heidikins.com

San Francisco, My Other Hometown

There are dozens of songs written about loving San Francisco, there are phrases devoted to celebrating the city, and I, for one, am right on board with all of those things.

San Francisco is kind of my second hometown and while it’s been several years since I was there regularly, when I had the opportunity a few weeks ago I jumped at the chance.  My trip was primarily filled with a conference and training, but I did manage to have a few hours to myself which I spent wandering the streets, walking miles and miles in the gorgeous spring sunshine, enjoying the architecture, the bustle, the sights, and the crazies.

Chinatown:

I have always loved San Francisco’s Chinatown, and have made a point to take some time to wander through those streets.  I wandered through a dozen shops looking for pashmina scarves, postcards, and jewelry.

When I got home and was unpacking, doing laundry, and putting away a few new treasures I was hit with a very serious realization: I have 35 scarves in my closet and at least half of them came from Chinatown, SF.  (Not all on this trip, mind you, they have been accumulated for a couple of years now.  But it’s my go-to purchase when I visit San Francisco.)

Grace Cathedral:

Spring was in full bloom while I was visiting, and without a cloud or bank of fog in sight I loved every moment of my meandering walks around different neighborhoods.  This very same weekend Salt Lake City regressed to winter weather with freezing temperatures and several inches of snow.  I was thrilled to miss most of that.

I didn’t have much free time on this all-too-short trip, but I did meet Abby for lunch on Nob Hill and we sat and dished about relationships, family, culture, weddings (her), crushes (me) over a fantastic plate of gnocchi.  I love blog friends!

Pier 7, The Embarcadero:

My hotel was in The Embarcadero, and I spent my evenings wandering through The Ferry Building and just enjoying the setting sun behind the skyline.  I love how these photos turned out, they are some of my favorites I’ve ever taken.

Pier 7, looking towards the Bay.

Looking towards the city and the Trans-America building.

I wandered through so many neighborhoods, climbed a thousand hills, took hundreds of photos, and found some much-needed moments of peace and clarity on this trip.  San Francisco will always hold a place in my heart, how can you not love this city?

Taken from the top of Telegraph Hill.

I’ll be back soon, SF.  Don’t forget about me!

12 Comments so far
Leave a comment