As an avid traveler, my
job allows me to travel, either to attend a conference, seminar or present
papers in these events. I also ensure that I plan trips with my family as often
as I can. Recently I had the opportunity to attend a course at Stanford
University. Post the course I stayed back a couple of days at San Francisco, to
be a tourist. Being a historian primarily, I donned the hat of both a tourist
and a historian and visited some places. I booked myself on to one of the
Hop-on and Hop-off buses, since I had paucity of time and did not want to spend
time identifying tourist spots and other destinations.
In 1.5 days, I was able to
see some interesting places.
Chinatown

Sausalito
My friend took me on a
ferry from the Bay to reach this tiny ship building centre during the World Wat
11 -Sausalito. It is dotted with charming residential
communities and unique shops (especially for tourists) and cafes. I could not
visit the Bay Model and Bay Area Discovery Museum due to paucity of time.
Fisherman’s Wharf
Historic signs, placed
along the water’s edge of Fisherman’s Wharf by the Port of San Francisco, tell
the Wharf’s history, give insight into today’s fishing community, and explain
the need to protect the bay.
It was once a home to a
fleet of more than 400 fishing boats. It is also known for filming the famous
James Bond movie-A View to Kill (1985), where James Bond meets CIA Agent Chuck
Lee to kill Max Zorin the villain.

Union Square
The Union Square got its
name from the pro-Union rallies which was held on the eve of the Civil War. The
monument is a tribute to the sailors of the United States Navy. Today it is an
ideal tourist shopping attraction. It houses all the brands and shops where one
can spend several hours either window shopping or buying some clothes and other
accessories. Historically the Union
Square was a huge sand dune but in 1850 it was made into a public park.
Golden Gate Bridge

Pier 35
It serves as a major
cruise ship terminal and is in the Embarcadero area. It
is known for the market place during the weekends. I visited the market on a
Saturday and was amazed to see the fresh vegetables, fruits, sea food. There is
a statue of Mahatma Gandhi which was given to the city in 1988 by the Gandhi Memorial International
Foundation.

Stanford University
