GREAT PORTS OF THE WORLD
Disembark at Fifth Street to catch the tourist-packed Powell Street cable car lines that deliver you over the hills to Fisher- man’s Wharf. Here, too, is the enormous Westfield shopping center, choc-a- bloc with trendy shops and the largest Bloomingdale’s west of New York. Hop off at Ninth and Larkin for a short stroll to the Asian Art Museum, housed in a stunning architectural reconfiguration of the city’s old main library. This stop, or the Van Ness stop coming up, is where to alight for glorious City Hall or a performance at Davies Symphony Hall, the War Memorial Opera House or the newly opened concert hall built specifically for jazz, SFJAZZ.
T Fisherman’s Wharf
Continuing on, the Washington Street stop is the gateway to Jackson Square Na- tional Historic District. Spared by the 1906 quake, it’s the oldest commercial district, full of antique dealers and art galleries today. Next comes the opportunity to explore
the riches beneath the Bay at the Aquar- ium of the Bay. Coming up is Pier 15, home to the new Exploratorium, an inter- nationally acclaimed museum of science, jam-packed with hands-on exhibits. The café and observation terrace take full ad- vantage of the waterfront. And don’t miss the outdoor sculpture, a harp that changes its tune according to the wind.
you within sloshing distance of the Bay. At the Ferry Building, the F Line turns to head up Market Street, were the California Street cable-car line terminal beckons. To visit and not ride a cable-car for a cling-clanging, hill-climbing ride would be tantamount to visiting the Louvre and skip- ping the Mona Lisa. The California Street track offers an un-crowded alternative to the packed Powell Street lines that deliver tourists to Fisherman’s Wharf.
J 30 WORLD OF CRUISING I Autumn 2013
ump off the streetcar at the stop just be- fore the Ferry Building to take the back walkway at Piers 1½, 3 and 5 that puts
During my visit, I used the California line twice. Once, because it delivered me to the gates of Chinatown, the largest settlement of its kind outside Asia, and to Nob Hill, loca- tion of four of the city’s most grand hotels. From there, I walked the few blocks downhill into North Beach. Tucked between China- town and Fisherman’s Wharf, the city’s Italian enclave is home to the 1950s Beat scene. I climbed the stone steps of Club Fugazi
to take in Beach Blanket Babylon. In its 39th year, the show is the longest-running musical review in theatre history. Featuring outrageous humour, great music, irreverent characterisations of the famous and the biggest hair and hats ever seen on stage, BBB has become legendary. Returning to the F Line, the stop at Second and Montgomery, puts you in the middle of the Wall Street of the West. Two blocks farther on, the fourth and Stockton stop is convenient to the Union Square area, consid- ered the heart of the city’s upscale shopping.
he F Line then dips and climbs to Dolores Street. Walk three palm- lined blocks to the historic Mission
Dolores, constructed in 1776 and the city’s oldest structure. Last stop puts you in the heart of the Castro District, renowned as a symbol of gay freedom but also a vital neighbourhood where people live, work, shop and dine. Wanting to go further afield, I boarded
a Hop On-Hop Off bus, choosing the Golden Gate Park Loop itinerary from the three offered. For an overview of the entire city, you can put all three together. In Golden Gate Park, two aging dowa-
gers have long faced each other over a fountain-centred esplanade – the de Young Museum, the city’s fine arts museum, and the California Academy of Sciences. The de Young’s 140ft tower affords a full-circle view of the city so wondrous it puts Coit Tower in second place while the just re- opened Academy of Sciences is topped by a living 2.5-acre roof of mounds planted with native California specimens. Dedicated since 1853 to exploring, explaining and protecting the natural world, the Academy now delivers the wonders of land, water and skies in an innovative package. Step inside an earthquake simulator on October 17, 1989, with simulated views and sounds of Loma Prieta. But wait; the views change as the simulator travels back to 1906 when an earthquake 32 times stronger brought the ‘Paris of America’ to its knees. Only to rise again, and yet again.
Each time viewing the disaster as a chance to create even a better version of itself, one that keeps visitors humming, “I Left My Heart in San Francisco.”
WHO GOES THERE Cruise lines visiting San Francisco in 2013-14 include: Azamara Club Cruises, Celebrity, Costa Cruises, Cunard, Disney Cruise Line, Holland America, Norwegian Cruise Line, Oceania, P&O, Princess Cruises and Regent Seven Seas.
MORE INFO: call (in the US) 415 391 2000 or visit
www.sanfrancisco.travel.
Palette7 @
shutterstock.com
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