Customs is fast here and the airport is undergoing major expansion. Taxi to center city is 30 minutes and $30; expect traffic in mornings going to airport along with workers heading to Silicon Valley. My hotel was Renaissance Stanford Court, on the hill, along with the Intercontinental and Fairmont Hotels. I paid $135 plus tax a night; room i was first given was next to elevator; next one was overlooking street with cable cars clanging by. i have been king of room switching lately but this hotel, as well as others, has locks that make noise every time you enter and exit a room and it is a real pain. walked ten minutes to union square and the nearby area (lots of street people and not particularly pleasant considering its upscale shops) and then hired a taxi for an hour to ride around and reacquaint with a city i last saw 20 years ago. rode down twisty Lombard Street — pity the owner of the house that sits over this block with lines of cars waiting to do their thing. passed Fisherman’s Wharf (used to be unique; now filled with the same chain stores we all know and want to avoid), the Embarcadero and went to Treasure Island for nice evening view of skyline. Best in morning. Cross Bay Bridge to get there; view from Golden Gate is not as good as the bridge is far from city. Cable cars are $2 a ride or $6 for all-day pass. Get in at a middle stop; there are lines at the end of the routes. A first-timer could take the city tour in the morning; lunch and then take an excursion in the afternoon as i did. Took an afternoon tour on a mini-van with a group to Muir Woods to see the redwood trees; allow half hour to walk around and 40 minutes to get there. Also came back via Sausalito, a tourist trap village with a shopping street on the water but very picturesque driving in and out and worth half an hour if you’re around there. Considering I paid $50 for a 4 hour tour in Hong Kong with little sightseeing, the $30 tour here was a bargain. Dinner buffet for $40 with tax in Crown Room at Fairmont Hotel at the top reached either by interior or glass elevator. Go at sunset and stay for night view. Rode cable car to downtown to revisit architectural items as the Hyatt Hotel (once the first atrium lobby); rode BART (the subway) 2 stops to Union Square — 20 years ago it was a real treat, since then other subways have far surpassed BART. Hong Kong, for instance, features much more architecture, a much more user-friendly and efficient subway system and airport transfer network. Walked back up the Hill to the hotel; it is a physical challenge walking 10 minutes straight uphill. All in all, ‘Frisco 20 years later has the been there, done that feel to it as i had been warned. Yet when I returned to Buenos Aires 10 years later, I still loved the place. I think San Francisco has been eclipsed and has stagnated. Delta is a 5 hour flight to JFK; personal entertainment system in Business/First class wasn’t loaded with movies or games and no snack before arrival on what turned out to be a 6 hour flight (same was true on flight to Los Angeles at start of my trip). American Business feeds better though Delta’s seat is more comfortable and more space. If you don’t order vegeterian meals, you will be stuck as both Delta business only offered meat and seafood entrees both transcontinental flights. Always pretty to enjoy the varying scenery when you travel across the USA from coast to coast.
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April 15, 2024
