Our last two full days in the States. Very sad our trip is coming to an end. On Tuesday we spent the morning in Haight-Ashbury, the old hippy district of San Francisco. Haight Street has many vintage clothing and vinyl shops, as well as many cannabis stores. We particularly enjoyed perusing in Amoeba records – the largest independent music store in the States. We came away with a few CDs.
We had lunch at a 1920s style ice cream and soda bar on Cole Street. All the sodas are made from scratch here. The cola float was particularly good.
We spent the afternoon walking some of the many very steep hills, including those around the Castro area.
We met a friend in the Latino Mission district for a really good Cuban meal at Radio Habana.
On Wednesday we finally got to ride a cable car from Market Street up to Ghiardelli square. We chose to sit on the outside but you can hang off the side if you want. The cars are pushed round manually on a small turntable at each end of the route. A really enjoyable ride but a nightmare for EU health and safety law!
We had lunch at one of the many cafes in Chinatown. Chinatown here is much bigger than in London, as you might expect. There is also a Japan town too. Close to Chinatown is Grace cathedral on California Street. It’s a mock-Norman building with a vaulted roof. It’s a really beautiful space. They are celebrating 100 years of music this December. The Tallis Scholars are coming to sing as part of this celebration.
We spent our final evening in the States at a performance of Britten’s War Requiem by the San Francisco Symphony Orchestra and Chorus. Concerts seem somewhat more exclusive here than in Washington DC – ticket prices were higher and we felt a little underdressed for the occasion. It was a great concert – we particularly enjoyed hearing the tenor, James Gilchrist.
We fly home to London Heathrow this evening, arriving back mid-afternoon tomorrow. We are planning to do one final post so check back here within the next couple of days!
Becca & Mike x
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