Emerald Ring Winnipeg

San Francisco (19)





photos from top to bottom: (1) Food in Chinatown (2) The fog accompanied us at Pyramid Tower, (3) Victorian architecture anywhere in San Francisco

16.7. 22.15 Clock, San Francisco Hotel Whitcomb

The trip to San Francisco is largely uneventful. Only one thing I notice on the way: Even when it is obvious fruit grown (and we travel through America's orchard), one has to rely on artificial irrigation. The grasses in the irrigated areas are all dried up and yellow ocher. On the entire trip there was with very few exceptions such as Yosemite and individual watercourses nothing in July was of course green.

The approach to the Greater San Francisco we note especially the traffic jam on the other side, which is four lanes wide and more than 10 miles long. Is it on Friday afternoon or can the have each day? Later, the $ 6 take on the Oakland Bay Bridge substantial returns. Not only that we did not swim as my wife points out dry in all respects, but also because of very nice first look at The City. In fact, the temperature falls as promised: 40 degrees for another 30 km to SF, Oakland 29 degrees and 21 degrees after we crossed the bridge.

The Hotel Whitcomb is surprisingly found quickly and hits us as surprising, the parking fee: $ 28 plus tax per night. For this sum you get a room somewhere else almost. The hotel foyer has then also expensive, but the front desk makes any positive impression destroyed immediately. 20 minutes to and then 10 minutes processing time for a decidedly unfriendly check-in. I can not remember to have ever used in my long life to have come to a room key.

The hotel room is then logical and hardly larger than a parking space for the Dodge. The interior is indeed beautiful, but the bathroom door can no longer close to the sink does not run from time to time and the central light switch is defective. This is called in the U.S. probably historic charm. Anyway, we want to go so sleep.

is now one more promise to the children redeemed (as many of us, anyway?) And it will be the first to Amoeba Music in the Haines Street. The shop is great and sorted we walk an hour later with 16 CD 33 $, and three of us again with very good spirits get out. What all four of us thrilled to have all the charming little Victorian houses in the district of Haight Ashbury (http://www.sfgate.com/neighborhoods/sf/haight/) with bay windows and turrets. As shown in the TV series "Charmed" notice the children. The many beggars and homeless people but not occurred in this series, probably.

We take the cars to go to Chinatown District (http://www.sfgate.com/neighborhoods/sf/chinatown/) and even get a parking space at the edge of the Financial. Chinatown itself is then a mixture of souvenir shops and restaurants and almost no atmosphere, but the 5-course dinner is the best so far on the journey. There are only Chinese in the restaurant almost, will probably not cooked quite original. With a delicious feeling of fullness we make our way back and see that the fog again already covered about 30 meters high.