Telegraph Hill
After the visit to Napa Valley, my work week commences. My (temporary) offfice is in a building in the financial district, just across the street from the Transamerica Pyramid and south of Telegraph Hill. What a view! My breath was taken away the moment I stepped into the office. For a week afterwards I would be sitting there facing this view -- the next 9 pictures were all taken from my desk. With the Coit Tower on top of the hill and the San Francisco Bay beyond (and the Richmond-San Rafael Bridge in the distance), this view fascinates me everyday.
(Click on each image to see the high-resolution version)
Then one morning -- this was the Friday of my work week, the last day before my departure -- I decided to climb the hill and go to the Coit Tower. After staring at it for a week, the hill almost gained a mysterious aura in my mind, and I just had to go there. And how did I get there? By taking the Filbert Steps, of course! This the the most lovely stairway I've ever been on, as it winds through flower-laiden yards of quaint residences. Maybe I will buy one of these houses when I win the lottery.
The steps took me to Poineer Park around the Coit Tower. This was early in the morning and the tower wasn't even open, but from the park I could see the bay and Alcatraz in the early morning light.
As this was my last day (on this trip anyway), I in fact made another walk to the top of Telegraph Hill and the Coit Tower during lunch. Funny that I had been to San Francisco so many times (no fewer than a dozen) and I was of course always aware of the presence of the nuzzle-shaped Coit Tower, yet I had never been to the top of it. This time I was determined to check it out. I walked along the steep streets of Telegraph Hill, which is lined with the quintessential San Francisco rowhouses.
This was a perfect day, and the view of the whole San Francisco Bay was splendid indeed from atop of Coit Tower.
And, of course, one could see Alcatraz from there.
A view through the windows of Coit Tower.
I had no expectations going in, and was pleasantly surprised to find the beautiful murals depicting California life on the first floor inside the tower.
Telegraph Hill (view from my desk)
Telegraph Hill (view from my desk)
Telegraph Hill (view from my desk)
Telegraph Hill (view from my desk)
Telegraph Hill (view from my desk)
Telegraph Hill (view from my desk)
Telegraph Hill (view from my desk)
Telegraph Hill (view from my desk)
Telegraph Hill (view from my desk)
Filbert Steps
Coit Tower
Coit Tower
Alcatraz
Telegraph Hill
San Francisco Bay
San Francisco Bay
Alcatraz
From Coit Tower
Coit Tower Mural
Coit Tower Mural
Coit Tower Mural
Coit Tower Mural
