“Urban Hiking” (Coined by dear Lindsey)

museums, murals, gardens, gothic cathedrals, Victorian hotels, hidden stairways, historical societies, sweet villages, shopping , cafes, discovering restaurants, playing tourist in your own home town . . .


Discovery Walks in San Francisco with Ann


Thank you, thank you, God for my fellow flaneur, Ann Cromey! She loves adventure like I do, ambling up and down the streets of San Francisco, discovering old and new neighborhoods that delight. We both pore over books detailing interesting, urban walks and share adventures with each other once a month on Thursday afternoons. We’ve been to several neighborhoods in the City, some of which she has never explored and she’s lived in San Francisco for 30 plus years.


We’ve wandered through the colorful murals of the Mission, the botanical gardens in Golden Gate Park in the early spring, funky neighborhoods with pink and purple cottages, hidden alleys with murals painted on garages, winding, hilly streets, small bookstores and tiny branch libraries.


We have found hidden gardens in the back of institutional concrete buildings and discussed horticulture with an Episcopalian monk. We’ve enjoyed picnics on the top of Twin Peaks, and shared some of our most intimate secrets, feeling safe and secure, high above the world.


We have mounted countless city stairways, elegant and hidden, and peeked through the railings at pretty gardens and stained glass windows on small wooden homes.


We have found our way into gorgeous Gothic cathedrals and modern churches with colorful murals of interfaith saints and dark, interesting art surrounding a funky communion altar.


We came upon a cowgirl lesbian bar in Bernal Heights, with extremely interesting characters of both genders, and enjoyed a cool drink in the back on a hidden outdoor patio. You would never know it was back there! I love that - a secret world, hidden from direct view. I have always been enchanted by the little worlds within the big world.


One afternoon, in that same spirit, we found a hidden neighborhood inside a part of the city called Edgewood. It took some time to find it, climbing brutal San Francisco style winding hills, but we were greeted by a whole other world up there.


There was a cul-de-sac of four very interesting houses, one with a larger than life metal carving of a bear mounted in the front yard, complete with totem poles and colorful stained glass windows. We peeked in a garden down the street that seemed to go on for miles, high above the city with a Japanese inspired hot tub. Further down, we spotted a ramshackle writer’s retreat type hut, perched in back of a larger house. I imagined myself with a pot of tea on a cold winter morning, writing in that little sanctuary. Dear God, I can only hope that the owners are not using it for a storage shed!


Another afternoon we changed our plans spontaneously when we woke up to Bay Area summer fog. We decided to explore Japantown instead of a hike overlooking the ocean. (what ocean?) We had a couple of hours in the afternoon and wanted to immerse ourselves in a different culture.


We started with a lovely Japanese crafts boutique, where each piece had a story. We traveled back in time, immersing ourselves into the stories and found them fascinating. The store keeper was only too obliging to tell us of his wares and how he came upon them. Ann had given him a beautiful pair of hakama (wide legged pants) she had collected on her trip to Japan. She had worn them only once and wanted them to go to a good home. The spirit of Vacation at Home is always keeping it simple, paring down and giving away what you no longer need.


Next, we wandered down a corridor that had been built to reenact a typical market street in Japan. A noodle restaurant called to us and we sat down to a delightful lunch of braised tofu, noodles, odd looking vegetables and great conversation about Ann’s travels in Japan thirty-eight years earlier. The restaurant was packed with people of all different ethnicities and it was lively and energizing, setting the tone for the rest of the day.


I had been looking for a crisp cotton kimono robe for Rob for years. I wanted it to be an authentic Japanese yukata and I was waiting for just the right thing. The shopkeeper graciously brought out several yukatas with gorgeous Japanese designs and I chose the first one she showed us. (The first one is always the one). She wrapped it so beautifully and carefully. It looked exquisite. I am not used to people taking their time. Moving slowly and thoughtfully is definitely part of being on vacation. I tucked it into my pack and couldn’t wait to get home to give the gift I had waited so long to find to my sweetie.


We wandered outside of the mall and found ourselves in the middle of an open air square, surrounded by Japanese inspired gardens. We found a Buddhist temple up the street, knocked gently and were admitted by a young monk, who graciously invited us into the sanctuary. We spent several minutes in utter silence and reverence, allowing ourselves to be absorbed by this sacred space. What a glorious respite from the street life of the city. Back on the street, we stopped in a Japanese grocery and bought a package of mochi; minature, flour, rice and bean sweet treats I had never tasted before. We found a perfect bench in the middle of the square and munched happily. Did I like them? Well, sort of – it was mostly adventurous and fun to try them.


Two hours passed quickly, and on our way back to the BART, we came upon a marvelous Victorian hotel, spanning almost the whole of a city block! We looked at each other, “Should we go take a peek?” Of course! Part of vacation is being interruptible, allowing life to beckon us with its surprises. We passed a delightful slice of time wandering up through each floor, taking in the authentic velvet couches, needlework pillows, gilt edged framed art above the fireplace, wide, hushed hallways with freshly painted wainscoting and even a turn of the century wooden pulpit on the top floor! How cool is that? (Both of our husbands are Episcopal priests).

We fluttered down the red carpeted stairs, floor by floor, admiring the gleaming bannister and the quaint sitting areas on each landing on our way to the information desk. We wanted to see a room! The concierge was only too happy to oblige and the next scene found us in the middle of another world, complete with a massive four poster bed, a Victorian chest of drawers and vanity and a huge claw foot tub in a roomy bathroom with black and white diamond tiles. We collected the brochure and rates and vowed to come back for a weekend expedition on vacation at home.


This whole expedition took place in approximately five city blocks, not more than a couple of miles from where we live. Who says we can’t have a perfectly marvelous vacation at home in the space of a few stolen hours in the afternoon?