If you have a couple of hours to spare in San Francisco and want to get a real sense of the heart of the city, you can take a walk. Of course given that San Francisco was deemed to be the number one walking city in the America recently, there must be at least a million and one ways to go, as well as endless sightseeing attractions. But we’ll leave such things to those who are determined to check sites and experiences off of their lists. This is walk is more to merely stroll along with no real destination and no intended purpose beyond just being in the day and enjoying a sense of feeling immersed in the city.
Begin at Mission Street and Fifth Street where San Francisco’s Mint building resides. It is no longer functioning as a mint and is transitioning into a museum space before long, but the building’s granite Greek elegance holds appeal, as well as the courtyard which serves as a patch of relative calm and connects with the neighboring restaurant cafe. At Fifth Street and Mission, step into the Westfield shopping center and head upstairs. It’s an upscale shopping plaza that has been recently developed but it was built around a significant building from the early 1900s with a fantastic glass dome as the focal point overhead. Sit at one of the surrounding restaurants and let the natural light take you back to a favorite memory of Europe. Step back out onto Market Street and you’ll see where the cable cars turn-about as Powell Street ends at Market. While you can board more easily in the winter months, the cue at this location can be long as it’s the end/beginning of the line in the busiest shopping district in the city. On your walking tour, it’s merely a curiosity because the cable cars have been doing their pirouettes here since the late 1800s.
If you walk north on Powell Street past Union Square, you might notice that the buildings seem of common vintage. In fact, there is a reason for that. A series of natural disasters brought them down; if they made it through the earthquake in the early 1906, two fires in the three years following likely took them down. So everything in the area will have the look of 1910. If it’s a nice day, spend a little time in Union Square and find the Dewey Monument which honors Admiral Dewey’s having defeated a Spanish armada in Manila Bay. An interesting fact about the figure representing victory atop the monument was modeled on a well known socialite of the day.
Cut across Union Square, pick up Stockton Street and head north. Dip into the Grand Hyatt to have a look at the fountain there. It has forty-one sculptures which depict landmarks around San Francisco, some remaining and recognizable, others lost to a bygone era.
Continue north on Stockton but instead of entering the tunnel, walk up the stairs. In the Burritt Alley just to the west is where Sam Spade’s partner, Miles Archer met his demise in the Maltese Falcon.
Now head back down and walk through the tunnel continuing north and you’ll pop out in Chinatown. If you turn right at Sacramento, left at Pagoda, and cross Clay, you’ll arrive at Spofford Alley which will lead you to an opened plaza; a rare commodity in Chinatown. Here you’ll find locals socializing and playing mah- jongg. The alley also has historical significance during the tong wars. Turn left on Washington and again on Stockton and head north through the main congested shopping street of Chinatown. This is where the local Chinese do their shopping. One street away and parallel on Grant is much more tourist oriented.
If you continue on Stockton and merge into Columbus, you’ll quickly realize you have landed in San Francisco’s North Beach, which is heavily Italian in focus with cafes lining the streets. Eat up and enjoy the people watching, and then make your way just down the street to Washington Square where you can stretch out on the green grass to do nothing, or watch what is sure to be a parade of interesting characters passing through, given the mix of visitors to the popular square. This was cattle grazing land before it became a hub for the numerous neighborhoods that surround the gathering place. From here you can take the number 45 bus back from the corner of Columbus Street and Union Street and get off on Stockton Street at either Market or Mission, where you began in ten minutes and only cost you a buck and a half, ending your tour with ease.
