We just got back from a little trip to San Francisco, California.
It was the first time either my husband or I visited San Francisco.
Two things really impressed me the most… and no, it actually wasn’t the Golden Gate Bridge, (although it was gorgeous) nor was it Alcatraz, ‘The Rock’, though that actually did give me pause, I’ll have to tell you why in another post, because this post is about the 2 things that did have the biggest impact on me.
I found one of the most impressive things in San Francisco to be the hills.
I was expecting some hills, I guess being from the Midwest, I was obviously thinking on Midwestern terms of incline. Yes, I watched ‘The Streets of San Francisco‘ when I was a child. I can still see the high speed chase with the cars flying over the hills, sometimes not even making contact with the ‘street’ the series was named for. But even as a child I was a bit skeptical about believing everything I saw on television, so I didn’t give that memory much credence when preparing for our visit to the west coast.
I really was not at all prepared for the treacherously steep, knee-buckling if you tried to walk down them, breath stealing if you attempted walking up them, type of hills. Actually I would classify them more like small mountains. Again, just flying into California from Minneapolis, where winter cold and snow has completely taken over our land, I just kept thinking, “what if these roads were icy, like they so frequently are in the Midwest”… There are a few steep hills in Stillwater, MN, one in particular, that is nick-named ‘suicide hill’. Aptly named because it would be suicidal to attempt to go up or down it in the winter, that’s why they close that road in the winter months. In comparison to the hills in San Francisco, Stillwater’s ‘suicide hill’ is a cakewalk!
We were staying on Nob Hill, actually our Hotel, The Fairmont Hotel, (a beautifully appointed historical hotel) sits at the top of Nob Hill, which lends itself to gorgeous free views of the city all the way across the bay, sweeping beyond Alcatraz and the Golden Gate Bridge to the adjoining land where Sausalito is located.
After attempting to walk a few blocks from our hotel, and only making it one block before my legs were total jelly with shooting pains through my kneecaps, we learned quickly, how to use the cable car and taxi, which both were an experience in themselves, we even had a few experiences with the taxis getting a ‘little air’ on these small mountains!
Fortunately, once we were on level ground, such as at Fisherman’s Wharf, we could commence walking and enjoying the sun and warm air we’ve been missing for the sake of winter back home.
So the hills of San Francisco were the first things that impressed me.
And the second?
Bay windows!
In fact, I saw so many bay windows on houses and buildings, that I actually started to wonder if San Francisco Bay is where bay windows originated. (Rest easy, it of course isn’t… bay windows are from way back, tudor days… you know castles and all that…)
In San Francisco, there are bay windows on just about every kind of building you can imagine.
And so many different styles of bay windows… like these rounded corner bay windows.
In the North Beach area, an Italian district in San Francisco, next to Chinatown, there is a corner bay window at the yummy place we ate lunch, Tony’s Pizza Napoletana, famous for it’s margherita pizza, (which happens to be one of my husband’s favorites… and yes, we agree, Tony’s Pizza is really good!) . One day we went there for lunch…
OK, here’s a quick picture of that lunch…
it was so tasty!
Even, what appears to be newer constructed buildings, have bay windows.
Every morning from our hotel room window I’d pick out different bay windows.
One day, from the rooftop garden at The Fairmont, I spotted this lovely jewel, sporting double stacked bay windows, wedged between two large buildings.
But my all time favorite bay windows I saw while staying in San Francisco, I think were these:
The gothic details and paint color scheme are stunning.
Our trip to San Francisco was really fun, I’ll be writing more posts about my experiences there.
It’s so fun to get out and about, seeing other places and neighborhoods. but I especially appreciate the bonding time for my husband and me. I recently read a little quote somewhere that said, ‘you don’t realize how important a moment is, until it becomes a memory’. What memories are you making that you don’t realize?
Want to read a little more?
Click here to read about some of the other places and neighborhoods I’ve written about.
Click here to read about interior window details I’ve written about.
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Cindi says
We are going to Northern California at the end of March. SF is one of our stops. Any tips for riding the cable cars would be appreciated.
LIz says
Oh have fun Cindi! I will for sure be posting about our experience with the cable cars within a couple of weeks, I don’t know exactly when yet, so I hope you are able to check back. Liz
Donnamae says
San Francisco is one of my favorite cities. Gotta love those hills! Interested to hear more about your trip! 😉
LIz says
Thanks Donna. It will be fun to share some more things we were able to see and do while there.
Pinky at Designs by Pinky says
Having never been to San Francisco, I loved seeing this. Those hills ARE crazy and loved seeing the bay windows.