I have been to San Francisco a few times before and have had a good snoop around but not seen everything, by a long stretch of the imagination. This time I am on a business trip, for a raft of meetings and an internet conference. The trusty old Saturday night rule (yes, it is still alive and well) means that it was much cheaper to get a flight that included Saturday night, so I have Sunday to acclimatise and also have a good look around before getting down to some work on Monday...

This time I set myself the mission of walking from my hotel in Downtown to the Golden Gate Park, visit the de Young Museum and potter through Haight Ashbury.

Firstly, let's be straight - San Francisco is one of the most fabulous US cities. It is unfeasibly picturesque and a great city to walk about.

It takes a bit of getting used to though as it has more homeless people than any 'Western' city I have ever been to and there are more fruitloops/ people talking to themselves than any other city I have been to, anywhere. It is a liberal city and the counter-cultural feel bursts through. I quite like it but I find I need to switch into it.

I am lucky enough to be staying the Mandarin Oriental on this visit (nothing like as fun as the NY one) but the views from my hotel room are the best I have ever had...

A classic San Francisco view right by the hotel:

My real walk then started and I pottered up Sutter, then cut through Japanese town (where there was a big festival getting ready to kick off that I didn't hand around for) and up into Haight Ashbury. Haight is the original hippy zone and heart of the counter-culture. It makes Notting Hill seem a bit half-baked. I have never seen so many folks looking so off their chops and the homeless folks here seem to hold a theatrical status wearing garish outfits and looking cooler than most other people walking about (if you can tell the difference). A fun and colourful vibe though...

...Buena Vista Park was a highlight. If only I had a park like this to walk in each day. It is possible that it beats St James Park...maybe. Love the hill and the light coming through the trees. Special. Anyhow, after absorbing this and a coffee in Haight Ashbury I moved onto the Golden Gate Park. The Botanical Gardens had some juicy stuff in from all over the world but the highlight was, by a long way, the De Young Museum.

I had lunch in the cafe at the De Young, which includes an outdoor space where you can sit in the sun within sight of a raft of fun scultpures including a Henry Moore and a Barbara Hepworth...not bad. The building is great...designed by Herzog & de Meuron, the same folks who did the Tate Modern. They seem to have pulled of a winner. See the pictures below to get a feel of the place.

Well, in summary I had a terrific day walking around. Great stuff and to be reommended. A rare city that I am now increasingly fond of.