San Francisco

Back to the West Coast. After an amazing experience in New York I was expecting similar things in San Francisco. It was pouring rain when I left New York, but I arrived to San Francisco under gorgeous clear skies. Perfect timing!

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

New York City

Ok, this might be a big one...

Day 1.

One sleepless overnight flight later and I found myself bleary-eyed and slightly jet lagged in New York City! I caught the train and subway from JFK airport into Queens, Long Island City where I would be staying for the next six nights. After my first taste of the famous NYC attitude courtesy of an irate subway conductor berating latecomers to his train, I set my bags down in my hostel and started exploring. I grabbed a coffee and bagel from a food cart just outside my building (for a total of $2.50) and a short walk later I was over the Queensboro bridge and in Manhattan!

My first stop was Central Park, figuring that would be the best way to experience the city without being overcome in my sleep deprived state. I walked the numbered avenues east until I hit the oasis of greenery and continued to walk with no real destination in mind.

It wasn't long before the gray skies opened up, luckily the timing coincided with the opening of the Metropolitan Museum of Arts, so I grabbed a ticket and spent the rest of the day wandering through the amazing exhibitions. The place is gigantic, too much to see in single day if you want to really sit and soak in the art, but I managed to see a hell of a lot of amazing pieces and was satisfied with the day I spent there.

I was starting to fade to I retraced my steps across the bridge, checked into my hotel and got some much needed rest.

Day 2.

Out the door, coffee and a bagel in hand as I once again crossed the bridge, this time heading south toward Midtown, the incredible allure of the skyline too irresistible. Everywhere I looked there was something amazing to see, another block another piece of history or magnificent building.

I spent the day with my head craned to the sky, thankfully no clouds in sight. I sent the entire morning walking up and down the avenues, turning down streets that looked interesting. 

  

 I passed through Times Square in the early afternoon, senses overloading. Walls of flashing advertisements, hordes of tourists, equal parts tacky and intoxicating.

 I needed a break from the constant simulation so I walked back to Central Park for a rest. From there I walked along the Upper West Side, wealth and privilege apparent as I passed immaculate old buildings complete with wall dressed doormen / concierges.

I returned to Times Square later that night, if anything it was more impressive in the dark. I revisited many places that evening, the night changing the look and feel of the city once again. Back to my hostel close to midnight, feeding off the energy of the city making the long days easy.

Day 3.

My plan today was to visit Brooklyn, but the ferry I look from Long Island didn't stop at the borough, instead dropping me off at the southern end of Manhattan, close to the famous financial district.

I saw the long lines of tourists waiting to visit Ellis Island and the Statue of Liberty so instead I explored Wall St and the historical area surrounding it. Eventually I made my way to the World Trade Centre Memorial, a tasteful and sombre reminder of recent history.

That afternoon I crossed the Brooklyn Bridge (with seemingly every other tourist in NYC) to explore a different side of the city.

Less built-up but with more character, it was nice to walk the streets and get a feel for suburbs. I crossed the Williamsburg Bridge, not a tourist in sight, definitely a grittier and more 'real' experience compared to my earlier bridge crossing.

Each suburb had its own distinct feel, with Williamsburg feeling very 'hip' and gentrified. Still, some very nice places to explore, I finished the afternoon at the WYNC Transmitter park where I bathed my sore feet in the East River and watched another sun go down over the Manhattan skyline. Stunning.

 
Day 4.

More exploring to do, I wanted to keep seeing new places so I kept walking and ticking off new areas. Hell's Kitchen, Chelsea, walking back along the west side via the Highline, a reclaimed public open space replacing the old retired train line.

 

Back down to Battery Park where I caught a ferry across to Staten Island, getting a great view of the Statue of Liberty along the way. It was smaller than I was expecting...

 Back on Manhattan I passed through Chinatown and Little Italy on my way back to Queens, every few blocks felt like a different country, always something exciting to be found.

 Day 5.

Feeling like I needed a slightly less active day I ventured back across Central Park (on foot of course) to the Museum of Natural History. I spent the better part of the day walking the many exhibitions, the amount of incredible displays was overwhelming, too much to take in during a single day. Too many highlights, I left the museum six hours later with my curiosity sated.

It was my last night in NYC, what better way to finish than to find a small, hole-in-the-wall restaurant and sit down to devour a 12" pizza with a few cold beers. Perfection.

I experienced so much in NYC the five days I was there, but I barely scratched the surface. An incredible place, I didn't want to leave and with any luck I'll return to see more in the future.

Many, many more photos here