California's Classic Railroads

Archers Direct, September 2012

Day 1 2 3 4



DAY 2: San Francisco, California

We were up early owing to the change in timezones, so I'd been on Twitter before I got up properly. I figured my Alcatraz shirt was appropriate, together with my San Francisco Giants baseball cap. It was a bit cold first thing, but was supposed to warm up later so I put on my Boston Red Sox jacket too. I'm a very confused sports fan! Actually, it's just hard to get bear clothes with city names on that aren't sports-related.

We would start the day with an included bus tour of the city so we met with the bus at 8.30am. We were introduced to our driver, David, and Randy told us about the bus rules. No cell phones! Well, I guess he means no calls, as I have to tweet! There were folks on the bus from the US, UK, Australia and New Zealand, with names taped over our seats so we'd know where to sit. Fortunately, there was lots of room on the bus so we staked our claim for the next to last row - gives us access to photos on both sides of the bus and I can kick Paul to another seat so I have room to sit!

Randy gave us a few facts about San Francisco - the main industry is tourism. It was a small, sleepy town until the 1849 gold rush when it became huge, almost overnight. It's why the NFL (American Football) team is called the San Francisco 49ers. It was discovered by the Spanish in 1776.

In 1851, there were 12,000 Chinese men in San Francisco and SEVEN Chinese women! The Chinese were brought in to build the railroad, as labourers, but when recession hit after they were built, a lot of anti-Chinese legislation was introduced - preventing them from owning land, testifying in court. The 1882 Oriental-Exclusion Act, requiring them to carry ID remained in place until the end of World War II. You wouldn't get that now! Unless, you are Hispanic and live in Arizona, apparently. Anyway, Chinatown in San Francisco covers several blocks nowadays.

As we passed Union Square, we saw the first underground parking garage which was built underneath it. The square had a multi-million dollar makeover in 2002. We saw Macy's in the distance. We saw Old Saint Mary's Cathedral, which was dedicated in 1854, the bust year after San Francisco's booming gold rush years - it was San Francisco's first cathedral. It survived the 1906 earthquake, but was gutted by fire the next day. Some outer walls remained and the decision to restore was taken a year later, helped by the fact the fire wiped out the bordellos, bars and gambling dens that had taken over the area, improving the neighborhood.

   

There are a lot of earthquakes in California, as it stands on the San Andreas Fault. The last big one was 1989 (seven on the Richter Scale) but the Big One on 18 April 1906 was 8.25 on the Richter Scale, at 5.13am, and lasted about 46 seconds (usual not as long as that). It wasn't the quake but the subsequent fire that did the damage - severed gas mains and overturned oil lamps created a fire that destroyed a significant part of the city. This was combined with ruptured water mains which meant the fire crews couldn't put out the fires. Their only solution was to dynamite both sides of Van Ness Street, creating a fire break. That, plus the wind changing direction, saved the rest of the city. Since then, Van Ness has also been known as Fire Break Street. After the earthquake and fire, half of the 450,000 population were homeless. 674 are reported as having died, although it is considered highly likely that 2,500 Chinese people did also. In contrast, the 1989 quake only lasted 15 seconds.

The famous earthquake and subsequent fire destroyed most of the mansions, which were rebuilt as larger buildings, like this one - The Fairmont Hotel. This was used in the 1980s TV show Hotel. Many mansions weren't rebuilt and condominiums (apartment buildings) were built instead. There is one mansion that remains from before the 1906 fire - that is now the upmarket Pacific Union Club (no photo) and can be found opposite the Fairmont. According to Randy, jealous folks call it the "P-U Club", heehee. We continued on and passed Grace Cathedral (below right), where William Randolph Hearst got married. You'll know about him if you've read my Pacific Coast Explorer trip.

   

The San Francisco War Memorial and Performing Arts Center (SFWMPAC) houses the Opera House, Symphony Hall, Herbst Theater and more.

The Civic Centre was built after 1906. City Hall (below right) was closed in 1999 and reopened having been earthquake-proofed. In the foreground is Civic Centre Plaza Park.

   

We then drove to see some of the Victorian houses. The most famous of these are the Painted Ladies or Postcard Row in Alamo Square. There are seven Victorian houses in a row, which were built in the 1890s. These have been used in many a Hollywood movie, TV show and ad campaign.

   

In the 1800s, Frederick Law Olmstead (who designed Central Park) was asked to build a new park in the San Francisco Dunes area, but he refused. Undeterred, they they hired William Hammond Hill instead, together with Scot John McLaren and together they created Golden Gate Park.

There's about 1000 acres in Golden Gate Park. Many sports happen there, including horseback riding, tennis and other sports as well as housing a picnic area, several museums and auditoria. In 1894, a Midwinters Fair was held to open the park. The White building (below centre) is the Conservatory of Flowers. The Park also has an aquarium and a planetarium.

   

We made a brief pit stop by the Japanese Tea Gardens (below left and centre), which cover five acres with bonsai and other plants. Fortune cookies were invented at the Japanese Tea Garden! They were then taken over by both Japanese and Chinese restaurants. I also took a photo of the auditorium (below right) as I have a photo of it from my 2000 visit, when we didn't get off the bus!

   

As we headed out of the park, we passed a boating pond, where some folks were out their floating their remote control pirate ships! Really! Well, okay there was only one pirate ship, but there were a couple of boats on the pond and it was raining.

I'm pretty sure I've told you this before, but Golden Gate Park has a herd of bison. To be fair, we didn't see an entire herd, but we did see a couple of 'em. Better still, they let us off the bus to take a quick photo.

   

As we left the park, we spotted a windmill, but my assistant was a bit slow with the camera. Once we hit the coast road we saw Bird and Seal rock - although most of the seals seem to have moved to Fisherman's Wharf. The Cliff House was on the left (assistant missed completely, although we were on the wrong side of the bus). Then we headed towards the Golden Gate Bridge.

   

At least, they said it was the Golden Gate Bridge. I have my doubts. It's not like I could see it! Again. They're lucky I saw it (and walked across most of it) in 2000 or I wouldn't even believe they have a bridge.

The Golden Gate Bridge cost $35 million and was built between 1934 and 1937. The Chief Engineer's name was Strauss and he used 80,000 miles of wire in the making of the bridge. They actually took health and safety seriously back then - he started the use of hard hats on the build and had nets strung below the workers in case they fell. On one occasion, nineteen men fell and landed in the net. Unfortunately, another time, nine men fell into the net, but the scaffold fell with them and cut through the net causing them to fall to their deaths. The bridge was opened in 1937 by Franklin D Roosevelt, who opened the bridge via telegraph.

 

The 50th anniversary of the Golden Gate Bridge was in 1987 and 250,000 people crossed the bridge on foot, causing structural damage to it (oops!) The towers are 764 foot high and they can swing twenty-eight feet. It is also the number one bridge for suicides in the USA, in case you were wondering.

We had a nice twenty-seven minute (who stops for twenty-seven minutes?) stop at the Golden Gate Bridge. They've changed it in the eighteen months since we were last here (no bridge then, either!) There's a new store, patio area and they've moved the statues around. We did take a few steps onto the bridge again, but we didn't go too far as there was insufficient time.

   

They've installed a new bike trail down the side of the bridge and at the overlook, a model of the bridge explains how it moves. Occasionally they have Rangers giving talks. It seems you can even get some kind of tour now, but we didn't have time for that (shame!) These are big changes in eighteen months.

   

The new store is pretty nice, with lots of stuff, but nothing that grabbed me. I would've bought a DVD on the building of the bridge but I couldn't find one. They had some nice photos, too, but they were too much trouble to take home. While I was there, I took a photos of Alcatraz, but it's a bit hazy. By 11am we were back on the bus.

We arrived at Fisherman's Wharf at about 11.30 so we'd only just missed the 11.15am Bay cruise. The next one was at 1pm, so we decided not to take the tour through Archers in case we found something else to do instead. We walked along past a few piers and where a ship and a submarine were docked. It said we could walk around them for $12, which we thought we might do, but next to them was The Musée Méchanique and entry to that was free so we headed inside.

   

What a cool place! This was a collection of coin-operated machines from days gone by. There are musical instruments such as a Wurlitzer self-playing piano or a variety of sports games - baseball, boxing, soccer and so on. We decide to change $5 into quarters and have a bit of a play.

   

The funfair was brilliant, with a moving band, carousel and another funfair made out of toothpicks, though the roller coaster part wasn't working. We played some music and Di and I had a bit of a shootout to no effect whatsover - we either missed with all twenty shots or, as we like to assume, the machine was broken!

   

   

Check out this amazing movie of the Circus exhibit - it's tremendous! Apologies for the reflection of the assistant (you really can't get the staff!)

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We played quite a few machines and only spent about $3.50 - it was 25c, 50c or 75c a go, but it was a pretty cool museum more bears should go to! I know all stuffies would love it. I did drop them a Ted, but that was because occasionally the machines would eat your money and not do very much, which is a teensy bit annoying, but overall it was a fab place. Didn't even know it was there!

   

We spent so long in the Mechanical Museum that we didn't have time to tour the big boats and do the Bay cruise, so we decided to skip them and headed back to the ticket office. It cost us an extra dollar - $26 - to buy our own ticket (compared with Archers) but that wasn't too bad and at least we didn't pay for the cruise then not go on it. We went to stand in line for our Blue and Gold Fleet Bay Cruise.

We had considered taking Paul back to Alcatraz as it was a bit rushed the previous year, but we'd done the audio tour (brilliant) and I'd been twice already - my stuffies need new material! Never having done a Bay Cruise I thought it would give us another perspective on their non-existent (probably) bridge.

They did try to flog us a green screen photo but we declined. As we were boarding I noticed the name of the ship was Golden Bear - how prophetic is that? We climbed up to the top deck and it was quite busy - in fact we got the last available seats.

   

As we pulled away from the dock, the audio commentary started. Unfortunately, they dropped a Ted as it was way too quiet (we could hardly make out a word). It's a recording but presumably there was no opportunity to turn it up, as they didn't. In the main San Francisco area it was pretty sunny, but as we headed towards the Golden Gate Bridge it got cooler and windier.

   

   

Sadly, the Bridge was still pretty much covered in fog so we didn't see all of it, but we took some photos anyway. It's atmospheric. Maybe. Or quite possibly fictional.

   

   

The boat turned around under the Golden Gate Bridge but then headed back towards the Bay Bridge - the actually visible bridge in San Francisco Bay. We went close to it, but not underneath it as Randy had suggested we would. We were disappointed we hadn't gone as close as advised, albeit by Randy rather than the boat company, but I dropped 'em another Ted anyway. I did get the chance to use my binoculars to take a closer look at the local wildlife.

   

We did get to take a closer look at Alcatraz and it was nice to see it again.

   

Then we headed back to the dock. Just time to see Coit Tower and a weird cloud phenomenon with an electric tower that looked pretty creepy.

   

As we pulled into the pier, we saw another of those weird clouds, oh yeah, and we found all the sealions?

 

We took a quick walk onto Pier39 in case they had any interesting bear stuff - twice before I'd bought an Alcatraz t-shirt in one of the shops there. They have a carousel, and this shop sells bear clothes, but they weren't very exciting. The sign was a little worrying though. I took a shot of this nifty little boat - you can do really speedy rides in the bay on it, but I wasn't convinced that was a great idea - the humans can get seasick!

   

We headed out of Pier 39, past this giant foliage crab, and found a bread shop where I had to photograph this loaf I thought might interest you. A little further up was Fisherman's Wharf, and this is their iconic sign.

   

As we headed towards the cable car stop at Hyde St, we looked out for stuff to do, as we wanted to hit the cable car museum before they closed at 6pm. We came across Hyde St Pier and set out to investigate. At the entrance they have a paddle wheel and a boiler, further in they had actual boats! For just $5 we could go onboard the various boats, so we decided to do that.

   

They had an old steam boat that was off limits. Also, Hercules, a steam tugboat, but it was closed after 12 noon (from 9am) so I dropped them a Ted (just cos they said it was something to do with safety! Wimps!)

 

We were able to board a tall ship - The Balclutha (also known as Star of Alaska, Pacific Queen, or Sailing Ship Balclutha) - which was like something out of The Onedin Line (for my American friends, this was a 70s British TV show about, you guessed it, sailing ships). As much as I hate James Cameron's movie Titanic, I still did my figurehead bit! The masts on this ship were very tall and I didn't fancy climbing up the rope ladders when we were safely in the dock. I can't imagine having to climb them out at sea, with a swell and the wind blowing, or worse. Scary stuff.

     

The deck accommodation was pretty crammed and uncomfortable, it must have taken a lot of guts to go to sea back in those days. We bears today have it easy by comparison - cruise liners today are a little different! The bunks on the left are of a lower class than the ones on the right - the difference being a thin mattress-pad.

   

This ship carried all kinds of cargo. I was impressed to see Colman's Mustard on board!

   

We moved up to the posh part - the Captain's quarters. This was more my scene. They even had some 'nice' indoor plumbing! Looks like Mrs Captain may well have travelled with him (well, they often did on the Onedin Line!)

   

We went back on deck and checked out the lifeboat! Well, you never know...

   

We got to Eureka - a sidewheel paddle steamboat - at about 3.30pm and happened to meet a National Park Ranger who was looking to begin a 45-minute tour and it seems we were it! Who knew? Well, we figured we had the time and thought we'd learn more with Carol, our NPS guide, than just wandering aimlessly. She explained to us about the workings of the steam ferry. It took five hours for the water to boil from cold so they never switched it off. Starting the engine was tricky too, as they used crude oil and it was difficult to ignite.

She showed us the inner workings of the steam engine. Not surprisingly, the driving equipment was similar to steam engines with eccentric pistons turning the wheels.

   

When it was the train ferry it was called the Solano and was used to transport trains across the Bay, with tracks on the deck allowing the trains access to the deck. In 1920, the ferry underwent a refurbishment programme, stripping it down to basics and thoroughly refitting it to be used by motor vehicles, rather than trains. They even had some nice cars to show off on the deck now.

   

We moved up to the upper, passenger deck area, which looks good still. There's also a restaurant area, but as it is a National Park site, they have to restore it to what it was, and as they do not yet have a photograph, they don't know how it should look, so they cannot reproduce it. Once they know what it's like, they will undertake the refurbishment. They are not allowed to guess.

   

Then we got a treat! As we were with a Ranger, we were able to go into the Wheelhouse, which they now usually keep locked. It didn't used to be that way, but recently there was an attack on a wooden panel of the wheelhouse when some nasty piece of work took a knife and carved their name or some such into it. What is wrong with people? So, now the wheelhouse is locked to the general public. Inside there's some great communications stuff - the wheel-y thing with forward, aft signal which was the partner to the one we saw down by the engine, and also a more mechanical tube system, that you'd talk in one end and listen at the other - an early telephone.

   

Overall, Hyde Street Pier just got the four Teds - we couldn't go on the tug, which was annoying, and also the Ranger was a little less than riveting, although she certainly knew her stuff. That said, I'd rather have done the tour than not, hence they only dropped the one Ted.

We went to the Powell-Hyde Street Cable Car turnaround but when we got there there was a one-hour wait for a cable car ride. We didn't want to wait that long, so we headed back towards Pier 39 and went to the Powell-Mason turnaround. Once we found the ticket booth (hidden behind a toilet!) we only had about a ten-minute wait so we paid our $6 one-way fare and took a ride. Di was scared I might fall off if I rode the outside of the cable car while in motion so I took my photo before we left the stop, but then we all got to ride inside the cable car. We saw the driver using the brake handle things. It was very cool. And yes, of course, I was singing The Trolley Song in my head (and yes, I know a trolley and a cable car are different things, but you'll have to do the research to find out why!)

TGTips
It is only $14 for a Cable Car day pass, so if travelling more than twice, at $6 a ride, then it's worth getting a day pass! (Prices correct at 2012)


   

   

We got off the cable car at Washington at Mason to see the Cable Car Museum. We'd been here in May 2011 but it was closed (while the cable car system was being refurbished!) but this time it was open. And free entry! Yay! Inside we got to see the actual workings of the San Francisco Cable Car system - no mock up this, this is the hub of San Francisco's remaining three cable car lines - Powell-Hyde, Powell-Mason and California.

They have quite a few old cars and artifacts from the old cable car companies.

     

Upstairs, there are a number of historic cars from now obsolete lines and a pretty big gift shop. We didn't buy much but got a couple of things. A few of the cars are interactive (you can sit on them!)

   

The cable which drives the cable cars is rolled around huge wheels, each one marked for the specific cable car route. Downstairs we could see more of the mechanism as the live cables are seen to pass from wheel to wheel, with angled wheels allowing the drop and rise in height.

   

They also have some great photos from the 1906 earthquake and after, which signified the end of several lines - by 1920, most of the cable car lines were gone. There's some nice models, though, so you can see what they were like.

   

In 1947, San Francisco voted to keep the remaining cable cars as a Moving National Historic Monument, which is why we still have them today. Good thing too, I say, as cable cars - driven by the cable beneath - are cool! San Francisco is apparently the only place left to still have cable-driven cars on its streets, rather than trolleys. (And, no, cable cars are NOT the same as electric driven trams in Blackpool!)

I love that this place is open to the public. Okay, so it's only really a 30-minute stop but it's well worth it to get a little history and a look at the mechanics that are still being used today. You should go! It's free to get in!

We decided to walk the seven blocks to Union Square (well, Paul did, cos he was too mean to pay another $6 for the cable car!) Fortunately, after a little minor uphill walking it was downhill all the way. If you read about our walk to the cable car last year, you'll see the walk up and down the steep hills nearly killed Di! On arrival, a crowd seemed to be gathering in Union Square. Looked like a Ralph Lauren promotional thing but there was a big crowd so I guess someone famous I never heard of was going to be playing. We never found out who it was.



We were going to try again to get dinner at The Cheesecake Factory - there was an hour wait last year and no one likes to wait an hour for dinner! This time we were in luck, just twenty minutes, then, despite trying to sit us outside (although we'd asked for an inside table) that was soon sorted and we were looking through the extensive menu.

Knowing they have large meals and wanting to get to the cheesecake, we skipped an appetizer. Di ordered a veggie burger from their new Skinnylicious range, which came with salad, while Paul ordered a burger and fries, I ate most of his fries as Paul is not a big eater, although I did have to fight Di off with my fork.

A bit stuffed after dinner, we decided to take a piece of cheesecake to go. This time I chose the Caramel Pecan Turtle cheesecake. No, there are no real turtles in it, just nutty, caramel chocolate. We'd try it back in the room. They also had Coke Zero which is good. Can't stand Diet Coke and a bear has to watch his weight. I agree Coke Zero isn't as good as regular Coke, but it's drinkable. Their wine is pretty expensive at $30 a bottle though so we just had the one bottle. I like the Cheesecake Factory, and this one can be found on the top floor of Macy's Department Store. It has great food, but the portions are way too big! The restaurant is very popular, so often the wait is too long. Overall, they weren't quite perfect, so they only got four Teds (including the Cheesecake, which I'll get to shortly).

   

We then walked the eight blocks back to our hotel. Again, it was not too steep the way we went, although, when we got back to our hotel, it seems now renamed the the HOT C N, according to the poorly lit sign outside. By 8.30pm it was already dark and, once back in the room we found the Wi-Fi was off! Paul went to reception to see what was wrong - apparently their supplier had cut them off, but they were working on it. It never did come back on, so they lost another Ted, down to three Teds.

I settled down in front of the television to enjoy my cheesecake. I've got to say I enjoyed it very much, although the chocolate cream on the top wasn't my favourite. Still, I forced myself to eat it!



That evening all that was on the TV was the Democratic National Convention so, after watching for a little while we soon we went to bed. We had an early start the next day!



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