15 reasons to love California – part V

14. San Francisco

Calltrain

Here it goes the 14th on my list and a pretty powerful one :). It’s San Francisco, of course, the same city where Janis Joplin started her brilliant singing career.

With a three full days stay, it was pretty obvious from the very beginning, that even if I was to reduce my sleep to a couple of hours per night, the time was too short to see everything. If you can make this trip with somebody who already knows the city, don’t hesitate. It’s the best way of discovering the best it has to offer. Although I was told the streets are less bike friendly than in other places in the world (Vancouver, for example) the two – wheels vehicle was a wonderful means of going around (especially that, if you wake early enough, you may get complimentary bicycle from your hotel). I enjoyed biking along Embarcadero, stop for a delicious meal at an Italian restaurant, than continue through Pier 39, Fisherman’s Wharf, Fort Mason Park and Marina Green, up the wonderful Palace of Fine Arts.

At a walking distance from here is Letterman Digital Arts Centre, the San Fran home of Lucasfilm, guarded by the wise Yoda’s real life size statue. Star Wars aficionados will be glad to know that not only they are allowed to wander through the campus but also to enter the company’s main lobby, sit on a comfortable couch and enjoy various books on their favorite movie of all times. Darth Vader was there too, as mannequin toy.

Master Yoda

I found grace and peace at the Grace Cathedral, located in the vicinity of China Town (1100 California Street). It looks like Notre Dame in Paris, only much smaller and less crowded. I enjoyed my morning coffee in Union Square.

China Town

Found out that white men can blues, at Biscuits & Blues, a small club ranked by San Francisco chronicle among the top 100 reasons to live in San Francisco. I loved being inside the reviled Vaillancourt Fountain, the houses along Marina Green, the Cable Car and its noise rising from tarmac, the cover-bands playing Van Halen and Blondie among others, for the 4th of July. And I loved being completely… in love.

Marina Green

Financial District