In San Francisco I ate possibly the best Sushi I've Eaten Anywhere
Martin Malden here - thanks for stopping by!
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I love San Francisco.
In many ways San Francisco is very like England. The climate is very similar and the architecture in some of the residential areas is straight out of Brighton in southern England: Victorian style terraced houses built on steeply sloping streets.
But what I love most about San Francisco is its variety.
Explore the San Francisco area on this map from Google Maps.
The downtown financial district with the TransAmerica Pyramid Tower, 555 California Street, Spear Tower and others are what I would think of as typically American, while ChinaTown has a completely different character.
The China Town evening Walking Tour with Dinner is not to be missed, and I had some great Sichuan food there!
The sushi I loved so much came from a restaurant on Fisherman's Wharf. The reason it was so good is because the fish were so fresh - as with all food, the quality depends so much on the quality of the raw material!
Sausalito and surrounding areas
The city itself is spectacular because of the countryside on which it's built - steep hills and valleys. And you really get to appreciate the countryside when you drive out of town a bit.
Several times the friend I was traveling with and I drove across the Golden Gate Bridge to Sausalito - which is completely different to San Francisco itself. It's quiet and peaceful, yet less than 30 minutes from the city.
Carry on past Sausalito up towards the Napa Valley and you go through beautiful rolling countryside and get to the vineyards. Many of them are open to the public and offer tours and information about their estate and the process of wine making.
In the side bar to the left of this page I mentioned the Napa Valley Wine Train - a definite must if you're into wine! It takes about 4 hours in all and the food and wine they serve is just out of this world.
What are the down-sides of San Francisco?
Well, for me, the fact that it's slap in the middle of an earthquake zone. The great earthquake in 1906 that devastated the city and, more recently, the 1989 earthquake that caused the collapse of the Bay Bridge were both terrifying events.
But technology has moved on a lot and, not only in San Francisco, but in many cities in earthquake zones, modern building techniques have enabled earthquake proof structures to be built.
The most notable of these is probably Taipei 101 in Taipei, the tallest building on earth that will be overtaken by the Burj Dubai in 2009.
Taipei 101 survived an earthquake unharmed while it was still only half built!
Travelling East from San Francisco towards Reno you go through yet more spectacular countryside. This was the route my friend and I took when we drove from San Francisco to Dallas.
So how would I sum up San Francisco?
Cosmopolitan, exciting, varied, beautiful, great variety, great architecture and a temperate climate. Can't wait to go back!
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Enjoy your vacation!
Sincerely,
Martin Malden