A day on the Bay

Several inches of snow fell on New York City last weekend, the city’s first snow of the season. The US mid-West and Great Lakes endured even heavier falls – up to several feet in places. The resulting chaos caused flight delays and cancellations nationwide. More than 400 flights were cancelled from Chicago’s O’Hare airport alone. Naturally these cancellations affected onward flights scheduled elsewhere as aircraft failed to arrive. My flight from San Francisco to New York was one such cancellation. As a result I found myself stranded in San Francisco for a day.

I decided to take advantage of this unexpected Sunday break by walking along the city foreshore to the Golden Gate Bridge. Without a doubt this is one of the most scenic urban walks in America. A three-mile route takes you past some of the city’s historic locations, while the majestic Golden Gate Bridge slowly grows in prominence.


I began my outdoor adventure by catching the historic Powell Street cable car along the crest of Russian Hill and on to Hyde Street at Fisherman’s Wharf. San Francisco’s first cable car began service in 1873. Three routes remain today, carrying 700,000 passengers every day on 37 restored cars. Garry and I visited the cable car museum in 2005 where you can watch machinery hauling four long cables under local streets. On Sunday morning I read a fascinating article over breakfast about the ongoing restoration of the car cable system. Apparently, each wooden vehicle lasts at least 100 years, with an overhauled scheduled about every 40 years.

Upon arrival at Fisherman’s Wharf I made my way past Hyde Wharf towards Fort Mason Park. A small bluff in the park gives you your first dramatic panorama of the Golden Gate Bridge. As you glimpse between trees, the bridge stands proudly over the Bay, while directly below you, the yellow and red painted wharves of a former naval base catch your eye. These wharves were the main embarkation point for troops and supplies shipped to the Pacific during World War II and the Korean War. However, today’s crowds had a less deadly mission in mind. I watched them swarm around fresh cut Christmas trees displayed outside a warehouse that was clearly filled to the rafters with Christmas paraphernalia.


On the edge of Fort Mason Park stands a statue of a man, his arms outstretched towards the city. As I approached I was amused to see a lone Tai Chi enthusiast mimicking the statue’s stance. This is Congressman Phillip Burton, the sponsor of legislation that created the Golden Gate National Parks in 1972. I later discovered that the National Park area encompasses more than 30 separate sites around San Francisco Bay and the Pacific West Coast, including Alcatraz, Golden Gate Park and Muir Woods, home to a grove of towering Redwood trees.


From here it was on to Marina Green, a long, narrow ribbon of parkland along the Bay. This park is a favourite haunt of joggers, bikers, kite flyers, volleyball players and romping dogs. The park also offers stunning views across the harbour to infamous Alcatraz Island, the former prison home of mafia boss, Al Capone. Seagulls seemed more interested in the passing traffic than the island view.


The Palace of Fine Arts was my next stop. This building and its colonnaded surrounds were constructed for the 1915 Panama-Pacific International Exposition. This was a grand fair celebrating the discovery of the Pacific Ocean and the recent completion of the Panama Canal. Most of the fair’s buildings were designed as temporary structures. However the Palace of Fine Arts survived, its continuing presence assured in 1960s by a comprehensive reconstruction project. Today, the Palace’s dramatic orange rotunda stands out from surrounding treetops, a faux classical building inspired by Greco-roman design.


My final stop enroute to the bridge was Crissy Airfield. This expansive grass strip was part of the United States' Presidio Army Base until the 1990s. It was named after Major Dana H. Crissy, a military aviator who lost his life during a pioneering 1919 cross-country flight. At its peak the airfield was the main departure point for early aircraft crossings of the Pacific and the American continent. It offered a unique combination of facilities; supporting either flying boats or land-based aircraft. Early trans-continental airmail services were also based here. Today hangers and coast guards buildings line its perimeter, most build in a classic 1920s style. Their presence makes it easy to step back in time and imagine a long forgotten era of air travel.

I reached Fort Point as the sun was sinking low. Here a bland angled building sits in the shadow of the Golden Gate Bridge. From its wind-swept stone promenade you can look up at the bold red deck of the bridge itself and marvel as its central span soars across the harbour entrance. At the time of its completion in 1937, the 1280 metre span was the longest in the world. Its 227 metre high towers were also the tallest structures on the West Coast. Today it remains the second longest bridge in the USA. The last of the bonds used to finance its construction were only retired in 1971.


I love coming out to this point to witness the majesty of the bridge, the fresh salt air and the stunning harbour views. Standing here it’s easy to compare San Francisco with Sydney and wonder which is the better city?