My hotel....well, lets put it this way, there weren't any couches out in the hallway and that is probably the only way I could be absolutely certain that they didn't rent rooms by the hour. I'm a pretty intrepid soul but there is no way that I was going to brave the shared bathroom. Not to worry, I just went and hung out in the old hippy hive of Haight-Ashbury and fit right in. (I was so happy to get to Tahoe with my own shower!!!!) But the sheets were pristine and the bed comfortable, my room overlooked Lombard Street and I had trolleys (trams) and my pick of cafes at my front door so I can't really complain.
Mamas for breakfast was amazing!!!! I managed to crawl out of bed in the wee hours and make my way around the corner to join the queue already standing there. I ended up being about 20th in line (even though I got there 40 mins before it opened). Definitely worth the wait!
Once I was all fuelled up, I took a stroll (huff puff) up to Coit Tower. Incredible views of the Golden Gate Bridge and the Bay. Next it was the hundreds of stairs down telegraph hill. Before I knew it, I found myself wandering into Downtown, in search of a Trolley that would take me over to the Castro Theatre. I had no idea which way I was going, and with all the tall buildings and hills, it was hard to get any bearing on where I was so I just kept wandering until I found a trolley and actually fluked it by finding the right one. I'm not sure if it is the 'Big City' mentality but I didn't find people all that friendly or helpful. One lady even sneered at me when I asked her for some directions. The trolley driver was friendly though and when he realised I was visiting from Australia he put his hand over the slot and just handed me a ticket.
Alas, we got no further than about 200 metres down the track when the tram gears started making strange crunching sounds. He notified the dispatcher and I could hear her telling him with considerable urgency to vacate the tram immediately. Then my nice old tram driver turned into a Tram Nazi. Didn't matter if you were young, old or infirm, chop chop you better get off. He was scary. I waited around to see if the thing would blow up or something, and besides I didn't know where to go next, but all that happened was a tram jam right in the middle of SF. No one could motor anywhere as the streets are so narrow and packed.
Eventually, I found someone who would tell me where I could catch a tram on another line so I was back in business. For such a small, compact city, it took forever to get to the other side but I found amusement people watching, especially when we passed an anti-drone protest and the old vets on the tram got very vocal about it. We even passed a man walking his dog completely covered in a rainbow mesh onesie, including his face - you could see the outline of his sunnies underneath!
When I finally made it to the Castro, I took the obligatory photos, checked out 'Hot Cookie' and then took what had to be the longest, steepest possible route to Haight Street. My calves are still aching and I managed to get blisters on my heels in the shoes I trekked all over Europe in!
Hippy land was just that - I probably would have enjoyed it a lot more about...20 years ago. At least the stench of not showering for 2 days didn't stand out!
I eventually made it back to my hotel after a bit of a goose chase around the city. Does SF want tourists to visit???
I was absolutely exhausted by this stage. I went downstairs and sat in a sweet little cafe, drinking chai, people watching and looking up earthquakes on my iPad.
After chatting with the family, I took myself upstairs, bolted myself in my room and had myself the most fantastic sleep!
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