I Lost My Heart In San Francisco..

No! Not literally. But as I sit back listening to Tony Bennett`s rendition of this song, I cant help
thinking, "Well almost!

San Fran has joined my prized and coveted list of possible places to live.

It has a great vibe, a trendy, boho-hippy and a downright weird feel to it with wonderful eclectic laid-back stylish people. Architecture amazingly coordinated and brightly coloured houses facing onto clean streets. Every moment was like being on a movie set as you hike up hills (And no, we're not talking lovely rambling hills, but steep gradients, mothers of mountains!). Where the houses seem to be sliding down in sync with the rhythmic clanging of the cable cars as they tango downhill.

San Francisco where the squirrels have attitude. And where the homeless bums are polite. Whilst I mutter stock phrases like "No I don't have any change!" , they respond back with a guffaw, "Credit cards accepted. Not returned though." I smile and shuffle off wanting to scream, I'm jobless and ‘country-less’ too and you think you've got problems... good ol` over dramatic me! They've even managed to make Starbucks outlets look quaint. Talking of which I had my first Starbucks experience out of Minnesota and for the record it was a disgustingly weak coffee!The only sad part was that we didnt have sufficient time for the whole 'Frisco Experience' to slowly seep in. Here`s a brief account of our visit. Not a travelogue ofcourse.Because we did not spend enough time for that. But just a brief glimpse of the few hours that we spent in the city.

First Halt at the Market Plaza and Embarcadero

Amidst the two tallest buildings in the city – Spear and Steuart Tower, there happened to be a carnival of sorts happening that day(lucky us!). A spectacular multi-cultural celebration that showcased the very best of what it truly means to be a part of this city. A great tantalizing array of music, dance and artistry slowly parading through the Market Plaza, to the cheers of millions of city-ites who had gathered to participate in the celebration. One awesome experience! Not that I expected any less of the city named after a religious fanatic, who shed his clothes, talked to birds and recreated himself on the far edge of spiritual bliss!

Next halt at The Fisherman`s Wharf and The Golden Gate Bridge

San Francisco is a chemistry of moods and colours, a sparkling mirage of blue and white and gold kissed by the crisp breath of the Pacific. Magical spirits hover in the wind over the Pacific waters. The first glimpse of the iconic structure stretching across the Bay, its yawning expanse emerging out of mist and low clouds is truly fantastic…

We pounded the sidewalks (how American of us!) of this city for 3 hours and my feet and calves are definitely feeling it even now! The first couple of hours we spent,walking around the bay area towards the Golden Gate Bridge through Fisherman's Wharf and Ghirardelli Square, literally wading through the mass of humanity that congregates there for the first glimpse of The Bridge and The Alcatraz Islands. And quite unexpectedly, I did run into the very famous ‘BushMan’!

Took lots of mandatory ‘orkut-ish’ pictures everywhere.

(Not going into specific details about these places because one can google them online anytime.)

After that, The G and I hiked uphill all the way to Lombard Street, instead of following the other much more leveled route (thanks to The G`s expertise in map-reading! Hey wait a minute! Was that really ‘an honest mistake” as The G had claimed later, by way of explanation??!!). So Anyway, San Fran is built on 43 hills,the steepest being at 31.5degrees.....So much fun when you havent slept much, have been constantly on the move for the past 3 days, your backpack weighs 20million pounds and you dont know where youre going!! But I`m not complaining! The efforts were definitely well-worth it.

The first thing I noticed about San Francisco, as we ventured up, were the distinctive homes. The city is filled with two-storyed wooden houses, in what creates the impression of the early 1900's style, just back in fashion.. Such symmetry can create both a sense of idyllic neatness or a sort of dull loathing. I can't help but wonder if the famous San Francisco earthquake of the early 1900's had something to do with the current look. The second thing ofcourse was the mind-blowing view of the bay from the top of the hill. And the final reward was the sight of a million cars trying to manoeuvre the crookedest street in the world, at eight acute angles!That was all the time we had, to tour some parts of the city. But I havent quite had enough. One cant, no matter how long a stretch of time one spends here in the city.

And so, as I sit here listening to Tony Bennett croon 'I left my heart in San Francisco', I think to myself," Well, not quite. But as the Governor of California himself said, - I`ll be back..!"