Went on a long, unorganized walking tour of a small part of San Francisco on Saturday with a visiting Chicagoan. Through gentrified SoMa to the Giants’ ballpark, then up the gentrified waterfront to the gentrified Ferry Building (is there a theme here?). Then through the deserted Financial District to Kearny, up across Broadway to Telegraph Hill, to Montgomery and the Filbert Street steps (above; nearby, we spotted the wonderful Art Deco apartment building at 1360 Montgomery, below). That’s a Norfolk Island pine in the left center, I’m pretty sure; didn’t notice it when we were at the spot. We hiked up to Coit Tower, set a Saskatchewan native straight about who is depicted by the statue on the summit (Christopher Columbus; he’s on the wrong coast; on the other hand, he’s where he belongs as far as San Francisco’s Italians are concerned). Then down to North Beach, back through the Financial District, and a quick stop at the Palace Hotel (where President Warren Gemaliel Harding died in 1923). Four hours, some number of miles, countless nearly-to-the-point anecdotes.
After 30 years out here, San Francisco is still fresh to me; I never take a walk in the city without happening across a surprise.
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