July 8 Day 4
I booked us into two free walking tours. The first, 'Secrets, Scandals and Scoundrels' covered a large part of the financial district. The guide was superb and regaled us with stories of the lawlessness of the west. Stage coach robberies, con-men and shanghaiing all form part of the rich history and might account for the bravado and brashness which seems a part of the American make-up. The guide told us stories of how the demand for ships labourers would be met by an unscrupulous inn owner who would treat unsuspecting newcomers to San Francisco to free (laced) whiskey. The next morning they would wake with a headache and be on board a ship as labourer en route to the Orient.
 |
| Free Tours by Foot Guide |
 |
| Nude cyclists near the Ferry Blg |
After the tour we headed down to the Ferry Building which houses a few waterfront resturants and food markets.
July 8 happened to be 'cycle in the nude day' in this anything goes city and a few male nude and very tanned cyclists we saw.
We had a Japanese meal in the Justin Herman Plaza nearby before heading to Chinatown for our second tour. San Francisco Chinatown is the largest Chinatown outside of China.
 |
| Chinatown murals |
 |
| Communal living room |
The collective bargaining power of the Chinese has meant that the area has been preserved and protected from the encroaching Financial district.
The rents for the Chinese flats are kept low at about $1200 US per month but the average size is only 8 x 10 metres with shared kitchen and bathroom facilities.
The Chinese thus use St Mary's Park as a communal living room as their apartments are too small to socialise in. see
Free Tours.
 |
| The Painted Ladies |
After the tour we walked to Lombard Street in Russian Hill which has a famous crooked section.
The speed limit is 5 miles per hour and the section is a series of curves and switchbacks.
See their website.
 |
| Nearby the Haight district |
From there we walked back to the hotel for a rest before catching a bus to Alamo Square to see the famous painted ladies which is a row of pastel coloured houses.
We walked through a neighborhood of more beautiful houses and had a Mexican meal at Haight-Ashbury before catching the bus home. We clocked up 23,000 steps on that day.
