I caught the BART (Bay Area Rapid Transit) to Powell St where I set off towards my hostel. My route took me through the Tenderloin district, definitely somewhere I should have avoided. Rife with homelessness, drug abuse and people suffering from mental illness, I had walked through what felt like the epicenter of what would be a recurring theme in SF, the vast difference between the have and have-nots. I never felt unsafe, but it was obvious by the stares that I wasn't expected the be there.
I found my hostel, learning that I walked through the worst park of town, and was advised to avoid those areas in the future. Luckily, the city is set out in a massive grid so it was quite easy to skip that neighborhood with taking too much of a detour.
I dropped my bags and set off to explore the city, heading down towards Union Square. It was the Sunday of the Memorial Day long weekend, the area was very busy, people taking advantage of the beautiful afternoon.
I headed towards the Marina, through the financial district, following the crowds along the waters edge at the Embarcadero. Views to the San Francisco - Oakland Bay bridge and Alcatraz Island. Lots of homeless people, and the stench of stale urine wherever I went. Not what I was expecting, and not a great first impression.
I grew tired of the crowds so walked back a few blocks and continued parallel to the water, enjoying the architecture and scenery. I picked the steepest hill I could find, walking to the top I stumbled upon more crowds of tourists visiting the famous 'Crooked St'. Ruining countless selfies as I went, I continued back east towards Coit Tower where I rested with a gorgeous view to the bay.
I spent the afternoon walking the city, finding a nice spot for a Thai dinner before heading back to my room.
The next morning I was refreshed and wanted to make the most of my only full day in the city. I set off West, finding the Panhandle park before continuing along to the huge Golden Gate park. People were out in force, BBQs and picnics everywhere I went. I wandered through the park, passing the Conservatory of Flowers, the Japanese Tea Gardens, the California Academy of Sciences, until I reached the Dutch Windmill and the Ocean Beach.
From there I followed the gorgeous coastline north, along the cliff line trails, along beaches and headlands, until I reached the southern end of the Golden Gate bridge. What a stunning piece of engineering, I crossed the bridge to the north and hiked up to a stunning lookout back over the bridge and the bay. Breathtaking!
Back along the bridge, I continued to walk along the foreshore back towards Marina. It had been a very long day, constantly on the go, so I found a great Japanese restaurant for some sushi and beer. Well earned, but a gigantic hill stood in the way between me and my hostel, so as night fell I slowly walked home up the steep streets, admiring the view, getting home late to finally put my feet up. I had clocked over 30kms on foot that day, but was thrilled to see some much of the city.
The next morning I took the BART out to Oakland Airport, where I picked up a hire car for the final stage of my journey. San Francisco is an interesting place, I was honestly shocked about the amount of homeless people I saw. Drug use and mental illness seemed rife, a stark contrast against some of the most expensive real estate and affluent neighborhoods in the entire continent.
More photos here
