It would appear on close inspection that although the calendar says fall the weather in Northern California around the first week of November is downright summery. It happened twice in a row. Last year this time it was equally beautiful - I know because we were here. And so on in the past few.
It was quite the Twain's Quip (About the Coldest Winter) altering weekend this one!
This Saturday was 72 degrees in the City by the Bay and the skies were a perfect azure. Since the remainder of the family is out of town traveling I decided to satiate my hiking bug by suiting up and traversing some trails I had in mind to trample.
So I started out on the northern tip of the San Francisco peninsula and hiked along its north - NW edge up and down (both in distance and elevation). After coming up from the beaches of Crissy Field (named after a WWI Major and the fact that it was an airfield in the day) I hiked up the hills to reach the 75 year anniversary celebrating Golden Gate Bridge.
It was fun to see the new artefacts being sold in the Bridge House to tourists from all over the world. The steps leading up to the Viewing Gallery showcase the Welcome sign in 20 odd languages from the world.
Deciding to follow the tourists (by becoming one in spirit) I completed a walk across the 4,200 feet span taking pictures galore.
Waved to double deckers passing by with gawking foreigners (much like what we would have looked like in Paris atop an open air double deck affair).
Its amazing how few people from the local neighborhoods actually take time to visit what is in their backyard but will shell out thousands to see someone else's coast.
Like many top tier coastal cities SF is beautiful on a day like yesterday - mild, breezy and the Sun on Full with few wisps of clouds dotting the Marin Headlands to the north. After that bridge crossing it was time for some nutrition that came in the form of some Vietnamese Pho (soup) that I happened on as I walked into Golden Gate park and out the other end.
I am hoping to shed some weight and light on my physical attributes but with the gusto that follows (at the lunch table) the back breaking journey I think the best takeaway may be the memories and pictures.
Cool cat the Japanese are Tokyo at dusk My second visit to this land of the rising sun after almost a decade. Back then clearly I was wet behind the ears product manager and likely didn’t pay attention to all (efficient) things Japanese. But today I did and of course continue to be impressed. It is as much the obvious stuff like on time travel that is both clean and comfortable and all that which makes it possible. The impressive landmark and landscapes that these humans have put together despite their cramped (or because of it) surroundings and precarious geological conditions could amaze a novice architect among us. But it’s also the little things that someone had to think about which have a phenomenal impact on day to day lives that make the Japanese stand apart. Below are few random examples- 1. Providing a very fine machined wooden toothpick in every packet of wooden chopsticks. The said chapsticks are simply set on the To Go counter of any food vendor/ convenience store wher...
Without the traffic, many of our cities would actually look great! I missed out on SF, during my round-the-US yatras. Oh, well, I did go to Yellowstone!
ReplyDelete