They Weren't Kidding About the Hills..

I'm not naive, I've seen pictures and heard stories about the hills in SF before. I've driven up and down them, and seen how steep they can be. What I did not realize was how tiring it was to climb up all of them, and how many stairs there were too! Today I ventured down into the city, taking the BART from Oakland into downtown and then walking all around the city. My first stop was the Ferry Building. The building reminds me of a smaller, indoor version of Pike Place Market in Seattle. It has a huge farmer's market three times a week that many restaurants use to get fresh produce and meat from farmers in the greater Bay Area. Next I headed to Pier 39, where the Alcatraz tour boats take off from. The tours were all sold out for today so I bought a ticket for tomorrow afternoon.





As it's name suggests, the Ferry Building is also the dock where the ferry takes off from, going to Sausalito to the north and Oakland to the South.








One of the many piers on the Bay, with a view of the Bay Bridge and Treasure Island.






After that, I wasn't really sure what to do. I could have continued on down the boardwalk and gone to Fisherman's Wharf, but Jordan and I walked through it back in October and it seemed overly-touristy and chintzy. So instead I decided to walk up to Coit Tower, which I could see in the distance. Notice how it's high on top of a hill? Yeah, I didn't think about that.


So I started my trek through the neighborhood called Telegraph Hill and climbed what seemed like 1000 steps and three giant hills. Because the streets are so incredibly steep, many of the sidewalks are actually just giant staircases. I think the purpose of that might be to control people going down the hill as much as it is to make it easier to go up the hill.







Ahhh, I'm getting closer!











Finally I made it to the top, sweating and out of breath. I decided that if I had made it that far, I should just pay the $5 to take the rickety elevator to the top of the tower. I must say, it was worth it. The views from the top are spectacular and I went on a very clear day. Here are some pictures to prove it!

In the distance you can see Lombard Street, "the crookedest street in the world". They had to make it zig-zag because it would have been too steep for any cars to drive down.

The infamous Alcatraz. I'll be visiting there tomorrow!


And the Golden Gate bridge! You can tell it's a little foggy, but still a beautiful view.

After I descended Telegraph Hill, I was a bit hungry. I walked around North Beach, which is like a Little Italy. On every corner there's Italian bistros and cafes, meat markets or coffee shops. I stopped in Cafe Puccini, a little hole-in-the-wall where I ordered a salami sandwich and a Coke. They had a TV propped up and a bunch of old Italian men were sitting together watching the Uruguay vs. South Africa World Cup game. They were adorable. When the ref gave South Africa's goalie a red card and Uruguay a penalty kick, they started shouting in Italian and mumbling amongst themselves. Oh, and did I mention we were watching it on the Italian channel? So I couldn't understand a word the announcers were saying. I so badly wanted to take a picture of them but I didn't want them to start yelling at me in Italian either, so I just smiled and left.

After that I walked through Chinatown, Union Square, and into Yerba Buena Gardens. It seemed more like a fancy park to me, unless I was missing the "garden" area. By that time I was exhausted so I decided to head back to Oakland. I'll be going back tomorrow anyway!