In the fashion of the Sisters’ Sledge song We are family we heard Mass at St. Bartholomew church with Tita Elo and her three dynamic daughters Chinky, Jenny, and Gina who was with her daughter Cessie. And since Benihana Restaurant was filled to the rafters, we trooped to Juban Japanese Restaurant near Hillsborough where we and the gregarious Ynares clan, truly enjoyed grilling our fresh seafoods and meats with zesty sauces. What started as an epicurean feast continued as we feasted on the sights and sounds of San Francisco.
Tita Elo brushed us up on the rich history of San Francisco. She said that in the beginning of 1848, a tide turned the city’s destiny. Gold was discovered about a hundred miles inland and San Francisco was swiftly overwhelmed by an influx of humanity who wanted to become wealthy. Wild with the lust of sudden wealth, these settlers lived on hope more than achievement. When they learned their lessons, they weaved their dreams again to become successful inhabitants of the place.
Much of what has been left by the early settlers is still intact in San Francisco. Of course, modernization has transformed the city into one of the best in America.
First stop: Lombard Street – the most crooked street in the world. Confined to its narrow, hilly peninsula, San Francisco has always been a challenge to planners and architects. Thus, the roads in this City by the Bay have adopted a grid pattern of streets which, superimposed on the uneven terrain, creates steep slopes, sharp crests and sudden descents. Driving a car here is like riding a roller coaster or taking part in a mountaineering activity. Despite this topography, San Francisco has its own appeal that charms many a visitor. The cable cars that ply the streets propelled by a cable moving under the road were immortalized in the City Charter when it was signed in 1995 where it states that this mode of transportation should never disappear from the city.
The Golden Gate Bridge is another image of San Francisco that is best known to the world outside, and another treasure which is held close to the affections of its people. Neither is the Golden Gate the oldest nor the longest but the bridge’s appeal lies in its design. Less than two miles in length, the Golden Gate Bridge displays its beauty when fog comes in and slips over its decks. Even on the clearest days there is something about the slimness of the steelwork and the curve of the suspension cables that make you gasp at the bridge’s survival. From the old prison Alcatraz, another major attraction, we viewed the majesty of the bridge. Everybody was waxing romantic as we looked at the bridge which seems to hang distantly in space like a fragile slip of filigree. It almost spoils its effect to know that the cables that hold the bridge are three feet in diameter. What helps keep the illusion of fragility is that each of the cables was spun from 27,000 strands of wire, not one of them thicker than the lead of a pencil.
Next stop: Lovingly preserved Victorian homes in Alamo Square, in the Western Addition district. Here, we had a taste of the city’s old-world charm. Houses built in Gothic, Italianate, Classical, or Georgian style dot the square. These houses are collectively described as Victorian although they were put up between the 1850s and the First World War.
In an age when many cities all over the world, including Manila, have been transformed to adapt to modernization albeit the destruction of natural and national heritage, the San Franciscans have demonstrated a commendable obstinacy. They have refused to be dragged into the future by developers and planners. You have only to look around the city to appreciate the balance they have struck between old and new. If you go west across the broad artery of Van Ness Avenue, which was the great line of defense during the devastating fire of 1906, you discover a wealth of dwellings that have survived from the 19 th century.
Another example of San Franciscans tenacity for taking care of their past can be seen at Ghirardelli Square. Here, the 19 th century appeal of the place is kept intact despite innovation and transformation: a splendid boutique is contained within walls of untouched and unscathed bricks; seafood and wine are served beneath a ceiling supported by cast-iron pillars from the past.
It was all girls day when we visited Union Square, one of San Francisco’s commercial and cultural centers. Tita Elo’s youngest daughter Jenny bought everyone delightful Krispy Kreme donuts as we checked out this shopper’s haven. Interesting to know, the square underwent a much needed $25 million facelift, transforming one of San Francisco’s oldest patches of greenery into a wide open space for tourists and locals alike.
Fun activities are also endless at Pier 39, the number one festival marketplace with more than 110 stores, 11 full-service restaurants with bay views and numerous fun-filled attractions. Pier 39’s two-level design complements one of San Francisco’s most unique shopping districts, featuring everything from high fashion leathers to jewelry and imported chocolates.
San Francisco is synonymous with Fisherman’s Wharf, the city’s most popular destination (which can be reached by cable car from Union Square). Known for its historic waterfront, delicious seafood and clam chowder soup in sourdough bread, spectacular sights and unique shopping, this place offers a wide array of things to do for everyone. Its fabulous location as the City by the Bay puts you within minutes of the Maritime Museum, Alcatraz and the Coit Tower.
Talk about the Bay Area, did you know that the area is believed to have the greatest concentration of migrant Filipinos? Truth is, San Francisco has one of the richest racial mixes in the world. Filipinos have been migrating here since 1920 and are as widespread as the city’s workforce and populace.
After exploring San Francisco, what we realized is that it is the spirit of the people that leaves the most indelible imprint in our minds.
On the day that I was leaving Boston, I heard Tita Elo singing, "I left my heart in San Francisco." Unknown to her, most of us did. Deep in our hearts, we will always yearn to go back to this captivating city.