Back to the City!

The last 120 miles was easy..it felt good to be back in the city!

By the time I got to my hotel, I had already got a number of someone prepared to show me around the city!

I felt tired so I used the afternoon to explore Union Square (where I am based)... It is holiday weekend, 'Labor Day' so there is a really good atmosphere here and, of course, it is very busy.. They also have 'Shakespeare in the Park' for free so I'm off to watch 'The Tempest' on Sunday afternoon..

Today I spent the morning buying lunch at a fantastic organic farmers market and joining Janie on her friend's boat and waterski..I only stayed a few hours..there is so much of the city to see but it was good to meet up with her again and the water woke me up!

I have just come back from an afternoon in the heart of the 60s in San Francisco...Haight Ashbury..but I did not wear flowers in my hair..just a big grin..it had a great atmosphere and some wonderful second-hand clothes shops..infact I have reignited my passion for vintage fashion and it is so cheap!

I explored the back streets of the Haight and Mission area with great views onto the city.. San Francisco is not a place to wear heels of any description..on the down slopes I doubt any would survive!

The houses in this area are beautiful...colourful victorian structures.

I then walked down Castro Street..the heart of San Francisco's gay community...aids affected this area very badly in the 80s....the 'NAMES Project' was created to remember those who died. Castro is Soho on a very large and much more open scale....it is a liberating breath of fresh air, cheeky and amusing all at the same time!

On the way back I went through Market Street (a street I had walked before). Market street is very unusual because it is one of the few streets that changes so dramatically as you walk through it. Initially I had only explored the uptown and prosperous part of it but as you walk on to reach Haight Street, it gets increasingly grubbier, seedier and many of the homeless population seemed to have gathered here.

The glimpses of homelessness I have seen so far are far more disturbing and upsetting than anything I had encountered when I used to go out on soups runs with a friend in London. Although they seem to have the same drug and alcohol problems, there is also a lot of mental problems..there are a lot of people having conversations with themselves, starting arguments from a simple glance and shouting to any random person. Many walk around with their possessions in a shopping trolley..I'm not sure what San Francisco's policy on the homeless situation is, but surely something could be done for these people?

I have had a wonderful day..I have fallen in love with this city...I think I like it more than New York and I thought I'd never say that..but I think I've explored its heart and I intend to continue with two more fabulous days...