Roadtripping With Gina
San Francisco
San Francisco, In My Opinion
San Francisco’s climate isn’t as nice as San Diego’s, but there’s an easy solution to that: Bring a jacket…and a really fat wallet, because it’s not the kind of place you visit on a budget. And don’t even think about living there unless you’ve got the bank account to go with it. But if you do, it’s the American Dream on steroids. San Francisco is one of the most beautiful places I’ve ever visited…which was really lucky for me because my cheap-ass boss put us up in the Tenderloin, and then worked us like sled dogs. In between my indentured servitude at the Moscone Center and collapsing into a dead sleep at my fleabag hotel, once I finally got away from the pimps and hookers in front of my hotel, the city was just magical. But it does have a bit of a homeless problem. That’s a problem all over California. And it’s much worse now with COVID. It looks to me like the city cops have kinda given up on crimefighting because…well, I don’t really know why. Whatever the reason, you can shoplift to your heart’s content, and the cops don’t seem motivated to arrest you unless your theft totals over $1,000. But other than that, the city is just awesome! Thankfully, I went when it was still fun. And I did everything I could to run through my expense account…seeing the sights and eating at some pretty freakin awesome restaurants. Great food, but really small portions. Bring cash. Lots of it. Especially if you’re planning on staying awhile. This is one of those American cities that’s really not worth living in if you don’t have any money. Being broke in San Francisco is like standing outside of a fabulous restaurant, looking in the window and watching everybody stuff themselves while you starve.
Exploring San Francisco
San Francisco isn’t really the most walkable city I’ve ever visited. Biking and skating are pretty scary too. You’d better be seriously about exercise because the hills are seriously killer. But it’s worth the walk because there’s so much to see and do. It’s got great public transportation too, and there are always the perennial cable cars. But if you’re going, deal with the fact that you’re gonna drive…a lot. The hills are a fact of life in San Francisco. You can’t let your brakes wear down, unless rolling down a really steep hill and being unable to stop yourself from coasting into oncoming traffic is an extreme sport for you. Good brakes are not optional. It’s really hilly. The city sits atop the most geologically unstable site in America. Everybody knows “the big one” is coming. You’d have to be American to understand why anyone in their right mind would build a city there, watch it be leveled by a cataclysmic earthquake, and then build it in the exact same spot again. It’s all about CASH!!! The gold rush started it in 1849, and it never actually stopped. And it’s really pretty. Money made San Francisco the commercial hub of the west, but beauty keeps it a hot and happening spot.
Walk The Neighborhood
Move the mouse on top of the little gold man on the map. Hold down the left mouse button and you’ll see blue lines appear. Those lines are streets. Drag and drop the little man on top of the street you want and let go of the mouse button. The picture on the right will change to show you a view of that street along with the street name. Click the arrows on the street to “walk” around. Or you can double-click the street to walk if there’s an arrow under your cursor. Roll the middle mouse button to zoom in and out. That’s all there is to it. Now get out there and explore!