Intercontinental San Francisco

the North Beach, Telegraph Hill and Russian Hill areas of the city.

Our first climb was up Greenwich Street steps from North Beach. The hilly city has more than 600 public stairways, which are vertical parks with wooden and stone stairs winding up past old houses and through gardens with patches of fennel, nasturtium and blackberry vines, while bees hum in the background. We admired views of the bay from the landmark Coit Tower and Alex brought us to the viewing platform in the tiny, hidden Jack Early Park, from where we could look down over the Golden Gate Bridge and Alcatraz.

On my last day, I learnt that it was not only Alcatraz that had an issue with escapees. ‘Make sure when you leave that you don’t have any butterflies on you,’ said the guide, as myself and a group of other tourists entered the Rainforest exhibit over at the California Academy of Sciences in Golden Gate Park. The warning was in case any of the colourful occupants were making a bid for freedom underneath someone’s coat. The rainforest is set in a massive glass dome with four levels. Hot and humid, it’s full of tropical plants and animals. While I was there, butterflies and birds flew around, frogs croaked and reptiles hid on branches in cages while colourful macaws chatted loudly from tree branches. It was a colourful end to a vivid few days in San Francisco.