OMG Got more than I expected in San Francisco!

I've been quite occupied these past few days in San Francisco! I hardly know where to start!


San Francisco is a beautiful city, love the city centre, the architecture, Golden Gate Bridge, Fisherman's Wharf, the Financial District, The Castro, The Cocktails & places I never made it to. I also met a wonderful guy whilst here. (sorry Mum it did happen) 


There were SO many subjects worth taking pix of I didn't always know where to start, residential buildings everywhere having there own charm. Pictures taken of The Golden Gate Bridge were a real joy, especially with the cities iconic fog enveloping the upper reaches of this magnificent structure. I actually walked from the city to get here. Again I have no idea about distance, reading maps & sense of direction. I walked for several hours, it was painful, don't ask me why I didn't get some mode of transport there. Anyway it was worth the walk in the end. The walk along the bridge was gusty, my fingers close to freezing, losing there ability to clasp smoothly. The Golden Gate is Majestic!

After this experience I did something I have not done for a few months. I met a guy I'd chatted to online. I was hesitant & uncertain as I don't do it often. I felt confident though with his smile so I agreed to meet him. He said he wanted to "hang out" with me which I thought was a really cool way of saying it yet thinking Im not really cool. His name is Leandro, his close friends call him Pio. His smile is as endearing as his personality, a kind, gentle, generous person. We had great times together, the dinners & cocktails were amazing! Especially loved the gigantic steak we shared at that swish restaurant! (Not the one shown in the Blog though) Pio's a real sweet guy with a heart that goes out to others. We had some awesome romantic times together. Haven't had romance in my life for such a long time. He was only here for a few days until the inevitable departure made its entrance. There were tears on that evening. I kind of felt glad I was SO tired that evening, it numbed the feeling of loss. Unfortunately I did crash somewhat the next day finding it hard to concentrate. So thats the Lovely Mr Sanchez. 

Though Fisherman's Wharf is touristy it still managed to uphold its charm, a beautiful walk with the Bay Bridge as its backdrop. All the bridge pictures you see other than the Golden Gate Bridge are of the Bay Bridge. (incl. Room 1718 @Le Meridian) There was a real cool indoor market of fine foods such as cheese, chocolate, vegetables, breads etc. There was even a smorgasboard of every variety of mushroom! For those of you who don't know I HATE mushrooms :  )  


I took the local bus to the Golden Gate Park, yes I took the bus! It only costs $2 an adult for any journey lasting up to Ninety minutes! So you can get off one bus & hop on another within that time frame, what great value! (Though the journey is a long one) I specifically wanted to go to the Californian Academy of Sciences, and predominantly for their Planetarium. It was the same one I'd seen in NYC with a bit of San Franciscan extra thrown in. Showing the life-cycle of a star, showcasing our own star, the sun. If you haven't been to one of these dimensional shows you MUST! Its totally AMAZING! The closest we may ever get to exploring the Universe. If there was a Planetarium close to home I think I'd go there weekly, perhaps even work there! Its strange cause last time I was in the U.S in 2007 there were other astrological presentations to be seen & now there is only the one. Does anyone have an answer for this? 


It was my intention to walk the surrounds of the Golden Gate Park but my mind was utterly clouded by Leandro's departure. I didn't feel we'd established enough in the time that we had, so I couldn't bring myself to walk the rest of the park. Sad but true. 

I will finish off by saying that I was surprised by the distance of the Golden Gate Bridge & its corresponding park from the central cityscape. In my mind they were closer together like Sydney's bridge is slap bang in the city & on that beautiful harbour. 


Its interesting how we perceive things based on our immediate knowledge, based on the media perhaps & assumption. 


Time perception has had its own momentum too. Each & every experience I've had has seemed longer than it actually was. Thats the magic of time & new experiences! I have a great non-fiction book that discusses how this is possible if you're interested?