The San Francisco Bay Area – Wharfs, Wine Vineyards, and Winchesters.

Lombard Street

When we arrived in San Francisco, we didn’t expect the scorching triple-digit heat we experienced in Las Vegas. But we also didn’t expect the heavy winds and the fifty-degree weather—in the last week of July! Nonetheless, Melissa and I had a great time in the “City by the Bay.”

Despite its fame, San Francisco is a big city in a relatively “small” package. Much of the city is walking-friendly; upon arrival our first trek was into Chinatown. Decorated with Chinese-style gates, the entrance on Bush Street welcomed us as we entered this famous Frisco district. Shops labeled “Canton Bazaar”, “China Bazaar”, and “Far East Bazaar” showcased both exotic trinkets (like Samurai swords and Asian waving cats) and more mundane products (luggage and postcards). Chinatown also hosts a number of affordable restaurants, including Chef Jia. I ate parne with peanut butter sauce, Melissa had some peanut butter chicken. Chef Jia’s cuisine was very yummy, very cheap (about $9 a meal) and highly recommended by both Let’s Go and Zagat’s.

Melissa and I traversed the city and visited all the touristy sites—Fisherman’s Wharf, the Presidio, walking along crooked Lombard Street, gazing at the Golden Gate Bridge and strolling through Golden Gate Park. Tours to Alcatraz, however, were sold out. The next set of tickets we could get a hold of would be a full week later. So, if you’re planning a trip to San Francisco be sure to buy your Alcatraz tickets well in advance.

Trolley cars run along to the Wharf and also to Union Square. Although we rode one of San Fran’s historic cable cars during our last full day, Melissa and I hiked the city during most of our stay. And I’m sure most of you are aware, San Fran is a hilly city—be prepared for an evening of sore calves after a full day of tromping up and down San Francisco’s mountainous streets. The worst are near Russian and Nob Hills, which will test your endurance. If you’re driving, be sure to cut the wheel toward the curb when you park the car on an incline. Some drivers actually park their cars at a 90-degree angle on steep streets.

So what do we recommend while in this Bay city? Fisherman’s Wharf is a must, even though it is touristy. There are plenty of shops and restaurants bayside. Sea lions also line along the pier and yelp; they are an attraction. The Presidio is a unique national monument/park where both locals live and visit. It’s hikeable but long, especially in windy weather. Biking throughout the city and over the Golden Gate Bridge is plentiful; there are many companies willing to rent you a bike for some cash. Due to the wind, Melissa and I vetoed this option but it looked fun in more outdoor-friendly weather.

Ghiradelli Square

Golden Gate Park is a nice treasure reminiscent of New York’s Central Park. The Palace of Fine Arts is a Greco-Roman dome structure at the park’s eastern edge. As one enters, the Japanese Tea Garden is a unique experience where visitors can see pagodas and exotic Japanese horticulture. I even witnessed Japanese Dogwood trees, which brought me back to my youth because my parents owned a couple in my childhood home’s backyard. There’s also an art museum, a science museum with a planetarium, a rose garden, a botanical garden, and in the western section a golf course and a horse stable.

We’ve been used to staying in budget motels, but in San Francisco our accommodations were among the best. We stayed in the Serrano Hotel, a four-star hotel but with two-star prices. It was the comfiest and even hosted daily complimentary wine hours! As a traveler used to eating peanut butter sandwiches for lunch, anything fee is anything good!

Muir Woods and Napa Valley are a few miles over the Golden Gate Bridge and both are must-sees. Enormous Cedar Redwoods blanket the sky in Muir Woods and are the tallest living things in the world. Their girth is only dwarfed by the Grand Sequoia, which are in other parts of Northern California. Napa Valley is host to hundreds of wineries, including the Robert Mondavi Winery, whose named after the man who invigorated Napa’s wine industry in the 1960s(?). We tasted some reds and whites in the Black Stallion Winery, a small and exclusive winery that only makes 3800 cases a year. Melissa actually liked all of them, which is remarkable considering the only alcohol she likes is bright-colored wine coolers. We were going to visit Robert Mondavi’s place afterwards, but they were closed for a private event. Boo.

Chinatown

Undeterred, we pressed onward to our next destination: San Jose. We stayed in the Santa Clara Inn along the San Jose/Santa Clara border. Let’s Go advertised it with free wi-fi. When we arrived, we discovered to our dismay that was not the truth. How can a Silicon Valley motel not offer Internet of any kind? Boo. In any case, the Mission Café coffee house across the street offered free wi-fi (and actually offered beer, too). Two pints later I had forgotten our motel’s lack of accommodations and was busy checking email and trying to keep up with things.

Our sole destination in San Jose was—the world-famous Winchester Mystery House! For those of you who haven’t seen History Channel ghost/weird documentaries, the Winchester Mansion was built by Mrs. Sarah Winchester, heir to the eponymous gun-making company. After her husband died, a “supernatural” medium told Mrs. Winchester spirits cursed her for the deaths Winchester guns caused. The only way to avoid the curse was to continually build a mansion (she was also told that people died because their souls rotted away in their homes). So, for over 30 years Mrs. Winchester continually built her sprawling, inefficient mansion with over 110 rooms currently available for public viewing. There are doors that open into a full-storey drop outside, closets with a ½-inch space, and skylights built on floors. There are narrow hallways that wind around and “goofy” staircases with little steps that wind up and down  for only a few feet of elevation. Oh, Mrs. Winchester liked spider webs and the number 13, so representations of those are everywhere, especially in glassworks.

For all of her paranoia, she only was witness to one spiritual “encounter.” While in the wine cellar, Mrs. Winchester witnessed a black imprint of a hand on the wall. She deduced that, since was the only person with a key to the cellar, the handprint had to be the work of ghosts. From that point on, she sealed up the wine cellar, along with 30 other rooms of the home, and forbade alcohol in the home. To this day, the wine cellar and the 30 rooms have yet to be found.

Ironically, the Winchester Mansion had dozens of guest rooms but never housed a single guest. Teddy Roosevelt was going to be one such guest because he was a fan of the Winchester rifle. When Mr. Roosevelt approached the front doors, a servant accosted him. Unaware of his stature, the servant rudely told the president “If you’re looking for work, you’re going to have to go through the servants’ quarters ever since.” TR was so insulted he never spoke to the Winchester widow again.

Personally, the San Francisco Bay Area is incredible. It offers a cosmopolitan way of life but is also close to many natural wonders the Pacific Northwest can offer. Wholly recommended!

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