Favorite Walking Tour on Columbus Ave, San Francisco, CA

Columbus Ave, San Francisco

It is fun to walk along Columbus Avenue in San Francisco. Columbus Avenue is a very familiar and well known street to most people. It runs diagonal across San Francisco from the Fisherman’s Wharf to the Financial District ending at Montgomery. 

With little written about this street, I did find information on Wikipedia and a Via (CSAA) article written by Camille Cusumano, June 2004. 

I use Columbus Avenue as a major street artery that connects to many diverse points of interest crossing from Market to Fisherman's Wharf.  Columbus goes through the North Beach neighborhood (although there is not a beach here today) where there is an Italian influence by Washington Square.  It is situated between Russian Hill and Telegraph Hill (near Coit tower).

You may view one of the crookedest streets, Lombard Street, and easily wander into Chinatown and the Financial District by the Pyramid Building. This area is packed with lots of history – from the old Barbary Coast (1800’s) to the Beat Generation (1950s) and writers like Jack Kerouac.  

Be careful when driving, you will find some confusing five and six way intersections.  This street is an original part of Montgomery Ave, the street was changed to Columbus in honor of the Italian population.

Walking Tour Starts at Fisherman's Wharf

The best way to experience Columbia Avenue is by walking.  Start at Fisherman’s Wharf (at the sign in my picture) and I predict you will not be able to go the full length without stopping at cafes, restaurants, book stores, bakeries, and even nightclubs. I really don’t want to recommend one over the other as you discover each one on your own. I found a fabulous little neighborhood restaurant with great pizza after watching Beach Blanket Babylon.

My Insider Secrets

• City Lights Bookstore
• Francis of Assisi – The city’s namesake which also contains a small reproduction of Basilica of San Francesco d’Assisi
• St. Peter and Paul Church (Washington Square) – This is where Joe DiMaggio and Marilyn Monroe came for photos after they were married at City Hall.
• Stinking Rose Restaurant, 325 Columbus Ave, (415) 781-767 (Delicious! if you like garlic)
• Beach Blanket Babylon – One of a kind San Francisco theater, never boring (415) 421-4222 Open Wednesday - Sunday

Disappointed:  I am sad to report the Joe DiMaggio’s Restaurant, a icon within North Beach, is now closed (October 2010). There were very elegant leather booths and interesting DiMaggio artifacts. I will miss their delicious food! 

Experience the different flavors on this walking tour down Columbus Ave. in San Francisco! 

Off the beaten path in local communities ~ The Fun Tour Guru 

Please share with us your favorites in this neighborhood!

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(Before I head into my next story, I am excited to announced my new home - internet address of http://www.funtourguru.com/ which will be available across the internet in 2-3 days. No worries, you will be redirected from the old address. It is official, as the Fun Tour Guru, you may wander with me off the beaten path. I look forward to my goal of writing about many local communities – if you are a member of Tourism or Marketing agencies, please contact me to line up opportunities.)

Santa Cruz, CA - More Than Surf, Historic Mission Santa Cruz Too

Of course Mother's Day brings memories to some of us that we share together with our own Mothers.  I know my Mother enjoyed going to the places I loved with her California visits.  Santa Cruz is one of those places we shared together and I remember she asked, "Have I lost you to the ocean?"  To my Mother, thank you for being with me, always and forever!  

A different Santa Cruz, CA 

I think about Santa Cruz, CA as a fun, off beat, surfing, and college town which lies where the north side of Monterey Bay merges with the Pacific Ocean. Santa Cruz tends to have an opposite attraction from the town of Monterey,  and is more the place where the locals hang out. Many visitors head "over the hill" from San Jose, CA on Hwy 17 and go directly to see the Wharf, Boardwalk, and West Cliff Drive. A few people might even frequent downtown Santa Cruz sidewalks.  How many actually visit Mission Hill? What is Mission Hill?  

Mission Hill in Santa Cruz, CA

 Mission Hill, Santa Cruz, CA

The Holy Cross Church is the symbol of where the Mission Santa Cruz once stood.  Today visitors may walk around this church and the State Historical Park building complex.   

The Mission Santa Cruz is the 12th of 21 California missions established in 1791 and built between the years of 1822 and 1824, mostly by the hard work of Native Americans in what was then known as "Alta California". 

California State Historic Park

Santa Cruz Mission State Historic Park is the site of several buildings erected around the original Santa Cruz Mission. Part of the cluster, the Neary-Rodriguez Adobe was built in 1791 and is the last of the mission's many buildings to survive.

Santa Cruz means "holy cross" in Spanish. Learn lessons from history as you visit this replica of the actual mission - which has gone through many disasters – including many, many earthquakes. All but nine buildings on Mission Hill are in a Special Use (Historic) District, to maintain the area’s historic character.

Inside the Santa Cruz Mission State Historic Park 

The interior of the church has only a few original artifacts.  Most items were lost or destroyed in earthquakes. Visitors will find a 1797 oil painting of the Virgen de Guadalupe hanging on the side wall of the church, and in the garden may be seen the original hand-carved baptismal font once located in the sanctuary.

The day I visited, the park was closed. I took a 3 pictures between the space of the closed gate of the historical park. I found these fascinating views by doing this: 

 

 

Mission Santa Cruz 130 Emmet Street (831) 426-5686

Days and hours have recently changed to Thursday – Saturday from 10 a.m. – 2 p.m. You might want to call to be sure it is open. There is a small gift shop to browse.

The history in Santa Cruz, I wonder ...

did the Spanish Priests and early American Indians have some type of surfboard? 

Off the beaten path in local communities ~ The Fun Tour Guru 

Everyday is a Happy Mother's Day! 

Add your comments!

Don't Miss: Cable Car Museum - San Francisco

A popular ride in the San Francisco is of course the cable cars – and a great place to stop and explore is the Cable Car Museum. 

One of my previous San Francisco events was with a group of Australian engineers and (of course!) I received many questions about the Cable Car Museum, where it was, and the easiest way to get there. The research I prepared reminded me of the amazing entrepreneur story behind these famous Cable Cars.

Historic San Francisco Cable Cars

Cable Car Museum

The Cable Car Museum (415) 474-1887 is free to visit and located in the historic Washington/Mason cable car barn and powerhouse.  Open daily (please call in advance to verify hours open) except a few major holidays. 

This excellent self guided tour overlooks the huge engines and winding wheels that pull the engines. You will see 3 antique cars from 1870s and of course there is a store to buy gifts.

Excuse this image - taken in process during the rain.  Location: Washington & Mason

San Francisco Entrepreneur Story Behind the Cable Cars

The San Francisco entrepreneur story we often forget from our Gold Rush days is about the man and inventor, Andrew Smith Hallidie.  Who is this? Yes, Hallidie was the inventor considered the Father of the Cable Cars. As many of these stories are passed down through the years, you may hear different versions.

Do you know that Hallidie’s father was an inventor in Great Britain with a patent for wire rope cable?  It was the Gold Rush which brought father and son to California. Many miners became disappointed and Andrew’s father returned to England. Hallidie stayed and worked many jobs like we do -- as a gold miner, blacksmith, surveyor, and builder of bridges throughout California. He was instrumental in using wire ropes to lower cars to haul ore from the mine to the mill. 

As many people did during the Gold Rush days, Andrew Smith Hallidie left the mining camps and returned to San Francisco where he started manufacturing wire rope. The Hallidie ropeway and aerial tramway were a couple of successful inventions and patents of his. After observing the suffering horses hauling heavy loads up and down the slick cobbled streets of these steep San Francisco hills, Hallidie created the loop mechanism where cable cars would be towed by an underground cable in 1873 and successfully created the cable car line.

Don’t Miss Attraction: Cable Car Museum

Cable car success reached throughout the world during this early period with the largest system in Melbourne, Australia. 

Today? San Francisco’s Cable Cars are a National Historic Moving Monument.

Be sure to purchase a day pass and get off of the Cable Cars at Washington and Mason streets. Go inside this Museum and discover even more of this story for yourself. It is not necessary   to be an engineer to enjoy the story.  

Do you like this article? Please review the items in this sidebar and share with your friends.  Add your insights about Cable Cars and talk with us below.

There is always more information to every story ~ The Fun Tour Guru

Bonus Insider Tip see below fun pictures (in action) and things to know when riding cable cars: 

Don't stand behind the gripman. 

  Hold on tightly to the loops.

Be prepared for the crowds in the cars on rainy days.

Other San Francisco activities are Chinatown Walks.

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One Job for America

This is a subject which really hits home with me - creating jobs for America.  We hear about some emphasis of creating jobs in the news everyday, what might we really do individually to help?

Today, I heard about this website from a talk show which featured job discussions.  

One Job for America

The website site was created in February by Carla Emil & Rich Silverstein. Carla writes in her article with HuffPost Business, "Maybe a better way to say it is that One Job for America encourages us to be responsible citizens and it gives us hope that we can participate in making this a better world. We can come together, as members of a national community, and try to solve this problem one job at a time." 

The website is simple with 3 tabs and a list of 173 companies that have taken the pledge. (as of todays date). You may read "In the News" ~ See Who's Pledge ~ Pledge One Job. And, the map shows not only companies that pledge jobs, it shows positions fulfilled – hired on what dates.

A sincere thank you to Carla Emil! How may you include this pledge in your business plan today?  Please, share & discuss with us how you may do this as a small business. Let people help you!

One Job for America

Hire one person! People are ASSETS, not liabilities.  The Fun Tour Guru! 

Bridges Connect People & Communities Together, Let's Connect People & Jobs Together

Dream Vacation & Taking Pictures

I am excited to connect with other business professionals & entrepreneurs - "giving back" and helping others. This idea I received as I now follow Tory Johnson (Thank you, Tory, for all of your inspiration!) I am amazed with all of the incredible people with intriguing successful businesses which I am lining up as guest writers. Now read on! for "today's feature guest writer."

Taking Great Images on Trips

As you already know from my stories, pictures are one of my favorite pieces of every trip and meeting. Even though I am not a professional photographer, I take those unusual images that remind you of your experiences. Some of these images have been selected by Sacramento Connect as photo of the day, and I have had other written publication solicitations. 

But, What is important to remember when taking these pictures on your own trips? What camera do you use?  How to do you remember what happened?  Read on....

  Susan Berland, Creative Memories Senior Consultant, shares how to take a picture & capture memories of your dream trips. And, she will later share how to organize into telling your special story.  Susan is the author of A Picture's Worth where she shares more information with her readers. 

      About Susan Berland ~  I take a lot of pictures – I always have. In 2000 I found myself with 30 years of pictures and lost memories. I finally found a way to organize and display my photos so that I could enjoy them and tell the stories behind them, ensuring the stories would live on. I thought I’d always remember what was happening in those thousands of pictures but sadly, many of the stories were gone.

I’m a busy woman and I understand not everyone has time to "scrapbook." I love helping other busy people find solutions that work into their busy lives for the pictures they take of their families, their vacations, family reunions; all those special moments, so they don’t end up with pictures and no stories. After all, who wants their pictures to end up in the flea market!

Dream Vacation & Taking Pictures 

You’re finally going on your dream vacation – the one you’ve waited you’re entire life for (or at least it seems that way!). You want to be sure to remember every moment of it.

First you need a good camera. You may already have one. If not, it’s a good investment. The point and shoot cameras available today are incredible and not too expensive. If you’re already an experienced photographer, great! Take along your camera and lenses, maybe even your tripod. For me, when I travel, my camera is about all I can carry! I have a high end Sony point and shoot camera that is about 2 years old. It takes great pictures and I’ve learned to use many of its features. If you buy a new camera, take some time to learn its features and practice with it before you leave so you’re comfortable with it.

Here are some tips for taking pictures while you are away:

• Turn off your flash! Whenever possible use natural light. You will get better pictures.
• Don’t be afraid to move in close. If you are taking pictures of people, animals, flowers – close ups are more dramatic and beautiful.
• Look for the unusual to take pictures of. I love to take pictures of the locals if I’m traveling abroad. I also like to take pictures of unusual food I see in open-air markets or things that are really colorful.
• If you are taking a picture of a large monument like a pyramid, don’t have someone pose in front of it. You won’t be able to see them! Take the pyramid and take another picture of your sweetie, close up, in front of the pyramid. You’ll know where they were standing!
• Take a lot of pictures. Professional photographers will tell you that to get one great photo, they had to shoot hundreds. That’s the beauty of digital cameras. You don’t have to print (or even keep) the bad ones. 

An Image From Susan Berland's Picture Album

Be sure to bring along spare batteries. I always have an extra, fully charged battery with me because my camera battery always dies when that perfect picture comes along! And be sure to have a large enough memory card and bring along an extra, just in case.

I usually write a few minutes in a travel journal each night about what I did that day and that helps me remember what’s in all those pictures I took.

Lastly, while you are on your dream vacation, have fun. Take pictures but don’t let that get in the way of your experience. In my next post, I’ll talk about what to do with all those pictures when you get home and you’ll see some of my pictures.

Where are you going to go on your dream vacation? Who are you going to go with?

_____________
Thank you Susan Berland for sharing!  Continue to connect with Susan at A Picture's Worth.

Taking Pictures on dream vacations! ~~ The Fun Tour Guru