Everyone seems to own a laptop and in café's far more people sit alone to work on their laptops as overhere;
I can not get used to the plastic or paper cups in which coffee is served, like in the omni-present Starbucks (I tried to avoid them, but they are so typical for America that I had to at least try once, so I did in Berkeley); enormous cups though;
SF is much more Asian as I expected; I had the opinion that more than half of the inhabitants of SF are Asian-Americans;
The hills are really very steep (Telegraph Hill !) - cycling is no option;
Even in a "walking city" as SF Americans do not seem to walk; outside the city center you see hardly any person walking the pavements;
On several places in town the victims of AIDS are remembered - must have a huge impact on the town and was impressive;
Americans are easy to get in contact with - more than in Europe people start a conversation with complete strangers, which makes it easier for single travelers;
Strange is the price system in shops; you do not pay what is on the price tag - the cashier adds another percentage for taxes: for example instead of $ 9.99 you pay $ 10.68 - impractical;
When I am abroad my home country is almost non-existant. But the first thing I heard on the TV news was a plane crash at Amsterdam-Airport. The airport where I had started my trip that morning; weird;
Art and a healthy lifestyle are more present in SF than in most other cities - everything has to be healthy, organic and environmentally friendly; they just keep on going to the supermarket in their huge SUVs;
I had to get used to the fact that if you eat at a restaurant you get the bill presented the moment you have taken your last bite - do they want you to go ? I am not sure what they expect; as a "stupid" foreigner you can do what you like and that is what I did;
Lot of homeless people on the street; I do not know whether this is the crisis or whether it is normal for an American city; suppose they are not victims of the crisis, but drunks and/or drug addicts; as long as they do not bother me I am fine;
Service in the organic supermarkt round the corner of my hotel was fantastic - everything was fresh and it was possible to fill yourself a box with a lot of hot fresh food (usually Asian) for just $ 6 irrespective of what you take;
Food is in general cheaper in America - wine and other drinks are more expensive - a glass of wine costs you in general $ 8 or $ 9, you should expect otherwise with the Californian vineyards so close by;
In the style department Americans are no front-runners. Although the major designers are present in the shops around town, it does not reflect what you see on the streets. No style or "hoodies" dominate.
Golden Gate bridge is magnificent. I did not expect to get excited by a bridge, but the blue of the water, the green of the hills, the bright red of the bridge, the aesthetic, the sheer magnitude ... Great !
No better views of SF than from a ferry or from Sausalito and Tiburon across the bay.
For the first time in my life I have seen the Pacific !!
Enjoyed hearing and looking at the man with the guitar-playing dog ( a tiny Pekinese). Something was "loose";
Traffic lights for pedestrians indicate how long these lights still are green. Good initiative - should be done overhere as well !
Almost no people were shopping at the big stores - what is happening ? Crisis ?
Another first in a lifetime experience: an escalator with a curve (in Nordstrom); never seen such a thing before;
And so the list of my experiences (big and small) goes on and on. But not for today. Till next time !
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