Tony Quarrington

A First Time Visitor’s Guide to San Francisco

Nov 20, 2013 by Me In My Frightened Silence

I am regularly asked by friends, personally and on social media sites, for advice on what are the best things to see and do on their upcoming, and invariably first, trip to San Francisco. Rather than continue to respond on a one to one basis, I have listed below my current recommendations so that anyone can refer to them when they need to.

I should stress that the selections below reflect my personal views, though I have still included other celebrated attractions that would not necessarily be on my list if I only had a few days in the city. But the focus is on the first time visitor.

I must put my prejudices aside for this exercise! They are arranged in no particular order.

1. Golden Gate Bridge

Drive it and take in the views from Vista Point, but much more spectacularly, the Marin Headlands (below), which you access by going under the road just after the end of the bridge;

Note that you have to register in advance for the toll (credit card is charged when you return to city);
While you’re there, pop into Sausalito only a few miles away for lunch or coffee and fine views of the city;
Walk it or bike it too for more wonderful photo opportunities;
If you can, approach it by walking along the Marina, past Fort Mason, from Fisherman’s Wharf – it’s quite a trek and usually very bracing, but it affords great views of the bridge and Alcatraz.

2. Golden Gate Park

Two splendid museums: the California Academy of Sciences and the modern art de Young Museum;
Japanese Tea Garden (it may be twee but it is set in lovely grounds and provides tasty oriental teas and snacks in the café);

Stow Lake (lovely to walk round, grab a hot dog at the boat house or book a pedal boat);

Visit the moving National AIDS Memorial Grove and the steamy Conservatory of Flowers;
The buffalo paddock (the creatures are rather shy) and the Dutch Windmill are also worth exploring at the other end of the park.

3. Ferry Building

Fantastic selection of indoor food and gift stores, and the sixth best Farmers’ Market in the world (according to a recent survey) outside on certain days;

Nice bookshop and great wine bar.

4. Cliff House

Drive or take the 38 bus from downtown to cean Beach for two fine restaurants with stunning views over the Pacific;
Stroll along the beach for miles;
explore the remains of Adolph Sutro’s great public baths and watch the sea birds on Seal Rock;

Take the short walk to the western end of Golden Gate Park.

5. Chinatown

Witness the largest Chinese community outside Asia going about their daily business;
Grant Avenue is best for gifts whilst Stockton contains the markets at which the Chinese women shop for produce not seen anywhere else!;

You must eat here at least once during your stay – I recommend the Great Eastern, after all the Obamas eat there, and the R & G Lounge;
Don’t forget the side streets too with their views of the Bay Bridge and Financial District – and the Golden Gate Fortune Cookie Factory!

6. North Beach

Traditionally the Italian quarter adjacent to Chinatown;
Plenty of excellent cafés and restaurants – Trieste the most famous but Tosca, Greco and Puccini are really good too;
We have enjoyed meals at the North Beach restaurant, Calzone, Sotto Mare, Firenze at Night and others;
Rest awhile at Washington Square Park watching the dogs and their humans at play under the shadow of the Church of Saints Peter and Paul;

Have a glass or two at the Vesuvio Café, our favourite bar – historic haunt of the Beats, e.g. Jack Kerouac and Allen Ginsberg, in the fifties and sixties;
Peruse the unique shelves of the City Lights Bookstore, one of the most famous in the world, opposite Vesuvio;

On the opposite corner on Columbus, Broadway is the home to many of San Francisco’s more famous fleshpots;
Reserve seats in advance for Beach Blanket Babylon, another thing you really should do – but best to book in advance

7. Palace of Fine Arts

The only remaining building from the 1915 Panama-Pacific International Exposition celebrating the resurrection of San Francisco from the Earthquake and Fire of nine years before;
Beautiful classical structure with a tranquil swan-filed lagoon attached;

8. Haight-Ashbury

Whether you’re an old hippie (like me) or not, it’s a fascinating place with lots of “head” shops, stores selling retro clothes, good cafés, a massive record shop (Amoeba) and not a few “characters”;
Close to Golden Gate Park, it is possible to visit both on the same day.

9. Alcatraz

It may be touristy but no visit to the city is complete without a visit to the most feared federal penitentiary of them all;
It is very popular so you should book in advance, preferably before you travel;
The day tour is good but the evening (sunset) one is even better!

10. Bay Cruise

Enjoy an hour or two on the bay, remembering to take suncream, as much for the wind as the sun;
Stop off at Sausalito for a drink and a promenade, or even go on to Angel Island and Tuburon;
The Rocket Boat is tremendous fun, though not for the faint- hearted!

11. Castro

Ground zero for San Francisco’s large gay and lesbian community, rainbow flags are fluttering everywhere;
Good shops and bars;

It boasts a great movie house, the Castro Theatre, with its own wurlitzer; if you can, book tickets for a film. You might even get lucky and be able to participate in a sing-a-long version of either The Sound of Music, Grease or The Wizard of Oz.

12. Alamo Square

Position yourself to take the perfect picture of the famous Painted Ladies Victorian houses with the modern city looming behind.

13. Mission

Boisterous, funky, and, at night, edgy Latino and Hispanic neighbourhood;
Great for cheap clothing and inexpensive Central and South American food;
Take the pilgrimage to the original Mission Dolores church where it all started;
But a picnic for Dolores Park and savour the great views, not only of the city but also of your fellow humans (some of which may be naked – you have been warned!).

14. Coit Tower

Fire nozzle shaped monument provided for the city by Lillian Hitchcock Coit in honour of the brave firefighters of the Earthquake and Fire of 1906;
Take in the wonderful views over the bay, including Alcatraz;
See and hear the wild parrots of Telegraph Hill (though they do frequent other parts of the city too now);

Climb up at least one set of steps – there are several to choose from, including those that run past beautiful urban gardens.

15. Twin Peaks

The most visited spot for panoramic views of the city, though there are others e.g. Bernal Heights just as good in my opinion.

16. Civic Center

Home to magnificent City Hall and several other public buildings, including the symphony/opera and library;
Good, cheap farmer’s market on Wednesdays.

17. Fisherman’s Wharf and Pier 39

The most popular tourist spots on the bay, not my favourite but you cannot deny that it is a place of fun and energy;
See, listen and laugh at the crazy sea lions on Pier 39;

Wander round the myriad of gift shops for presents for those back home;
Sample seafood at the many restaurants and wharfside stalls – we have eaten well at the Franciscan, Neptune’s Palace and McKormick & Kuleto’s;
The Hard Rock is here too if that is more your scene;
The Gold Dust Lounge, relocated from Union Square, is a good watering hole with live music;
The Musée Mecanique (vintage amusement arcade) and Hyde Street Pier (collection of classic ships), are two of the best deals, not only on the waterfront, but in the whole of the city;

Beware the World Famous Bushman!

18. Union Square

San Francisco’s “modern” shopping heart is very popular with tourists and locals alike, though I use it more as a thoroughfare from Market to Chinatown and North Beach;

There are a number of good diners and grills in the vicinity, including John’s Grill, Tadich Grill and Daily Grill;
It borders both the Tenderloin and Civic Center, so don’t be surprised by the number of homeless people, some of which may approach you for money.

19. Bay Bridge

Many, including my wife, prefer this to the Golden Gate Bridge and love driving on both its upper and lower decks;

The new span that replaced the old one destroyed by 1989 Loma Prieta earthquake has recently opened and is stunning;
It is spectacularly lit up at night.

20. MUNI

San Francisco’s public transit system is loved and hated at the same time by both locals and visitors;
The cable cars are not merely tourist toys, many locals use them too, and you must ride them;

The lines may be long but it’s well worth the wait – hurtling down Nob or Russian Hill is a thrilling experience;
The historic F Streetcar that runs along Market and the Embarcadero from the Castro is charming if uncomfortable. Don’t expect, however, to get anywhere quickly;

All human life is there on the buses!

21. Sports

Candlestick Park, home of the 49ers, is one of the most famous football stadia in America, and the 49ers won’t be there much longer, so get there quick!
Even if it is baseball close season, take the tour of the Giant’s home, AT & T Park, dubbed the most beautiful sports stadium in America with wonderful views over the bay;

You can get your (ice) hockey fix too by taking the train from the Caltrain station at 4^th and King to San Jose where the Sharks will be waiting to entertain you.

This is not an exhaustive list and I have not even mentioned the many day trips out of the city that can be made, for example to Napa, Muir Woods, Berkeley, Monterey and Carmel. But I think what I have included will keep any first time visitor occupied for a couple of weeks at least!

I would be happy to answer any questions arising from this post.

Posted in San Francisco | Tagged 1906 earthquake, 1989 earthquake, Adolph Sutro, Alamo Square, Alcatraz, Allen Ginsberg, Amoeba Records, AT & T Park, Beach Blanket Babylon, Beat generation, Bernal Heights, Buffalo Paddock, Cable cars, Cafe Trieste, California Academy of Sciences, Calzone's San Francisco, Candlestick Park, Castro District, Castro Theatre, Church of Saints Peter and Paul San Francisco, City Lights bookstore, Cliff House, Coit Tower, Conservatory of Flowers, Daily Grill San Francisco, Dutch Windmill, Earthquakes, embarcadero, F Streetcar, Ferry Building, Firenze at Night San Francisco, Fisherman's Wharf, Fort Mason, Gold Dust Lounge, Golden Gate Bridge, Golden Gate Park, Grant Avenue San Francisco, Haight-Ashbury, Hippies, Hyde Street Pier, Jack Kerouac, Japanese Tea Garden, John's Grill San Francisco, Lillian Hitchcock Coit, Loma Prieta, Loma Prieta earthquake, Marin County, Marin Headlands, Marina District, Mission District, MUNI, Musee Mecanique, National AIDS Memorial Grove, Nob Hill, Noe Valley, North Beach, North Beach Restaurant, Ocean Beach San Francisco, Pacific Ocean, painted ladies, Panama-Pacific International Exposition, Pier 39, Rocket Boat, Russian Hill, San Francisco, San Francisco 49ers, San Francisco Earthquake and Fire 1906, San Francisco Giants, San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge, San Jose Sharks, sea lions, Seal Rock San Francisco, Stockton Street San Francisco, Stow Lake, streetcars, Summer of Love, Sutro Baths, Tadich Grill, Telegraph Hill, Tenderloin, Tony Quarrington, Tosca San Francisco, Twin Peaks, Union Square, Vesuvio Cafe, Washington Square Park, wild parrots, Wild Parrots of Telegraph Hill | 5 Comments »

In Defence of Tourists

Nov 18, 2013 by Me In My Frightened Silence

Few words in the English language seem to carry as many negative connotations today as “tourist”.

It might not quite match “chav” or “benefit cheat” as a term of abuse, though, in some people’s minds, there is a natural link, but it is increasingly used as an insult, notably by the inhabitants of towns and cities which attract large numbers of visitors.

But why should that be, especially as most of us are tourists at some time or another?

It might be helpful to ponder some authoritative dictionary definitions:

A person who is travelling or visiting a place for pleasure (Oxford Dictionary)

A person who travels for pleasure, usually sightseeing and staying in hotels (Collins English Dictionary)

A person who travels to a place for pleasure; one that makes a tour for pleasure or culture (Free Merriam-Webster Dictionary)

One who travels for pleasure (The Free Dictionary)

A person who is travelling, especially for pleasure (Dictionary.com)

There is a strong measure of consensus, therefore, on what constitutes a “tourist”. Travel and pleasure are the key elements.

What’s wrong with that? Seems pretty tame doesn’t it? So why do we use it in such a derogatory fashion nowadays?

I’ll confess that, as I am forced off the pavement on Oxford Street in London for the tenth time in the space of a hundred yards, or witness the loutish behaviour of visitors to one of the many festivals celebrated in my hometown, I am prone, not only to mutter but launch into a full-scale rant, about “bloody tourists”. I have even found myself sneering at flabby, inappropriately attired families from Florida, Kansas or indeed the UK just like any native or lifelong resident of San Francisco, the city recently anointed the snobbiest in the United States.

Not particularly pleasant, is it?

They may affront our sense of fashion, walk too slow in front of us, fail to speak our language, clog up our streets and generally disrespect our culture, but what right do we have to object to this just because we have the good fortune to live in a place that other people find worthy of visiting too? After all, without the money that they bring in to the local economy, there would not be the funding to maintain, let alone enhance, the attractions and services that we all enjoy.

In 2012 San Francisco received over sixteen and a half million visitors who spent almost nine billion dollars. Only five other American cities surpassed these amounts. Yet San Francisco is only the fourteenth largest city in population terms. Tourism is huge.

Nor should we forget that most of us are tourists too at one time or another, and probably without realising it, display some of those objectionable habits that we despise in others.

The word “tourist” was once a bland, descriptive word. There was no judgement implied in its usage. But that is no longer the case.

It is a sad symptom of a less tolerant age, one where we seek to deny others the right to share in our good fortune.

Posted in Personal | Tagged holiday, Pier 39, San Francisco, snobbery, Tony Quarrington, tourism, tourists, vacation | Leave a Comment »

Emperor Norton: Living, Breathing Tourist Attraction

Oct 12, 2013 by Me In My Frightened Silence

San Francisco can proudly boast more than its fair share of eccentrics, but few can rival Joshua Abraham Norton, the self-proclaimed “Emperor of these United States” and “Protector of Mexico”, for their presumption, bravado and, at times, visionary genius.

Born of Jewish parents (somewhere) in London, England (sometime) between 1814 and 1819, he spent his early manhood in South Africa, serving as a colonial rifleman. He emigrated to San Francisco in 1849 with $40,000 to his name and quickly amassed a fortune of $250,000, primarily from real estate but also from speculating in commodities. However, he lost it all when his attempts to corner the market for imported Peruvian rice (China had banned the export of their own) backfired spectacularly. Lengthy litigation resulted in the Supreme Court of California ruling against him, forcing him to declare bankruptcy in 1853.

He fled San Francisco, only to return several years later, a changed man. Embittered and, many might argue, severely mentally disturbed, by his earlier experiences, he spent the next two decades perpetuating a one man campaign to denounce and dissolve the nation’s political and financial infrastructure.

On 17th September 1859 he issued letters to the city’s newspapers declaring himself “Emperor of these United States”, adding that:
“At the peremptory request and desire of a large majority of the citizens of these United States, I, Joshua Norton……….declare and proclaim myself Emperor of these United States, and in virtue of the authority thereby in me vested, do hereby order and direct the representatives of the different States of the Union to assemble in Musical Hall, of this city, on the 1st day of Feb. next, then and there to make such alterations in the existing laws of the Union as may ameliorate the evils under which the country is laboring, and thereby cause confidence to exist, both at home and abroad, in our stability and integrity”.

On 12th October he formally dissolved Congress. Amongst his numerous subsequent decrees were an invocation to the Army to depose the elected officials of Congress, the ordering of the Roman Catholic and Protestant Churches to publicly ordain him as “Emperor” and a telegram proposal to Abraham Lincoln that he should marry Queen Victoria to cement relations between the U.S. and Great Britain. He also thought nothing of issuing orders too to the German Kaiser and Russian Czar.

And on 12th August 1869 he abolished the Democratic and Republican parties (now there’s a thought)!

One portentious pronouncement would have struck a chord later, not only with legendary San Francisco Chronicle columnist, Herb Caen, but many other San Francisco natives:

“Whoever after due and proper warning shall be heard to utter the abonimable word “Frisco”, which has no linguistic or other warrant, shall be deemed guilty of High Misdemeanour, and shall pay into the Imperial Treasury as penalty the sum of twenty-five dollars”.

Irrespective of his mental state, Norton was, at times, a real visionary and some of his “Imperial Decrees” demonstrated great prescience. He urged the formation of a League of Nations and forbade conflict between religions. Most dramatically, he called persistently for a suspension bridge or tunnel to be built connecting San Francisco with Oakland. Both eventually saw the light of day with the constructions of the San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge and the Bay Area Rapid Transit’s Transbay Tube in 1936 and 1974 respectively.

Another proclamation ordered that a huge Christmas tree should be erected in Union Square. Duly accepted, it has stood there ever since.

Each day for more than 20 years, the “Emperor” would leave his “Imperial Palace”, a minute room in a boarding house at 642, Commercial Street, to walk the streets in a grand blue uniform with brass buttons, gold-plated epaulets and royal purple sash, a beaver hat embellished by a peacock feather (his “dusty plume”) and a rosette.

He was rarely seen without his cane or umbrella as he inspected the condition of the cable cars and sidewalks, the state of public property and even the appearance of police officers. After an over-zealous young police officer had been soundly reprimanded for arresting him, and subsequently been granted an “Imperial Pardon” by Norton himself, all police officers made a point of saluting him when they met in the street.

Many cities would have persecuted, incarcerated or, at best, ridiculed him for being insane. But this was San Francisco in the full flush of post-Gold Rush glory, and the citizens loved and revered him. He was welcomed at the best restaurants, where he would dine for free, enabling the owner thereafter to erect blass plaques proclaiming “by Appointment to his Imperial Majesty, Emperor Norton I of the United States”.

Front row balcony seats were also reserved for him at local theaters, including the Opera, where he was cheered on arrival. His active involvement in civic affairs even led to him being granted a reserved seat in the visitors’ gallery of the State Senate, from which he was occasionally invited onto the floor to speak on matters close to his heart.

He was alleged to have been accompanied often – including at the theatre – by two mongrel dogs, Bummer and Lazarus, local celebrities in their own right, whom he supplied with food scraps from the free lunch counters that he frequented. Lazarus died after being run over by a truck of the same fire company – Knickerbocker Engine Co. No. 5 – that Lillian Coit revered and subsequently befriended. When Bummer died shortly afterwards, allegedly of a broken heart, Mark Twain wrote: “He died full of years, and honor, and disease, and fleas”. Their fame led to them posthumously being depicted in Life in San Francisco, a comic opera.

Now, he could not have been a true Emperor without the right to coin his own currency, and his “Imperial Government of Norton” notes, all bearing his royal image and ranging from 50 cents to 10 dollars, were accepted wherever he did business. Every day he used one of his own fifty cent bills to pay for his lodgings. And when his uniform started to deteriorate, the Board of Supervisors bought him a “suitably regal replacement” and the city charter was amended to permit Norton to collect $30 annually for its replacement and repair.

On the evening of 8th January 1880, after completing his daily rounds of the city, Norton collapsed on the corner of California Street and Dupont Street (now Grant Avenue) in front of Old St. Mary’s Church as he was on his way to a lecture at the California Academy of Sciences. He died before medical attention could arrive.

The following day the San Francisco Chronicle published his obituary on its front page under the headline “Le Roi est Mort” (“The King is Dead”). He had died in abject poverty. His funeral, two days later, was a sad, dignified event, honoured by the attendance of the Mayor and the playing of a military band. Upwards of 30,000 people, a seventh of the entire population of the city at the time, lined the streets to pay their respects to the two mile long funeral cortege. The City of San Francisco and Pacific Club paid all his funeral expenses.

Mark Twain and Robert Louis Stevenson, amongst others, paid homage to Norton by modelling characters on him in Adventures of Huckleberry Finn and The Wrecker respectively. Seventy years after his death, the Chronicle sponsored an annual treasure hunt in his name.

But perhaps his, and his adopted city’s, finest epitaph is that provided by Stevenson’s stepdaughter, Isobel Field, who wrote that he “was a gentle and kindly man, and fortunately found himself in the friendliest and most sentimental city in the world, the idea being “let him be emperor if he wants to”. San Francisco played the game with him”.

More, in the words of John C. Ralston, a “tourist attraction in his own time” than a “significant historical figure”, there can be few lives that better personify that much-quoted phrase “Only in San Francisco”.

Postcript:

Emperor Norton Lives! Not only does he conduct walking tours of his empire but he maintains an excellent Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Emperor-Nortons-Fantastic-San-Francisco-Time-Machine/104510419615984

Posted in Great San Franciscan Characters, San Francisco | Tagged BART, BART Transbay Tube, Bay Bridge San Francisco, Bummer, Chinatown San Francisco, Democratic party, eccentrics, Emperor Norton, Emperor of the United States, Frisco, herb caen, Joshua Norton, Lazarus, Old St Mary's Church, Protector of Mexico, Republican party, San Francisco, San Francisco Chronicle, San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge, Tony Quarrington, US Congress | 2 Comments »

Literary Inspiration on Russian Hill

Oct 9, 2013 by Me In My Frightened Silence

If you take a left on leaving the Grace Cathedral on San Francisco’s Nob Hill, you will soon find yourself tottering down Taylor Street, one of those hills that appear to drag you down to the bay before your time. Part way down the street on the left, between Green and Union on what is now part of Russian Hill, you will come across a wooden staircase, complete with handwritten sign, where a different form of worship takes place daily.

Those stairs lead to Macondray Lane, the acknowledged inspiration for Barbary Lane, where at number 28 resided landlady, Anna Madrigal and her “children” in the celebrated Tales of the City novels written by Armistead Maupin. There are few series of books and group of characters more beloved in all of modern literature. Inevitably, therefore, the residents are forced to share their idyll with a steady flow of pilgrims “doing the Tales tour”, taking photos of both the lane itself and the bay “peeping through the trees”, peering into windows and scouring the undergrowth for Mrs Madrigal’s famed “special” plants.

Once at the top of the stairs you be walking on a series of cobbled footpaths through what feels like a wooded glade. The charming and diverse styles of houses share the space with profuse flower displays and other rich foliage. It is a magical place that perfectly captures the spirit engendered by Maupin’s books.

San Francisco boasts some of the most expensive real estate in the whole country. On the rare occasion that a property in Macondray Lane comes onto the market, the asking price is a mere fraction of that demanded in Pacific Heights (though, admittedly, the houses are much smaller).

But I know which I would rather live in.

Posted in Football (soccer), San Francisco | Tagged 28 Barbary Lane, Alcatraz, Anna Madrigal, Armistead Maupin, Barbary Lane, Bay Bridge San Francisco, Brian Hawkins, gay history, Grace Cathedral, LGBTQ, Macondray Lane, Mary Ann Singleton, Nob Hill, Pacific Heights, Russian Hill, San Francisco, San Francisco Bay, Tales of the City, Tony Quarrington | Leave a Comment »

The Kindle Has Landed

Oct 3, 2013 by Me In My Frightened Silence

The fateful day has arrived. I have just taken custody of my first Amazon Kindle, a birthday present from my wife.

But why? After all, I have expressed my love for books here on a number of occasions, and stated my distaste for a hugely popular but soulless phenomenon that has blasted many of my favourite bookstores into oblivion.

But I have also acknowledged that the time would come when I would not be able to resist the inexorable march of the e-reader, in fact when I would only be “cutting off my nose to spite my face” by rejecting its blandishments. Trying to stem the tide of history didn’t work for Canute and it is not going to work for me either.

But this does not mean the beginning of the end of my reading the traditional paper-based books. I’ve only just published one myself – hardback, dust cover, high quality paper – the works.

No – far from it.

I’m not going to suddenly ditch my entire book collection at a stroke. Indeed, neither my buying nor selling strategy should change, other than that I will purchase an e-book where the print version does not exist. Several books have come on the market recently that I would like, but are only available in electronic form. I have no alternative, therefore, but to acquire the means of reading them.

There is an added motivation in that, in this same spirit of “if you can’t beat them……”, I am contemplating self-publishing my next book as an e-book. So I need to join in the game sooner rather than later.

Now, rather than spending weeks beforehand deciding which book(s) to take on holiday, I will be able to download the two or three in contention, affording me the added advantages of not only of reducing the weight of my cabin luggage on the outward flight, but creating space for the addition of “proper” books for the return.

So – Shakespeare, Dickens, Hardy, Maupin, Bryson and company – rest easy, you will continue to have a cherished place on the bookshelves, or wherever I can find room for you in the house. You are no more likely to be destined for charity shops and boot fairs tomorrow than you were yesterday.

And I fully expect that the arrival of my e-reader will encourage me to read much more than, shamefully, I have been able, or rather chosen, to do heretofore.

No more agonising for hours beforehand over which books to take with me to the local coffee shop or on a train journey.

And no more risk of developing back problems carrying too many bulky books around with me just in case I changed my mind as to which of them I wanted to read in transit.

If further evidence were needed of the reluctance with which I’ve taken this momentous step, I have, or rather my wife has, only purchased the basic model – bells and whistles are conspicuous by their absence.

But I might as well buy a fancy leather cover while I’m at it.

Oh……and my first download?

101 Free Things To Do In San Francisco by Daniel Davidson.

Now there’s a surprise.

Posted in Books and reading | Tagged Amazon, Amazon Kindle, Armistead Maupin, Bill Bryson, Books, Bookshops, Bookstores, boot fairs, C, charity shops, Daniel Davidson, Dickens, E-books, e-readers, Kindle, Reading, San Francisco, Shakespeare, Thomas Hardy, Tony Quarrington | Leave a Comment »

San Francisco’s Independent Bookstores

Sep 23, 2013 by Me In My Frightened Silence

I’ve taken pen to paper, or rather finger to keyboard, on two previous occasions on this blog to bemoan the demise of “high street” bookshops, both in principle and in my adopted city of San Francisco. In the first, I lamented the closure of the large branches of Border’s in Union Square, replaced now by a DSW shoe emporium, which, to add insult to injury, my wife loves, and 2nd and King opposite the ballpark. I consoled myself at the time with the knowledge that the Barnes and Noble branch in Fisherman’s Wharf was still carrying the flag, only to discover, shortly afterwards, that it too had made way for an expanded Cost Plus World Market.

But, in one sense, that has been a blessing as it has forced me to seek out San Francisco’s rich family of neighbourhood bookstores. As a result, I’m no longer sure that I miss the big chains as much as I did three years ago.

On my recent trip I had the pleasure of visiting a number of the independent stores – some new to me, others old friends – and discovered a very different story to the one that confronted me when the giants (no, not those) were collapsing around me a couple of years ago. Phoenix Books on 24th Street in Noe Valley was my local store where, on the first morning of my vacation, I picked up a discounted copy of Comeback Kings, a book on the Giants’ (yes, those) 2012 World Series victory.

A Sunday afternoon stroll down Valencia Street in the Mission unveiled the dual delights of Dog Eared Books and Borderlands Books, though the latter’s sole focus on science fiction, fantasy, horror and mystery is not to my taste. But the painstakingly prepared coffee was! A happy birthday to Dog Eared Books, a partner of the aforementioned Phoenix Books, Badger Books (of which more below) and alley cat books, which turns 21 this very week! On the evidence of these two thriving outlets, the declaration on its website that ‘reports concerning “The Death of the Bookstore” have been greatly exaggerated’ rings resoundingly and joyfully true.

What struck me most about all of the bookstores I visited was the sheer number of people frequenting them, not just browsing the shelves but writing their own blogs and engaging in social media on their laptops, drinking every conceivable coffee permutation and interrogating the community noticeboards for apartment lettings or reiki classes and, in some instances, all three.

Badger Books on the corner of Cortland Avenue and Bennington Street in urbane Bernal Heights, displayed a particularly fine secondhand selection and boasted a lovely children’s section complete with multi-coloured stools.

Needless to say, City Lights in North Beach afforded me several opportunities to part with my dollars and the Book Passage in the Ferry Building, though relatively small, always contains an interesting and eclectic collection. Besides, there are few better places to sit and read than outside with a cup of Peet’s coffee from the adjoining concession.

Aardvark Books on Church Street near Market, where I bought a set of vintage San Francisco postcards at just fifteen cents each, The Booksmith (another regular haunt) and Browser Books on Fillmore between California and Sacramento are also fine places to stay awhile.

I may, to the purists, be about to join the dark side with my purchase of an Amazon Kindle, but I will never lose my love for plunging into bookstores (preferably those with adjoining cafes and a place to park the laptop), and divesting them of their stock. I expect that I only scratched the surface with San Francisco’s independent bookstores this time, but if the above branches are typical, their future is bright.

I dearly hope so.

Posted in Books and reading, San Francisco | Tagged Aardvark Books, Badger Books, Barnes & Noble, Bernal Heights, Books, Bookshops, Bookstores, Borderland Books, Borders Books, Browser Books, Castro District, City Lights bookstore, Dog Eared Books, Embarcadero San Francisco, Ferry Building San Francisco, Fisherman's Wharf San Francisco, Haight Street, Haight-Ashbury, Independent bookshops, independent bookstores, Peet's coffee, Phoenix Books, Reading, San Francisco, The Book Passage, The Booksmith, The Mission San Francisco, Tony Quarrington, Union Square San Francisco, Valencia Street | 2 Comments »

An Honorary San Franciscan?

Sep 10, 2013 by Me In My Frightened Silence

“You guys really love this city don’t you? You know it better than many people who have lived here all their lives”.

Thus spoke the balding young Oakland man with neat goatee beard, with whom my wife and I had struck up a conversation over our eggplant wraps and blueberry smoothies on the outdoor patio of the Progressive Grounds coffee house in the civilised neighbourhood of Bernal Heights one warm June afternoon.

“You’re certainly no tourists – you’re San Franciscans”.

Whilst such a statement would have incurred the wrath of the natives who fiercely proclaim their privileged status on internet forums devoted to the subject, it was, nonetheless, pleasing to hear, especially coming from a lifelong Bay Area resident.

As regular readers of my blog will attest, I invariably turn to Herb Caen, the legendary San Francisco Chronicle columnist, for his trusted opinion on such matters. In one of his many ruminations on what made a San Franciscan he said:

I don’t think that place of origin or number of years on the scene

have anything to do with it really. There are newcomers who

become San Franciscans overnight – delighted with and interested

in the city’s traditions and history. They can see the Ferry Building

for what it represents (not for what it is), they are fascinated

with the sagas of Sharons, Ralstons, Floods and Crockers, they

savor the uniqueness of cable car and foghorn. By the same token, I

know natives who will never be San Franciscans if they outlive

Methusalah. To them a cable car is a traffic obstruction, the fog is

something that keeps them from getting a tan, and Los Angeles is

where they really know how to Get Things Done.

So, after ten visits of increasing length, we have gravitated from being “sophisticated tourists” who are “charmed and fascinated” by the city to anointment as “San Franciscans”. If I harboured any doubt, perhaps the existence of this article is further evidence. And statements like the one from the Cortland Avenue coffee shop, and that of the usher at the ballpark who thanked me for both loving her city as much as she did, and articulating that love so passionately in my writing, reinforce that judgement still further.

Moreover, they act as a useful counterpoint to the recent assertion by Travel & Leisure magazine that San Francisco is the snobbiest city in the States. Anybody – whether natives, “transplants” or wide-eyed, first time tourists – with a willingness to learn, understand, appreciate and celebrate everything it has to offer, should equally be capable of qualifying for such an accolade.

Posted in San Francisco | Tagged AT & T Park San Francisco, Bernal Heights, Cortland Avenue, herb caen, San Francisco, San Francisco Chronicle, snobbery, Tony Quarrington, Tony Quarrington author, Tony Quarrington Writer, tourists, Travel & Leisure magazine, visitors | 4 Comments »

The Next Book

Aug 7, 2013 by Me In My Frightened Silence

With my first book, A Half-Forgotten Triumph, co-written with Martin Moseling, now in print, I am keen to proceed with the second. It will represent a significant departure from my first publication which explored in detail the fortunes of one sports team a century ago. Not only will I be writing on my own this time but I will also be focusing on a subject that exceeds even my passion for cricket – San Francisco.

I am grappling at the moment, however, with the precise form that the book might take. Initially, I envisaged writing a standard travel diary, based on my experiences over ten visits to the city, varying between three and twenty eight nights, during the past eighteen years. Of course, I would try to make it witty and interesting but it would still be a travel diary.

But there are other options.

I have written nearly twenty blog articles on San Franciscan characters and eccentrics, some famous, others notorious (the characters, not the posts). An expanded work on that subject – along the lines perhaps of “50 Great San Francisco characters” is still an objective. But perhaps not now.

I am intrigued by the unanimously thrilled reaction of my countrymen – and women – to their first acquaintance with San Francisco. Though many may never return, and certainly not as often as I have and will continue to do, they retain fond memories of their visit. The most recent figures from the San Francisco Travel Association show that, at 11.6% of the total of 15.92 million, the proportion of visitors from the United Kingdom only just falls short of those from Canada, the country unsurprisingly supplying the most.

The British have a clear affinity with the city, as witnessed by such literary luminaries as Dylan Thomas (“you wouldn’t think such a place as San Francisco could exist”) and John Lennon (“we’re crazy about this city”), as well as countless thousands of tourists from its isles.

i think there may, therefore, be some mileage in assessing the British impact on San Francisco since Sir Francis Drake first landed the Golden Hind near the Golden Gate in June 1579, almost two hundred years before the city was officially “founded” by the Spanish. But again perhaps not yet.

Despite its popularity and the literature it has spawned, there are still aspects of the San Francisco story that have yet to be explored.

My final approach, and possibly the most likely at present, is a more fluid series of reminiscences and reflections on the everyday life and culture of the city. More challenging would be to convert that material into a fictional narrative, partly because I doubt that I have the skill to do so, but equally because I would have the massive shadow of Armistead Maupin standing over me. An English angle might mollify the challenge but it would still be a daunting task to set myself.

But in a sense, it doesn’t quite matter yet as I am currently pulling together all the pieces I have written on the subject in my blog over the past two and a half years. The strength – or otherwise – of that content might actually help me to identify in which direction I need to go.

So there is no immediate urgency to make that decision while I carry out the necessary research and review the existing material. Equally, however, I cannot afford to let it drift as I want to have some material available to present to prospective publishers towards the end of the year.

I will continue to use this blog to relay my emerging thoughts and perhaps trail some of the content.

Wish me luck!

Posted in San Francisco, Writing | Tagged Armistead Maupin, author, Blog, Blogging, Golden Gate, Golden Hind, San Francisco, San Francisco Bay, San Francisco Travel Association, Sir Francis Drake, Tony Quarrington, tourism, tourists, Travel, travel writing, visitor numbers, Writing | 3 Comments »

San Francisco’s Streetcars

Jul 25, 2013 by Me In My Frightened Silence

One of the most endearing but infuriating features of San Francisco’s characteristically quirky public transport system are the historic streetcars that run along the F Line between the Castro and Fisherman’s Wharf via Market Street and the Embarcadero.

Redolent of a bygone age, they are fascinating historical constructs that appeal primarily to tourists because anyone, local or frequent visitor alike, who has travelled on one, knows that they are built neither for speed nor comfort. One journey my wife and I took from Church and Market to Fisherman’s Wharf last month took an hour and twenty minutes, admittedly extended due to roadworks on Market.

But, at the best of times, expect a rough, cramped, hot ride that goes nowhere very fast.

Whilst there are a number of home-grown, or rather home-built, cars, many have been imported from all over the globe, including as far afield as Tokyo and Melbourne. As I write this now, five and a half thousand miles and eight hours away, streetcars from the following cities are operating inbound towards Fisherman’s Wharf: Louisville Kentucky, El Paso Texas, Juarez Mexico, Detroit Michigan, Brooklyn New York, Boston Elevated Railway, Cleveland Ohio and Milan, Italy. Other cities to have “donated” vehicles from their collection include Birmingham Alabama and Cincinnati Ohio.

There’s even one from the seaside resort of Blackpool in the north west of England, one I may well have sat on in decades past! We first encountered it in its new San Francisco home whilst waiting for the gleaming, modern MUNI Metro J Church train a couple of blocks from our Noe Valley apartment!

Many “experts” opine that your best chance of boarding a cable car (which, by the way, costs three times as much for a single journey as a streetcar) is a few blocks away from the Powell Street and Hyde Street termini. That may well be true, but if you wish to ride a streetcar, your best chance of a) getting aboard at all, and b) finding a seat (though the likelihood of you feeling ill may actually be lessened by standing up), you would do well to start at either end of the route (especially alongside Walgreen’s at Fisherman’s Wharf), as the following photograph taken aboard the Baltimore bus at Church and Market would indicate.

In conclusion, do NOT prise yourself onto one if you need to be somewhere any time the same week (sorry, I exaggerate to make a point). But if you have plenty of time on your hand, do not get stressed very easily and enjoy being part of history, go ahead, sit back and – ahem – enjoy the ride.

Posted in San Francisco | Tagged Cable cars, Castro District, Castro San Francisco, Castro Street, Embarcadero San Francisco, F Streetcar, Fisherman's Wharf San Francisco, Market Street San Francisco, MUNI, public transport, San Francisco, San Francisco Municipal Railway, Tony Quarrington, Transport | 4 Comments »