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30 October 2012
San Francisco
Today we stayed at Broadway Inn, corner Van Ness and Broadway. The cost of just one night is US$287.60 ( include tax). It is expensive due to the start of Oracle week and most hotel rooms are booked up. As at today 2012 is the start of Oracle conference week, and not only that, there is air show on the weekends most of the hotels are booked out and the rates for most rooms are double the price. Fleet week is from 3rd Oct – 8th Oct 2012.
To get to the world most crocked street, catch a trolley/cable car from fisherman’s wharf next to Ghirardelli Square. This cable car will take you on Hyde St. It will stop right in front of the world most crocked street at Lombard. If you are coming from another direction and not from the fisherman’s wharf, you can stop at corner of Lombard and Van Ness Ave. Then you need to walk up hill for 3 blocks. You will not miss the crocked street as you will see lots of people hanging about and taking photos. As you walk down the right hand side steps, you will see a plague about the crocked street. If you come from the bottom and going upwards towards the crocked street, i.e. from the junction of Telegraph Hill, it will be a longer walk uphill as compared from to coming from Van Ness Ave. The best route to use to get here is via the cable car. Stopped in front of street, walk down the crocked street and walk back up again and catch the cable car to junction of Telegraph Hill or back to Ghirardelli Square. Note that this cable car route is only going in one direction. I didn’t take the cable car as I didn’t know about this useful tip! I did a lot of the walking uphill instead.
At Telegraph Hill junction, in San Francisco, I took my first ride in a cable car. Now I know why it is called a cable car. An underground cable pulls it. There are 2 drivers. Front driver to drive the cable car forward and the back driver to collect fares and to drive cable car backwards in some instances when the cable wires are stuck underground and the wires needed to be unwind. Have you seen how a cable car turns around at the end of the line? Check out this action at the end of the route at Powell St / Market St. The drivers themselves turn around the cable car by hand. I am not kidding.
Tip 1:
Don’t visit San Francisco during the Oracle week 30 Sept – 4 Oct. or Fleet week 3 – 8 Oct – Not only will you have difficulty getting accommodations, rates for rooms will be doubled and there are more people catching cables cars, buses etc.
Tip 2:
If you get the chance, rent a GoCar and drive it down the crocked street. It is so much better, more effective and the coolest thing to do. You will be the star of the day as many tourist will take your photos !
Or you can skateboard down this street. You will also be photograph by most tourists as well
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