7 DAYS California rules the waves
LINDSAY SUTTON sees segways, surfers and seals on a trip to San Francisco, Santa Cruz and Sausalito
SEGWAYS and San Francisco don’t seem to be an ideal fit. The thought of travelling up and down the city’s precipitously steep hills on a motorised, stand-up contraption leaves you apprehensive, to say the least.
Visions of that Steve McQueen car chase in the film Bullitt spring to mind. You know, the one where the car wheels leave the ground as the vehicle careers downhill and across intersections at high speed.
Then there are those famous, hill-clinging cable cars and their railway gauge lines to negotiate. But it does look inviting, to ride on a segway, that great American invention for solo travel.
The ones for hire from the quaintly named San Francisco Electric Tour Company – under tuition and following a guide – have a maximum speed of 12mph. That’s fast enough, even on the flat areas surrounding the waterfront Fisherman’s Wharf and the Italian-favoured North Beach area.
Even so, you’re soon confident enough to test the smaller, surrounding gradients – and its great fun.
However, if you want the real Bullitt experience, try taking the Number 47 bus down Van Ness Street to the seafront. As you bounce down the steep hill, stopping and starting en route, all human life from around the world is crammed on board.
San Francisco is a true melting pot city with nationalities drawn here from everywhere. The 1849 Californian Gold Rush transformed it from an end-ofthe-world trading post with a population of just 500, into a teeming ‘Hell Hole’ of thousands within just two years. During the gold fever, ships’ crews abandoned the vessels bringing in the fortune hunters, and the Wild West city became a den of vice and crime as the cry went up: “There’s gold in them thar hills!”
Today, seven million people live in the Bay Area, one of nature’s true wonders, and being in this liberal-minded, multi-cultural mix is both exhilarating and heartening.
A visit should be on everyone’s bucket list.
To appreciate the scale of the Bay, and to get a feel of waves of immigrants flocking in, there’s nothing better than doing a bit of Bay Watch yourself. Waiting for a trip round the area aboard a Blue and Gold Fleet vessel, which goes out to the Golden Gate Bridge itself, or taking one
LINDSAY SUTTON visited San Francisco with United Airlines, which flies from Manchester to San Francisco, via Washington. Flights from London Heathrow and Manchester are from £624 return – see www.united.com
He stayed at Hotel Carlton, San Francisco, with rates from £92 per room, per night (www. of their ferries to the commuter sanctuary of pretty Sausalito, you might think you’d be surrounded by peace and tranquillity.
Not a bit of it in anything-goes San Francisco. The sound of bellowing seals, on their floats off neighbouring Pier 39, breaks into the blare of fire engines or police sirens, and there’s even the sound of distant bagpipes for some inexplicable reason.
The seals, arriving suddenly, and en masse, following the jdvhotels.com/HotelCarlton); Seaway Inn at Santa Cruz from £70 (www.seawayinn.com) and at Beach Street Inn and Suites, Santa Cruz, from £110 (www.beachstreetinn.com).
He ate at Scoma’s, Sausalito (www.scomassausalito.com) and at Aquarius Restaurant, Dream Inn, Santa Cruz (www. jdvhotels.com/restaurants/ aquarium).
Compact hire car from Alamo for five days is from £160 (www. alamo.com). 1989 earthquake that reminded folk of the city’s vulnerability, are a major tourist attraction in themselves. Hundreds watch them from the jetties and piers, captivated by their antics as the male seals honk and heave, jockeying for attention from the snoozing females.
It reminds me of inner city Britain on a Saturday night.
But you’re soon away on the ferry, taking in the skyline of San Francisco, the stories of desperate criminals on Alcatraz Island, and then the Golden Gate itself. Apparently, the bridge is the most photographed in the world, and it is truly a great feat of engineering and a wondrous sight for the thousands of tourists who flock here.
Brits lead the way from Europe, but the Germans and French are close behind.
Half an hour on, you’re in pleasant, upmarket Sausalito, away from bustling San Francisco. Strolling round the marina and sea-front shops is refreshing – with art, antiques and curios in abundance.
And eating at Scoma’s splendid restaurant, sited on its own pier, is fantastic. My wife and I took the very table once reserved for Tony and Cherie Blair. I even replicated the smile. Another way to go is by hiring a bike in San Fran, pedalling across the Golden Gate Bridge, then catching the ferry back from Sausalito.
But wear something warm: the cold sea air or trademark Bay fog can be chilly.
Back in San Fran for a couple of days, a City Pass purchase is the way to go, saving you nearly £50 on entry fees.