Bright Lights, Big City

Green acres are the place for me but a big city is a nice place to visit.

Landing on the corner of Powell and Market streets, you know you are not in Kansas anymore. I am not sure how many thousands of people a day populate that intersection but on May 9th around 1 p.m., we bumped into all of them. One of the cable car lines starts there, the BART line has a stop there, most of the hustlers, street musicians, homeless and tourists congregate there and you can either stop and stare or start moving.

For the next week, from about 7:00 a.m. until about 7:00 p.m., we did not STOP moving. Thankfully, by the end of the first night, we had our City Pass in hand and could hop on any public transportation. My feet were SO happy!

There are cable cars of course, but the F streetcars, refurbished from all over the world, are sweet. Then there are the buses, light rail and the Bay Area Rapid Transit. Who needs the cabs? And don't forget walking and walking and walking. Those were great shoes, thanks Payless.

I relished any green space we found, Golden Gate Park, views of the Pacific from the cliffs around the Legion of Honor Museum, respite from the city's noises in the magnitude of the Muir Woods and the city of Calistoga from a hot air balloon.

Land spreading out so far and wide, keep San Francisco, just give me that countryside.