Much to do in San Francisco

MICHELLE DODEK

San Francisco is just a two-hour flight from Vancouver and provides almost everything for an urban jaunt. Architecture, history and fascinating sites make the city a perfect destination, especially during our rainy season.

The past two Octobers, my husband and I ventured to San Franciso and, not only were the skies perfectly clear every day, but the temperatures were also perfect for seeing the city by foot. In fact, seeing this city filled with well-preserved, ornate architecture dating back to the days of the California gold rush in the 1850s without a car is ideal. There are so many options for public transit in the Bay Area, just experiencing the different ways to get around could provide for an interesting weekend.

We started with public transit almost the very moment we stepped off the plane. BART (Bay Area Rapid Transit) connects directly to the airport and takes passengers all over the area, including right downtown, just a few blocks from all of the major hotels. The famous cable cars of San Francisco are a fun experience and have the potential to get you where you would like to go, but be sure to allocate lots of time because they are also famous for their line-ups and inefficiency.

The system that provides a historic flair, as well as timely and varied service, is the trolley. Because of the importance placed on historic preservation in San Francisco, the city kept the streetcars running and even expanded their service when other municipalities around the world were changing over to buses. The oldest streetcar in the fleet was built in 1895 and the majority of them were purchased from other American cities in the 1960s, when the streetcars popular in the postwar era were deemed obsolete. For those interested in the history of public transit, San Francisco is a gold mine. Ferries are also a lovely form of transit in the city, and taking a trip across the water to quiet, sunny Sausalito, past Alcatraz, is well worth doing.

The landmark Ferry Building is the point from which the ferries depart and this building also has a storied and fascinating past. We were lucky enough to join a tour of the building, which is just one of the hundreds of free walking tours given by the San Francisco City Guides. These tours were the backbone of our holiday because they happen every day, all over the city, and they provide as much detail as you would want from an hour-long tour. We chose the Ferry Building because the tour fit our schedule and we are interested in architecture. Not only did we get a complete history of the construction of the building but also an accompanying history of the development of the city from the time when it was sand dunes and tents housing men looking for a way to make their fortune in gold.

Our journey into the past continued with another walking tour, this one of Nob Hill, one of the city’s most prestigious neighborhoods. This lasted an hour and a half and was centred around four very wealthy families: two so-called railway barons and two who made their fortunes in silver. The fact that most of San Francisco was destroyed by the earthquake and subsequent fires of 1906 is a significant part of the history of the city. Nob Hill was almost totally razed at that time, including the two most elaborate homes, both of which were replaced by hotels in the aftermath of the quake.

The one hotel on Nob Hill that was finished just weeks before it was gutted by fire in 1906 is the original Fairmont Hotel. It was one of the most interesting parts of the tour and has a Jewish connection. Although it was restored immediately after it was destroyed, by the end of the Second World War, its had become run down. In 1945, Benjamin Swig, a Jewish businessman from the East Coast, bought it and put a million dollars into upgrades. While this hotel is famous for hosting many of the dignitaries who came to San Francisco to draft the United Nations Charter, it was Swig’s dream of a beautiful supper club that may be just as noteworthy. According to our tour guide, the first performer at his legendary club in the magnificent Venetian room was Ethel Waters. When asked by his staff in which hotel at the bottom of Nob Hill the singing star should stay, Swig rejected the idea that his hotel would be segregated and welcomed her to stay at the Fairmont. Swig ushered in a new era in 1947.

All of the regular tourist sites of San Francisco are accessible through any guidebook or website about the city. To experience the urban environment at a relaxed pace and learn some history along the way, ride transit and take a City Guides tour or two. I didn’t even get started on the amazing local Californian cuisine and fun shopping experiences. The more we go to San Francisco, the sooner we want to return for more.

Michelle Dodek is a Vancouver freelance writer.

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