San Jose to San Francisco
7/31/06, 2100, Hotel (Lombard St.), San Francisco, CA – Stimulation overload! Stimulation overload!
What an incredible day! I packed about a day and a half or two days worth of travel/sightseeing into this one day, and a good deal of it was unplanned and completely spontaneous.
I departed San Jose at 0900 expecting to take the I-280 to State Rt. 92, which would take me to Half Moon Bay and Rt.1, the coastal highway. Instead of taking a highway into SF, I thought I’d do something a little different and come in via the coast. Well, in theory, it was a great idea and appeared to be working well until I headed north out of Half Moon Bay. “Road Closed Ahead” the sign said. What? No! I can’t be! This is my vacation! So, like the stubborn mule I can sometimes be, I ignored the signs and continued on. Sure enough, about 10 miles north of HMB, roadwork had closed Hwy. 1. That’s the bad news. The good news is the road stopped at Montara Beach, which had a stunning beach and mountain combo worthy of a photo or two (and if I ever figure out how to upload pics into this blog, I’ll do so).
So, I turned back somewhat dejected and drove back over the Santa Cruz mountains and back onto I-280. Ahhhh….but I was not to be outdone. There had to be another way into SF without taking highways. Sure enough, Skyline Blvd. broke off I-280 just south of South San Francisco and joined up with Rt. 1 for a more “off the beaten path” entrance.
From that point on, things started falling into place more than I could’ve imagined.
I’d not planned to visit Golden Gate Park until Wednesday. But, Rt. 1 goes right though it. So, what the heck, I parked along one of the park roads and started hiking. Three hours later, I’d walked through the botanical gardens, the Japanese Tea Garden, the Redwood Grove, the Rose Garden, Rainbow Falls, and Stow Lake.
And, harkening back to a previous posting, it would be very easy for someone to find peace, serenity, and perhaps even enlightenment in Golden Gate Park. It is an oasis of solemnity and natural wonders within an otherwise insane metropolitan area (and even larger than New York’s Central Park, after which it was designed).
So, I’m sitting in my car about to depart when I look at the map and realize Rt. also goes across the Golden Gate Bridge to the Golden Gate National Recreation Area and Marin Headlands. Well, who the heck am I to break my own momentum? So, a short drive later, I’d driving through the Presidio area and approaching the bridge.
It is an awesome site. Monstrous. Larger than life. Truly the engineering marvel it’s cooked up to be. Once across, I took pics from the Scenic Overlook, then considered making a quick visit to Sausalito, since I still had plenty of time before my hotel check-in window shut. But, as I was approaching the turnoff to Sausalito, I saw a sign for the Marin Headlands portion of the GGNRA and felt myself being pulled in that direction.
It was an excellent decision. The road to the headlands climbed an enormous mountain that flanked the north end of the bridge, overlooking the bridge itself, the entrance to SF bay, the coast south of SF that I’d missed because of the road block, and the entire Bay area.
Unknown to me, the top of this mountain had been designated by the US military as a defensive position during WWII and was partially built to host two massive artillery cannons intended to defend the entrance to SF Bay from a naval invasion. Obviously, the invasion never came, and the guns were never positioned. But, plenty of construction took place in preparation and the abandoned bunkers and several forts remain.
But, the views…holy mole! The views! Totally mind-roasting. The mountain is higher than the tower of the bridge, so as you climb to the summit, the pictures you take look down – literally – on the bridge.
I have to give credit to my brother for his comment last night (Sunday) that his trip yesterday to this same general area provided the clearest view of SF from the bridge he’d ever seen. Since today’s weather was similar to Sunday’s, I decided to go for it. Thank you, Bro! It paid off.
After settling into my hotel on Lombard St., I once again took to the streets to see how prepped I was for the upcoming hikes. I walked from my hotel to Ghirardelli Square and The Cannery, then turned south.
Now, for those of you who don’t spend a lot of time around me, you may not know of the Live Toad Rule which states, “Eat a live toad first thing in the morning and nothing worse will happen to you the rest of the day.” Having just hit town, and preparing for tomorrow’s walking tour of SF, I faced the infamous Hyde St. – as close to straight up as any street I’ve come across – and started walking. Now, four blocks may not see a lot to some. But four blocks straight up Russian Hill? Brutal. But, I persisted and achieved my goal without EMS having to be called.
Assisting me in my trek up the hill was a young Asian girl who ran up the hill (on the opposite side of Hyde St.), walked back down, then again ran up the hill while I was – at first - assessing the ascent, then accomplishing it. I figured if a young twentysomething girl could run up the hill – at least twice – I could somehow chug out enough steam to walk up the hill.
It seemed appropriate that after all this healthy waking and hiking, I would counter it by eating something completely unhealthy. So, I continued strolling down Lombard until I came across Jake’s Streaks on a side street (Buchanan) and ordered a Philly Cheesesteak with provolone and washed it down with a draft Anchor Steam. Well, the cheesesteak wasn’t quite as good as the one I had in Philly several years ago, but it hit the spot. And the Anchor Steam….well, it’s Anchor Steam! Of course it was good!
I picked up some supplies at a corner grocery (my room has a kitchenette), and hoofed it on “home.”
Tomorrow, the AAA walking tour of SF…”by the book.”
A serious tip o’ the hat to my brother and sister in law for their wonderful accommodations, entertainment, and culinary exploits (both at home and out on the town) during my stay in San Jose. Bravo!
Feets! Get movin!
Stick out
What an incredible day! I packed about a day and a half or two days worth of travel/sightseeing into this one day, and a good deal of it was unplanned and completely spontaneous.
I departed San Jose at 0900 expecting to take the I-280 to State Rt. 92, which would take me to Half Moon Bay and Rt.1, the coastal highway. Instead of taking a highway into SF, I thought I’d do something a little different and come in via the coast. Well, in theory, it was a great idea and appeared to be working well until I headed north out of Half Moon Bay. “Road Closed Ahead” the sign said. What? No! I can’t be! This is my vacation! So, like the stubborn mule I can sometimes be, I ignored the signs and continued on. Sure enough, about 10 miles north of HMB, roadwork had closed Hwy. 1. That’s the bad news. The good news is the road stopped at Montara Beach, which had a stunning beach and mountain combo worthy of a photo or two (and if I ever figure out how to upload pics into this blog, I’ll do so).
So, I turned back somewhat dejected and drove back over the Santa Cruz mountains and back onto I-280. Ahhhh….but I was not to be outdone. There had to be another way into SF without taking highways. Sure enough, Skyline Blvd. broke off I-280 just south of South San Francisco and joined up with Rt. 1 for a more “off the beaten path” entrance.
From that point on, things started falling into place more than I could’ve imagined.
I’d not planned to visit Golden Gate Park until Wednesday. But, Rt. 1 goes right though it. So, what the heck, I parked along one of the park roads and started hiking. Three hours later, I’d walked through the botanical gardens, the Japanese Tea Garden, the Redwood Grove, the Rose Garden, Rainbow Falls, and Stow Lake.
And, harkening back to a previous posting, it would be very easy for someone to find peace, serenity, and perhaps even enlightenment in Golden Gate Park. It is an oasis of solemnity and natural wonders within an otherwise insane metropolitan area (and even larger than New York’s Central Park, after which it was designed).
So, I’m sitting in my car about to depart when I look at the map and realize Rt. also goes across the Golden Gate Bridge to the Golden Gate National Recreation Area and Marin Headlands. Well, who the heck am I to break my own momentum? So, a short drive later, I’d driving through the Presidio area and approaching the bridge.
It is an awesome site. Monstrous. Larger than life. Truly the engineering marvel it’s cooked up to be. Once across, I took pics from the Scenic Overlook, then considered making a quick visit to Sausalito, since I still had plenty of time before my hotel check-in window shut. But, as I was approaching the turnoff to Sausalito, I saw a sign for the Marin Headlands portion of the GGNRA and felt myself being pulled in that direction.
It was an excellent decision. The road to the headlands climbed an enormous mountain that flanked the north end of the bridge, overlooking the bridge itself, the entrance to SF bay, the coast south of SF that I’d missed because of the road block, and the entire Bay area.
Unknown to me, the top of this mountain had been designated by the US military as a defensive position during WWII and was partially built to host two massive artillery cannons intended to defend the entrance to SF Bay from a naval invasion. Obviously, the invasion never came, and the guns were never positioned. But, plenty of construction took place in preparation and the abandoned bunkers and several forts remain.
But, the views…holy mole! The views! Totally mind-roasting. The mountain is higher than the tower of the bridge, so as you climb to the summit, the pictures you take look down – literally – on the bridge.
I have to give credit to my brother for his comment last night (Sunday) that his trip yesterday to this same general area provided the clearest view of SF from the bridge he’d ever seen. Since today’s weather was similar to Sunday’s, I decided to go for it. Thank you, Bro! It paid off.
After settling into my hotel on Lombard St., I once again took to the streets to see how prepped I was for the upcoming hikes. I walked from my hotel to Ghirardelli Square and The Cannery, then turned south.
Now, for those of you who don’t spend a lot of time around me, you may not know of the Live Toad Rule which states, “Eat a live toad first thing in the morning and nothing worse will happen to you the rest of the day.” Having just hit town, and preparing for tomorrow’s walking tour of SF, I faced the infamous Hyde St. – as close to straight up as any street I’ve come across – and started walking. Now, four blocks may not see a lot to some. But four blocks straight up Russian Hill? Brutal. But, I persisted and achieved my goal without EMS having to be called.
Assisting me in my trek up the hill was a young Asian girl who ran up the hill (on the opposite side of Hyde St.), walked back down, then again ran up the hill while I was – at first - assessing the ascent, then accomplishing it. I figured if a young twentysomething girl could run up the hill – at least twice – I could somehow chug out enough steam to walk up the hill.
It seemed appropriate that after all this healthy waking and hiking, I would counter it by eating something completely unhealthy. So, I continued strolling down Lombard until I came across Jake’s Streaks on a side street (Buchanan) and ordered a Philly Cheesesteak with provolone and washed it down with a draft Anchor Steam. Well, the cheesesteak wasn’t quite as good as the one I had in Philly several years ago, but it hit the spot. And the Anchor Steam….well, it’s Anchor Steam! Of course it was good!
I picked up some supplies at a corner grocery (my room has a kitchenette), and hoofed it on “home.”
Tomorrow, the AAA walking tour of SF…”by the book.”
A serious tip o’ the hat to my brother and sister in law for their wonderful accommodations, entertainment, and culinary exploits (both at home and out on the town) during my stay in San Jose. Bravo!
Feets! Get movin!
Stick out
posted by The Amazing Stickman at 5:58 PM
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