Anyway, trying to get around the city a bit more on this visit so we decided to do an open top tour bus , that coincidentally had an extremely funny guy on there who was called BB and sounded for the most part -- to me anyway -- like Jack Black in The Holiday.
There will be a considerable amount of piccies this blog as there was so much to see and learn.
Like this gentleman -- Eugene Schmitz -- who was Mayor of San Francisco between 1902 -- 1907 and was looking likely to be thrown in jail for embezzlement -- what a sleazy politician I hear you ask --
The earthquake and fire interrupted the possibility of Edward's conviction but he became a hero when he worked out how to stop the fire3s that were threatening all the city by demolishing a whole street of houses on one side of a main street and created a fire break that stopped the fire. They did get him to court a couple of years later and after conviction to 5 years Edward appealed and the sentence was squashed -- which was upheld by the Government.
Sounds like a very influential politician avoided jail time by having his cronies support him -- jeezus , some things never change.
So here was a guy who was getting richer by stealing from the City, when the 1906 Earthquake happened , destroying most of the houses down to the wharfs that had been built on reclaimed land and killed upwards of around 3000 people and that was followed by a raging fire that ended with 400,000 people homeless and in tented makeshift homes that was still there in the parks and the Presidio Park 2 years later.
Ok, so enough history and more about our tour -- more stunning buildings in this city.
Here is the Iconic Tram Car
So this tower and clock was around the area at the water for new arrivals-- the building survived but the bell inside melted and has recently been replaced by a recording of the Big Ben clock ringing and striking -- we know because 11 o'clock was hit just as we passed by.
There are 2 large bridges -- there is the Bay Bridge near to the centre and of course the Golden Gate Bridge, which is a bit more iconic.
Below is the Palace of Fine Arts and I am afraid that I had to google this so no -- it didn't just become very sunny at that point - but apparently the shape gave us R2 D2 from Star Wars.
We drove through beautiful gardens in the Golden gate park
To areas where the Hippies still have the control-
Amazing architecture that has many of the houses such as these listed
City Hall and all its pomp is actually sitting on rollers and anti vibration mounts that stop any effect from any future earthquake that may happen-- pretty good really -- knowing that if another big one occurs then City Hall will still be standing , even if all the other buildings are collapsed and the people dead or gone.
In Tenderloin area was where we actually watched a man sitting on the street shooting up -- so bluddy sad that this can happen with no way to help him---
A city like SF -- how cool is it that I can now use its initials -- has to have its own China town -- biggest population of Chinese people in any city in the world outside china
The Iconic Transamerican Pyramid below--
We finished after 2 1/2 hours at Pier 39 , which is the main pier on the fishermans wharf---and the sun came out .
Decided to give this a miss-- Mrs B. would like this .
We did have a very large Hot Dog with all the makings in and it was really great-- we were hungry as the Travel lodge that said it did breakfast was a horrible sealed sticky Danish , some processed orange juice and energy bars-- not very adequate or edible but its location was perfect - just a few blocks from the wharf.
Cant come to SF without at least one shot of Alcatraz and we will be no exception. Did this trip last time, with Pennington -
Blackwells.
And that wind was blowing a bit--
But these old boys and girls didn't seam to mind --
Billy no mates but he don't care---
So we finished the day with a walk back up to Chinatown and found a small family run Chinese restaurant which had Chinese eating in it so good enough for us and for $22 for the meal it was probably the cheapest meal we have had on this trip---
So after leaving some of this we walked back from Chinatown to Fisherman's wharf - a nice little stretch after great food.
Sayonara --- see , one Chinese meal and I talk like a native
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