Standing in the restaurant on the top floor of the Mark Hopkins International, I was disappointed. Sure, I was going to get to see a decent sunset, but the view wasn’t what I’d hoped. I was in San Francisco — where was the expansive bay and the two iconic bridges that crossed it?
Yes, I knew it was cliche to want to see this view, but my home was now Australia, and I didn’t know when I’d even get back to San Francisco. I wanted to take advantage of the chance I had, but I had no idea how to do so. The Presidio — the only place I could think of to get an up-close view of the Golden Gate Bridge — was too far away; the sun would have well and truly set by the time I got there.
No one I chatted to in the hotel itself had many ideas. They all seemed to lead back to “go up to the restaurant on the top floor, there’s a nice view there.” Frustrated, I walked outside and got into the first cab I saw.
“Hi there, and where are you off to?” the cabbie asked.
“Umm, I’m not really sure. I want to see a good view of the bay at sunset because it’s my only night in San Francisco,” I babbled.
Yes, I was somewhat concerned about actually admitting to the cabbie that I didn’t have the foggiest clue where I wanted to go. If you tell that to a cabbie in Brisbane, they’ll drive you the longest way possible and charge you $100 in the process. I thought it was worth taking a chance though, and hoped that the worst that would happen was missing a good view and losing a few dollars.
I was in luck. Javier was one of the friendliest cabbies I’ve ever met, which seemed to be the way in San Francisco (although I may have just been lucky). After a bit of thought — and a few comments along the lines of “please don’t shoot me with that monster camera of yours! It would hurt!” — we were on our way to the place he considered to have the best view in San Francisco.
On the way, he chatted to me about what I was going to do the following day. He pointed out landmarks like the Cable Car Museum and gave me advice on things to do before and after my trip to Alcatraz. And, as seems to be the norm now in America, he asked me about where I was from because he didn’t think I was American!
His enthusiasm was catching, and what a grin broke out on his face as we pulled into the Coit Tower parking lot. The charge for his driving (and tour guide) services? $7.
After ensuring that I’d given him a healthy tip and many thank yous, I sprinted into the Coit Tower, where I paid $5 and was ushered into the ancient elevator. At the top, I was greeted with 360 degree views of San Francisco and the bay. I could see both of the bridges that I’d come to see, and a lot more besides!
There were surprisingly few people at the top of the tower, possibly due to the impending closing time (30 minutes after sunset). This meant I could stand and stare out any window I pleased (or at the clear, dusky sky above as there was no roof) for as long as I wanted without getting jostled.
Compared to the numbers on the cable car and at Fisherman’s Wharf and Alcatraz, this was complete calm. Yes, my calm was somewhat shattered when I overheard a conversation about what would happen to us if an earthquake happened to strike at that moment…but I just did my best to ignore that!
The sun left a golden glow over the Bay Area as the lights of the city began to wink on. Red and green lights started flashing in the bay and streets became filled with red and white streaks. I stood transfixed, hoping that we would be forgotten about so we could spent just a bit more time watching.
Sadly, that wasn’t the case, and we were soon bustled out into the parking lot, where there were easily five times the number of people there had been at the top of the tower. Some were picnicking and others were loitering with absolutely no intent except to see the view. I joined them and stayed until well after darkness had completely overtaken the city before using the phone number Javier had provided to get a cab “home.”
Did I take a chance that could have resulted in me getting fleeced? Yes. Was it worth it? Absolutely. Thanks, Javier, for chasing that sunset for me.
What chances have you taken while traveling that ended up working out quite well for you?