San Francisco cable-cars and more

Drove into San Francisco today – up and down the precipitous streets we drove, until finally we got a parking space. The streets were really packed for a Sunday. Walked past a pyramidal earthquake-proof building but for the most part the office blocks were quite short, reasonable buildings. All the older buildings seem to be painted either pink or green, or else some other pastel colour.

Looked around Chinatown – streets crammed with people and cars and rubbish piled up. Eating places and souvenir shops. Even pagoda style phone boxes. Cable-car terminus: black God Squad guy shouting a sermon at disinterested crowd queueing for cable car. Lonely sound of jazz clarinet busker further on.

Jumped on packed cable-car at street corner and hung on for dear life. “Driver” heaved at big levers set in the floor; one brake, one go. We all had to squash in when passing a cable-car going the other way. At one point the hill was so steep we all had to get out and walk to the top. Smoke from cable running under road. John, Joe and I made it to terminus but DB and Shôn had missed our cable car. Waited there for them.

Band playing sort of calypso and people spontaneously dancing with the musicians. Good stuff. Jewellery stalls and objets d’art and lots of buskers playing clarinets, zimmers, violins, flutes and even one old guy in Uncle Sam hat playing Amazing Grace on a saw. Alcatraz island in the bay and the Golden Gate Bridge cocooned in fog.

Stood by a pretzel stand for hours waiting for the other two. Approached by this woman who suspected I was English. Worked as a nurse and lived in a commune growing wholefood etc. She was “into communication” etc. Invited us all to dinner. Met the others back at the car. Drove down Lombard Street (the winding one) and up to Capitol Hill for the view.

Back to Chinatown at dusk. Passed all strip shows and brothels. Quite seedy at night. Ate chow mein in a restaurant there. Nice china tea. DB and Shôn had “English” fish and chips elsewhere. Returned to KOA and pitched tent there despite “full” sign.