San Francisco is a t-shirt and hoodie. When you have a hoodie, you're cool. That's what Darek loves the most. 

A lot of people compare New York to San Francisco. It's hard not to do so. I've spent a couple of years in New York, so I can say, that I know the city. San Francisco is still a new destination, that I'm about to discover, so my opinion definitely cannot be objective.

I want to describe San Francisco by a few things that makes this city so unique.
1. Innovations, start-ups and new technologies​
Since I'm working really close with Google, I went to San Francisco to meet them. Everybody associates SF with the Silicon Valley, and the Silicon Valley with Google, Facebook, Apple, etc. There are also a lot of start-ups in this area. Luckily, I had a friend there, and I was able to meet some of his friends. What surprised me was that everybody is “in the business”. It was hard to find somebody who didn't work in the IT/Tech field. Some of us are developers, some are salespeople, some are in marketing departments, but what is common is the industry where our companies belong to. I can bet that when we went to the bar, Darek was the only one from a different industry. Not so many of them worked for the big companies. Most of them work for start-ups. Start-ups are the new companies with a brilliant idea. They come up with a great idea, find the investors, and start the company. The problem is how to get great employees if you have to compete with Google. To bring talented people they open offices in a nice area, giving them a great salary, unlimited vacations, credit cards to pay for their coffee, and many more perks. As long as investors are adding funds, the company is doing pretty well. After few years it's time to see the true picture. There are only two ways, that the company goes. If the idea was amazing, the company is doing pretty well, and becomes another corporation. If the idea isn't successful they have to cut costs, employees move to the next start-up, and the idea slowly goes away. Young people are happy. They have a great salaries, a lot of freedom, and they don't have a dress code. That's the life. 

Unfortunately, those new companies, high salaries, and huge demand for apartments changed the real estate market. The prices in recent years growth a lot, and now the living costs are very similar to New York. What wonders me, is how about other jobs. How about families where nobody is working in new technologies. I am really curious, if they can afford to have an amazing life as well. I believe so, because San Francisco is a very beautiful city with a lot of parks and things to do for free.

2. Fog
​Fog is a weather phenomenon in the San Francisco Bay Area. The temperature is pretty stable and is around 60F (15C) for the entire year. However, the Pacific Ocean is cold, the surface temperature is around 55F (12C). In the summer when hot inland temperature rises, it leaves space for much colder air from the ocean. Almost all of California has coastal mountains, but in San Francisco there is a gap in that chain, called Golden Gate. Cold air from the Pacific is pushed thru that gate in order to replace an empty spot after the warm air, and the fog is formed.​
The fog starts to cover the city, and together with the wind and the cold air, they can lower the temperature. It's amazing to see how fog covers the entire city and especially the bridge. The fog usually occurs in summer months during the daytime. So, if you plan to visit SF in the summertime (or any other time of the year), always have something warm to wear.

3. Alcatraz
For me this was the must see in San Francisco. Alcatraz was the first prison I have ever been to, so the fact that I was able to see, how it's inside was interesting. Even more interesting, are all the stories about escaping Alcatraz. This whole mystery, difficulty to escape made me curious and I wanted to go there even more. That's why when we planned what to see in San Francisco, I put it on my list as the must to do. I don't regret it!

Alcatraz was one of the most famous and definitely the most rigorous prisons in the US. There was even the quote that welcomes you in the cell house:
„If you break rules you go to prison, if you break prison rules you go to Alcatraz.”
The prison is on the island, so to get there you have to take a boat. There is only one official cruise that can take you to the island. The rest of the boats can swim around the island but never dock there. The official one is: http://www.alcatrazcruises.com/

The island was a prison only from 1934 to 1963. Earlier, it was a military fort, or just an island that nobody cared about. From 1934 the island become a huge legend. Because the number of guests were very limited, people could spread rumors how horrible life was there, it's not true. The prison definitely was the most secured building in the US, but the life there wasn't so bad for a prison. I think that the worst for prisoners were the noises from outside. San Francisco is close in distance, so you could hear when the city celebrated the New Year or other big occasions. You can walk around the island and spend as much time there as you wanted. We headed straight to the cell house. That's the most interesting part of the island.

Don't skip the Audio Tour. This is included in your ticket and without it it's hard to understand and feel how it was to be inside. The audio Tour guides you from cell to cell, telling stories about different prisoners, rebellions, life conditions, and so on. In my opinion, it was one of the best Audio Tours I ever had. 

4. Other things to see - what else except Alcatraz you can and should see in San Francisco?
The Golden Gate Bridge – I don't believe there is anyone who doesn't know what the Golden Gate Bridge is. One of the most famous bridges in the world that opened in 1937. At that time it was the longest suspension bridge in the world. There are few areas from where you can see the bridge. Personally, I like to see it from the Lands End Trail which starts from USS San Francisco Memorial. The trail goes through the park and you have a great view on the bridge and the ocean. We were there during the week day, so there weren't many people. However, I doubt that this is the most popular place.

You can also see the bridge from the parking area just right after you cross the bridge driving from the city. This place is full of people taking selfies, so I recommend to drive a little bit further to the Golden Gate Recreation Area (Conzelman route). If you decide to do the whole loop you can get to the Black Sand Beach and relax there a little bit. Most people drive just a little bit so the further you go the less crowded it is.

Twin Peaks Summit – these are the highest peaks in San Francisco....but don't expect a lot, it's only 925 ft above see level. Anyway, you can drive, cycle or hike there. On the top is a view point where you can admire the whole city – if you are lucky enough not to see the fog. As I mentioned earlier, the fog is typical for this city, and we were lucky to see how it covers the whole downtown. Even with the fog, it's a beautiful view. You can admire how the city gets covered with fog and just in next few minutes how it's getting uncovered.

​Golden Gate Park – imagine a park that is bigger than Central Park. That's right! Central Park has only 1.32 sq miles when Golden Gate Park has 1.58 sq miles. In this park you can spend hours or even days. There is a botanical garden, Japanese Garden, pounds, Chinese pavilions, museums, and many more.... Just spend a day in the park and you feel like you are not in the city.

Presidio of San Francisco – another park worth seeing. What I've noticed in San Francisco's parks is that you can drive a car almost anywhere. There is more than one road going through the park, so it's easier to get to a specific part of the park. On the other hand, it's not a problem for people who want to walk around, lie on the grass, or relax any other way. In Presidio of SF park is the Museum of the Walt Disney Family. It's a little bit overpriced, for general admission and special exhibition (Pinocchio) we had to pay more than $30 per person.

​Pier 39 – and Sea Lions. Definitely one of the top 10 things to see in SF. I will not write anything new. The same you can find everywhere else, worth seeing, go there to see sea lions, some wildlife in the city center. All of those are true, but nobody mentions to go there in the morning. We went there around 9-10 am, and it was the best thing. There were few people, but it wasn't as crowded as later in the day. I recommend going there before breakfast, and then you can visit Eagle Cafe. They have great food, strong drinks, and a very nice staff.

 Overall, there are couple piers. You can walk around and decide which you like the most. They differ from each other, so you can find something that you like the most. I enjoyed pier 7 where you can walk on the boardwalk deeper into the ocean. 

​Of course, San Francisco is famous for their steep streets. It's crazy how steep they are. People there must be really fit if they walk on streets like this. I had a friend who finished the marathon in San Francisco. I admire her....she also admitted that it wasn't easy for someone who used to run on New York's streets. 

​The steepest hill is on Filbert street between Hyde and Leavenworth or 22nd street between Sanchez and Vicksburg street. A very popular street is Lombard Street. It's a zig-zag street that at the same time is pretty steep. It's so popular that I hardly wanted to spend more than few minutes there. It's just too crowded and it's funny when you see a bunch of people driving there, get out of the car, take a picture, and drive further. Instead of walking Lombard Street I chose to walk on the Macondary Ln. This is a pleasant street that is closed for cars. I would love to live in this area, but I bet the price for a house here is more than you can imagine.

The last one I would like to mention is the Fisherman's Wharf. Wharf it's not so much worth visiting. Unless you like to see a lot of restaurants and stores with souvenirs. But if you get there don't forget to visit Musee Mecanique. This is a museum of penny arcade games. You can find machines there even from 1889. I like the idea of this museum. You don't have to pay the entry fee, but you can play any game you want, so you end up spending a bunch of money anyway.

Of course, there is much more to see. You can take short-day trips, long-weekend getaways to Lake Tahoe or Wine County (Napa, Sonoma, Paso Robles), or just enjoy the city that has a lot to offer. San Francisco is one of those cities that has gems on each corner. Just keep an eye open and walk around with your camera ready.

I definitely love this city, even more after this short trip. I spent 5 days working and sightseeing there. I met great people, enjoyed the city, and admired how clean it was in comparison to NY. Hopefully, one day I will be back there again. Maybe this time for longer, maybe even for a few years!!!