Chillin' in San Fran

Having got used to the balmy temperatures in the South and SoCal regularly exceeding the hundreds, the nippy sea air in San Francisco came as a bit of a shock. But the quasi-British weather in this city is the only negative thing about it (that and the Tenderloin district... a place universally feared by every San Franciscan, it seems).

San Francisco is... jazzy. Quirky. Liberal. Diverse. Exciting. It has character. Its Chinese community is the biggest outside of Asia, with some streets  bearing hardly any signs in English. It has a (very classy) district solely dedicated to the LGBT community. Its entire northwestern coastline is pier after pier of restaurants, boutiques and arcades. Alcatraz sits threateningly in its bay, as the Golden Gate bridge spans its waters.

Unlike LA, San Fran is very walkable, despite the very steep hills. On our first day we walked hiked through downtown, Union Square, Chinatown, Nob Hill (lol) and everywhere in between, taking in the local feel, watching the cable cars chug up and down the sloping hills.

Union Square

Crazy street!

Well, taking in the scene was great, until the wind whipped a bit harder, our goosebumps didnt go away, and Maryann decided she'd had enough of being an icicle. So we stopped by a very cheap and cheerful vintage/charity shop, where Maryann purchased a bulky jumper that would have made her yiayia proud. The outfit transformed into a level of hipsterdom too high for our liking, but hey, when in San Fran..

This is the hipster. She knows we are looking.

We ate lunch at a (rather dubious) Chinese buffet, stopped by the City Lights bookshop, and continued on to the northern shore - where we attempted to photograph the mist-covered Golden Gate bridge - and walked around the pier arcades.

Ross Alley, Chinatown

Our delightful remnants of the all-you-can-eat meal

City Lights Bookstore, very cool shop

Inception-esque, no?

The Golden Gate Bridge, if you squint hard enough...

We also checked out the Ghirardelli cafe, just to get some cheeky free samples, and laughed at Lombard St, the "crookedest street in the world", fyi. That night, we hit a hookah bar in downtown called Cairo Cafe (due to a lack of any other nightlife prospects, at least that night). Their hookah mixes are excellent, as is their house tea. If you're in town, ask for their 'Obama' mix.

Lombard St

Ghirardelli Cafe, woo.

The next day we took a bus down Market Street, San Fran's main artery, and another one to Twin Peaks. These two high hills command a spectacular view over pretty much all of San Fran, and scrambling up and down their slopes makes for a good morning's fun. Pictures (panoramas!) bellow:

A gentleman goes on a morning hike

Us at one of the peaks.

Panorama shot, click to see original size.

Having descended the hills we wandered around Castro, the area dedicated to the gay community. This area abounds with coffee shops, bookshops, bars and artsy boutiques. Its accepting denizens and relaxed atmosphere make it a great place to spend an afternoon.

The main street in the Castro district.

We should probably make note of the fact that we stayed in a hostel while in San Francisco. The prohibitively high prices of hotels make staying anywhere else exceptionally difficult. Needless to say, it was great fun. They lay on activities, such as movie nights, and there's always something interesting going on somewhere. Just for reference, however, make sure you stay somewhere outside of the Tenderloin district. As mentioned above, it is very unsafe.

After a 5am wake up call, we grabbed a train, and then a bus, all the way to Las Vegas...