The thing about this city, is that there is so much to see. The Golden Gate Bridge (above), Chinatown, the twisty street, Golden Gate Park, Alcatraz, Pier 39... So much! Its great to be spoiled for choice like this. For me, the bridge was the highlight of the city. Its a little out of the way, but I went on a nice sunny day, took a long walk over and back, and enjoyed the view. On the one side you can see the Pacific, on the other the city, the bay and Alcatraz. Really stunning, just absolutely georgeous. Pier 39 was also a nice suprise, it has the shrimp shack from Forest Gump, but more importantly it has a left-handed store! I was incredibly tempted to buy the 'Obama is a Lefty' t-shirt.
Aside from the sights, I got an invite to a party at a friends cousins house. The party was located on a normal street, and seemed normal from the outside. Then I went indoors. I had been told about many of the features in the house, but I dont think I could ever have been prepared for such an amazing place:
Sorry the pictures shit, I dont seem to have any better ones - a sign of a good party perhaps? Thats a shot of the periscope next to the bath. The periscope looks out over the roof onto the garden, by the way. The bathroom itself is a giant tiled underwater scene collage type thing. It got pictures of underwater creatures, and actually kind of feels like your underwater in the room. The house has as its centerpiece a staircase coated entirely in pencils. I mean the walls, the ceiling, the banister - everything is made of pencils. The pencils are arranged to form pictures in the wall. Ive never seen anything like it, absolutely crazy, but I loved it! I cant go into every feature in the house, Id be going on forever, but it was great to go there. You know when you see parties in a film, and theres loads of people there and full on entertainment and a level of organization that just doesnt exist when you go to normal parties? I felt like I was at one of those, it had live bands, a DJ and movies. It had everything.
Now its time for the secret (I know - the tension is unbearable). You see, everybody I spoke to about San Francisco has built it up so much. Its been hyped to an extent that cant possibly realised, and for me, it just wasnt that amazing. Dont get me wrong, there is loads to do, and the sights are fantastic, and the city itself is lovely, but I just have a problem with the atmosphere. The city prides itself on its liberal and cultural leanings. Justin Webb, the former BBC North America correspondant described it as essentially a European City. My question is, if the city is so friendly, and cultured, and enlightened, why is there so much poverty there? I swear Ive seen more homeless people In the 6 days I spent there than the entire rest of the trip put together. I spent an entire night on the bus listening to some crazy guy tell me about all the fun he used to have in San Francisco, how it was great for finding a good squat to stay in, and great for getting smashed in the park.
Now the defence I was worrying about earlier. There was a running joke in my hostel that they hated anyone from Portland who stayed there, because they would constantly boast about how great Portland was. Perhaps part of my problem is that I just came from Portland (which is great, by the way). It rained solidly for almost every day I was there, and after 2 months on the move, perhaps Im starting to get a little travel fatigue. All of these are potentially reasons skewing my perception of the city, or mabey not. I would like to visit the place again in better weather, mabey with someone who knows the places to go. I have had a good time in this city, so it could be just a case of expectations...
No comments:
Post a Comment