Sanfrancisco Hotels

SF: Golden Gate Park Area: Windmill (courtesy www.artwork4you.net)

I am not the kind of person who enjoys everything that comes on the way, to be more precise I am choosy, may it be for sightseeing, food, or hotels. But San Francisco caught my entire attention. Moving around the city one realizes, it is the perfect blend of modern and Victorian era, the perfect mix of old with new.

There are two different sides to the same coin, headquarter of several major companies to one side and a more than a century old structures on the other side. Apart from great museums and other attractions, going to the parks was also in my list of sightseeing. Usual picture of parks was there in my mind, the same flowers, plants and other sculptures with the same theme for years.

SF: Japanese Garden ( courtesy www.blazingsaddles.com)

But to my utter surprise, the parks here are treat to the eyes. People have gone to the extent of making separate parks for the dogs, for them to move with freedom, which brings smile on the faces of both the dog and the owner. The parks of San Francisco can be well defined as well- maintained and preserved. In these parks people can relax and enjoy amidst lush greenery, away from the hustle and bustle of city life.

It became evident with my visit to Golden Gate Park, a huge rectangular shape park which almost requires a day to move to all its nook and corner. Every part has its own specialty and significance. This urban park with a span of 1017 acres has given ample space for its different section of attractions. It has many accessible points, I moved in from the west side where my eyes first witnessed the centuries old Dutch mill which was once the source of water supply, the second is in the south west side of the park.

To get to the other side of the park I walked through the John .F Kennedy drive, the scenic beauty and lush greenery rejuvenates you from time to time to see what next in the park. Even the artificially created marvels have the most authentic and natural appeal. The stunning example of this is the Stowe and the Spreckels Lake. The Stowe Lake

SF: Floral Section Of Golden Gate Park, Conservatory Of Flowers ( courtesy www.aparttherapy.com)

surrounds the strawberry hills.

Up till now the park has gone through many changes and what remains today shows the willingness of the city to preserve and take care of such places with immaculate and soothing beauty. This place has always attracted millions of tourists as it introduces new things from time to time.

To get in touch with every attraction of the park one should come with the plan of spending whole day. My first destination was The Japanese Tea Garden which is the first chapter in the history of Golden Gate Park. True to its name the complete 5 acre land portrays Japanese style architecture, sculptures, tea house, Japanese plants, ponds and ridges.

Japanese Garden is the main attraction followed by the Conservatory Of Flowers and De Young Museum. All it began with the success story of Fine Art Museum specially made for the Midwinter International Expo, which paved the way for De Young Museum. It houses huge collection of paintings, sculpture and decorative art.

The next in the line of main attraction is The Conservatory of Flowers, if you have seen the Palm House in the Kew Gardens in London; you will not take much time to know that there are quite a number of similarities in their looks and

SF: Golden Gate Park: Botanical Gargen ( courtesy:www.picaseweb.google.com)

design. The colorful flowers and some unusual tropical plants automatically bring in smile on your face.

Sports freak can find solace in the special sports area where they can indulge themselves in horseback riding, tennis, fly-fishing, golf, tennis, inline skating, biking, archery, petanque and handball. A haven for nature lovers, the Strybing Arboretum spread in the area of 55 acres has the rich collection of 7,500 plant species. It gives you the experience of being in actual forest.

This park, not only appealed to my eyes, but also to my senses. It is something like a roller coaster ride, while at one moment you are in Japan, at the very next instant you are amidst rich art, dense forest, shimmering lake or beautiful floral gardens and so on. But these changes are highly acceptable and awe-inspiring.

October 17th, 2008 | Tags: archery, biking, conservatory of flowers, de young museum, dutch mill, fish-flying, golf, handball, horseback riding, inline skating, japanese style architecture, japanese tea garden, john F. kennedy drive, museums, parks, petanque, sf golden gate park, spreckles lake, stowe lake, strawberry hills, strybing arboretum, tea house, tennis, urban park | Category: Parks-Outdoors | Leave a comment

San Francisco: The Post Card Row (courtesy www.pbase.com)

The more you get into the depth of knowing San Francisco, the more it reveals its secrets rather, facts. From the beginning as a small village, Yerba Beuna Cove (wild mint-good herb) to now a full fledged city as San Francisco, there have been several interesting facts related to every aspect and growth of this place.

Once a small unknown fishing village, suddenly rose to fame for its treasure trove of gold mines. The popularity never

San Francisco Lombard Street ( courtesy www.onmylist.com )

faded but grew with immigrants, poets, artists and fortune seeker who kept thronging this place. The credit for its modern name goes to the first Mayor of this town. The first ever gold was spotted in Stutter’s mill by John Marshall in 1848 which led to the heavy downpour of the people in San Francisco.

One cannot forget to mention the cable cars. They were started in late twentieth century and are still seen on the roads of San Francisco, with the same pride and attitude. That is why they are called as the moving National Historic Landmarks. Many new cars and buses have been introduced on the road with the modern technology enough to make cable car embarrass but Cable car has retained its old is gold glory.

Built on 43 hills, the city is bound to have steep, curving and winding streets, the steepest being the Lombard street, but it does not deter tourists from going through such deep curvy path. Imagine the natives of San Francisco do not find place in their own city after they die. Burying the dead in the cemeteries was outlawed in 1901 with Presidio and Mission, the only remaining cemeteries here.

So were, the dead are buried? Naturally in the adjoining city of Colma, that has in the recent years acquired a name

San Francisco: Presidio Cemetery ( courtesy www.cornbis.com)

for having more number of dead people compared to the living. Oh God! Can there be a weirder situation than this!

Alcatraz Federal prison which means Pelican in Spanish was once the most dreaded and feared place. Built on a rocky, secluded island, it was once a military Fort, which later became a prison. Now it is just a heap of ruins but still the most popular tourist destination. ‘Defame has its own flavor of fame,’ this holds true for some of the prisoners of Alcatraz island, who are more popular that anything else in California.

There are several historical landmark buildings, ten historical districts and around 14,000 Victorian homes. These Victorian homes have interesting name ‘postcard row’, with a beautiful backdrop of city skyline. Of all the 215 old historical buildings Mission Dolores is the oldest one, a true piece of architecture which remained unaffected, when the city was completely shaken by two earthquakes, what the earthquake could not do, was done by powderpost beetles who chewed down the whole buildings.

These are I think the most interesting facts as per my opinion, if you feel the same please comment.

October 6th, 2008 | Tags: alcatraz federal prison, artists, cable cars, colma city, fortune seeker, gold mines, lombard street, mission cemetry, mission dolores, poets, postcard row, powderpost beetles, presidio cemetry, sf treasure trove, stutter's mill, yerba beuna cove | Category: Facts-Triva-History | Leave a comment