A trip to the Bay Area is incomplete without a visit to San Francisco- especially the Pier39 area. It would be shameful if I came this far and went back without covering this place- a little like a visit to Agra without seeing the Taj.
With the best of driving skills, negotiating the streets of San Francisco- some with steep inclines poses a challenge. Presently, I find my driving a bit rusty when it comes to adapting to American conditions where every move and turn has to be spot-on. You don't have the luxury that you have in India- stop the car at any point and ask for directions. You can be certain that some wandering voice- a man squatting on the parapet wall or even a spirit will always answer regardless of whether it is correct or not! To confirm, you just ask three other people and you are all set!
No such flexibility in the US. This point constrains me. Hence, we decided to keep things simple and take the public transport and find our way to San Francisco- something I had never done in my many years in the Bay Area.
It took a combination of two Light-Rail connections to get to Mountain-View. At Mountain-View, took the CalTrain all the way to San Francisco. It took two more "MUNI" (pronounced "myooni") light-rails to get us close to Pier47. The CalTrain ride was nostalgic. Many years ago, it was a Saturday ritual- take the kids by CalTrain from Sunnyvale to Atherton and back- the round trip lasting a good one-hour. The feeling of deja vu was overwhelming. Atherton-that quaint little station was still the same. It has had a coat of fresh paint since then. But the structure, the bench we used to wait on and the newspaper rack were all intact. There used to be a bunch of stop signs at the far end of the platform. They were stacked much the same way- the ensuing years had changed nothing! Only, we had become older!
By the time we hit the Pier, it was past lunch time and we were tired and hungry. Submitted ourselves to chocolate and ice-cream at the Ghirardelli. Ghirardelli is a chocolate shop with a history of over 150 years and claims itself as the pioneer of "ground chocolate" (whatever that means). Hot-fudge Sundae- rich and sinful... on a breezy Saturday afternoon was just what we needed to kickstart our system once more. Purchased a couple of mementoes at the gift shop and sauntered along the pier.
The view from here is beautiful. The sun coloured the bay in a delicate hue of greenish blue..... and the water sparkled as the boats and the occasional ship languidly made their way. The gentle roll of mountains in the distance were inked in a shade of deep violet- their tops covered with fluffy white cloud- as though someone had stuck a wad of cotton at just that spot. The Golden Gate bridge took centre-stage in the distance. It looked surreal with its top completely covered with a thin film of cloud and glazed in a coat of mist.
The Alcatraz island- housing the famous prison cells is tantalisingly close. It is difficult to believe that most prisoners who tried to escape couldn't make it (or so we are told!)- consumed by the water, its wicked current and sharks.
It was the day the San Francisco Giants had a "game" at the stadium close to the pier.... and there was more than the usual crowd. The feeling of joie de vivre (joy of life) was in the air and it was infectious. Artists drew caricatures, some displayed exquisite water-colour paintings, musicians regaled the passing crowd with their spirited percussion and guitar numbers, others sold trinkets and jewellery, acrobats did spellbinding feats on a bicycle perched high up.....all along the pier- a carnival atmosphere all right. Sea gulls joined the fun- they swooped and came dangerously close to the people and even ate off their hands....hopefully not the hand too!
It was late afternoon. Had to be cautious to keep track of time as public transport thins down later in the day. It was easy to get back using the same combination of Light-Rails and CalTrain.
One last mistake and a costly one at that....! The last light rail ride was winding to a close. We were still in the light rail and approaching our station. I pulled out my car keys instinctively and could see the car parked by the station. But but... the light rail did not stop....instead gathered speed and moved on! Frantically, we tried punching some buttons and the air around us.. but to little avail! I had forgotten this vital point- you *have* to ring the bell in advance to let the driver know that you need to get down at the station. Otherwise, he ain't stopping anywhere!!
Got down at the next station....miserable and exhausted, repentant and contrite! Walked....and walked.. back to the previous station and to the car! There's many a slip between the cup and the lip!
With the best of driving skills, negotiating the streets of San Francisco- some with steep inclines poses a challenge. Presently, I find my driving a bit rusty when it comes to adapting to American conditions where every move and turn has to be spot-on. You don't have the luxury that you have in India- stop the car at any point and ask for directions. You can be certain that some wandering voice- a man squatting on the parapet wall or even a spirit will always answer regardless of whether it is correct or not! To confirm, you just ask three other people and you are all set!
No such flexibility in the US. This point constrains me. Hence, we decided to keep things simple and take the public transport and find our way to San Francisco- something I had never done in my many years in the Bay Area.
It took a combination of two Light-Rail connections to get to Mountain-View. At Mountain-View, took the CalTrain all the way to San Francisco. It took two more "MUNI" (pronounced "myooni") light-rails to get us close to Pier47. The CalTrain ride was nostalgic. Many years ago, it was a Saturday ritual- take the kids by CalTrain from Sunnyvale to Atherton and back- the round trip lasting a good one-hour. The feeling of deja vu was overwhelming. Atherton-that quaint little station was still the same. It has had a coat of fresh paint since then. But the structure, the bench we used to wait on and the newspaper rack were all intact. There used to be a bunch of stop signs at the far end of the platform. They were stacked much the same way- the ensuing years had changed nothing! Only, we had become older!
By the time we hit the Pier, it was past lunch time and we were tired and hungry. Submitted ourselves to chocolate and ice-cream at the Ghirardelli. Ghirardelli is a chocolate shop with a history of over 150 years and claims itself as the pioneer of "ground chocolate" (whatever that means). Hot-fudge Sundae- rich and sinful... on a breezy Saturday afternoon was just what we needed to kickstart our system once more. Purchased a couple of mementoes at the gift shop and sauntered along the pier.
The view from here is beautiful. The sun coloured the bay in a delicate hue of greenish blue..... and the water sparkled as the boats and the occasional ship languidly made their way. The gentle roll of mountains in the distance were inked in a shade of deep violet- their tops covered with fluffy white cloud- as though someone had stuck a wad of cotton at just that spot. The Golden Gate bridge took centre-stage in the distance. It looked surreal with its top completely covered with a thin film of cloud and glazed in a coat of mist.
The Alcatraz island- housing the famous prison cells is tantalisingly close. It is difficult to believe that most prisoners who tried to escape couldn't make it (or so we are told!)- consumed by the water, its wicked current and sharks.
It was the day the San Francisco Giants had a "game" at the stadium close to the pier.... and there was more than the usual crowd. The feeling of joie de vivre (joy of life) was in the air and it was infectious. Artists drew caricatures, some displayed exquisite water-colour paintings, musicians regaled the passing crowd with their spirited percussion and guitar numbers, others sold trinkets and jewellery, acrobats did spellbinding feats on a bicycle perched high up.....all along the pier- a carnival atmosphere all right. Sea gulls joined the fun- they swooped and came dangerously close to the people and even ate off their hands....hopefully not the hand too!
It was late afternoon. Had to be cautious to keep track of time as public transport thins down later in the day. It was easy to get back using the same combination of Light-Rails and CalTrain.
One last mistake and a costly one at that....! The last light rail ride was winding to a close. We were still in the light rail and approaching our station. I pulled out my car keys instinctively and could see the car parked by the station. But but... the light rail did not stop....instead gathered speed and moved on! Frantically, we tried punching some buttons and the air around us.. but to little avail! I had forgotten this vital point- you *have* to ring the bell in advance to let the driver know that you need to get down at the station. Otherwise, he ain't stopping anywhere!!
Got down at the next station....miserable and exhausted, repentant and contrite! Walked....and walked.. back to the previous station and to the car! There's many a slip between the cup and the lip!
No comments:
Post a Comment