USA: San Francisco (revisited)

February 2026

After the cruise to Hawaii, I decided to spend a few days in San Francisco as I had not been since my first visit in Georgetown days. The weather did not cooperate at all, but it was still a great walk down memory lane.

I was staying just a short walk from the Transamerica Pyramid. I felt nostalgic about it since it was the tallest building in the city on that first visit (since eclipsed by the Salesforce Tower). Of note for me was that the redwoods in the park below it had grown substantially (in 40 years!) - they looked so much more impressive. Additionally, I saw two perspectives of the pyramid I hadn't noticed before: Columbus Avenue perfectly frames it on one side and Pier 7 on the bay seems to lead directly to it.

Columbus Avenue marks one boundary of Chinatown and as I walked toward Fisherman's Wharf, I saw the police had blocked off some streets. I also heard a lot of noise. By luck, I had stumbled upon the city's Lunar New Year celebration which extended the length of Grant St. The place was absolutely packed with people, so I gave it a miss. I am not a huge fan of crowded city streets. But, I did stop by a side street to watch some kids performing a Lion Dance. The musicians were insanely loud on the cymbals and drums. Best of all, Chinatown "smells" like China (hard to describe, but it does). After seeing Honolulu's Chinatown just before, I thought the one in San Francisco somehow felt more authentic through its residents, its culture, and the people's very "Chinese" lifestyles - not necessarily through the architecture (it all looks very fake).

Later in the day I passed some less crowded corners of Chinatown which were decorated for the celebration, too.

Note: just up from the hotel (Clay Street) is Sam Wo's, one of Chinatown's oldest restaurants. I visited on my first trip and chose my meal from the (at the time) notoriously "Chinese only" menu. I ended up ordering three bowls of soup...

I came upon this mural in Chinatown reminding me that San Francisco is not just "Asia-facing", but also has deep Latino roots.

In Washington Square beneath Coit Tower I passed Saint Peter and Paul Church as well as a memorial to volunteer firefighters. Notably it was funded by Lillie Hitchcock Coit (whose family name graces the nearby tower). The memorial was originally intended for that location.

Near the end of Columbus Avenue is the very popular Powell & Hyde Cable Car Turntable. A long queue of tourists were waiting to ride.

One of my favorite places of that first trip to the city was Ghirardelli Square. The old renovated chocolate factory is still a huge tourist magnet. I ended up having lunch there at the San Francisco Brewing Company where I had surprisingly reasonable food and some good beer.

After lunch, I walked to the water's edge where a marker memorial indicates the spot at which the first ship anchored in San Francisco Harbor. The park gives a great view of Alcatraz and I remembered that tour years ago - one of the best historical tours I ever took in the US.

I returned toward the hotel along the bay passing the old piers and Fisherman's Wharf. What had once been a tawdry, overdeveloped place that MA only took me to see reluctantly has now been converted into (mostly) high end entertainment. I can't say that I liked the old Fisherman's Wharf too much, but the new one is much calmer (and frightfully expensive). Nonetheless, a few fishing boats still use those piers (and so do sea lions). I also passed the Ruby Princess waiting to sail to Mexico (it made the Hawaii trip every other cruise)

As I walked toward the Ferry Terminal (and its iconic clock tower), I noted the whole walk had been transformed. It was lined with interesting sculptures.

The Ferry Terminal itself was renovated since my first visit into a market filled with eateries, too. It still serves as a terminal, but that function is almost an afterthought. On my last day in the city, I had wine and a great cheese plate for lunch there.

Another walk took me up the hill on Clay Street. I suddenly remembered why few fat people live in San Francisco. Those inclines are punishingly steep. At the top of Clay I walked over one block to see the venerable Grace Cathedral which had to be completely rebuilt after the 1906 earthquake. Across the street lies Huntingdon Park and the exclusive Pacific-Union Club. Next to that is the city's grand dame hotel, the Fairmont. I walked inside and appreciated its retro, elegant interior (no hotel would waste money such things these days). On the first trip, MA and I rode the glass elevator in the back of the hotel which gives a fabulous view over the city. That ride is now accessible only for hotel guests.

On the first trip to San Francisco, I felt cold, because I had no idea even in August the city could be cool when the fog rolls in. On my recent trip I felt cold because it was winter, the sky was overcast, and weather was breezy with light rain. I covered a lot of ground on two long walks but had to stop as my feet hurt and the sun was setting (one disadvantage to winter travel is shorter days).

The following day rained on and off. I caught up with my ex-boss from the job at AUW in Berkeley. She and her husband have since retired to the East Bay - they both studied at Berkeley and always wanted to return. After a long stint of travel, it felt good to meet people I actually knew.

The final day in the city it rained even more, so I was stuck moving from interior space to interior space. My flight was a red-eye. I had no respite from the winter rain.

I wished I had better weather for my second visit, but nothing may ever top the week I spent in the Bay Area at age 20 anyway. I was touring the city for the first time with my classmate and comrade in arms, MA (who is a native). The second time roaming the city was mostly nostalgic and provoked many good memories. San Francisco IS beautiful.

I shouldn't have waited so many years to return.