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"If You’re Going to San Francisco…"
By Steve and Kathy Sansone

 

We really didn’t leave town on April 12 just to avoid the Highway 22 Clean-up…honestly! That weekend, Steve and I had planned to re-discover a city we just hadn’t visited for a long time, and found the running opportunities to be wonderful.

Friday was a gorgeous day, and we got our bearings by riding the cable cars and walking the hills and wharf. We planned to do a long run on Saturday, so of course, that was the day of the thunderstorms.

Being the off-season, the cable cars weren’t running regularly. No problem, we thought. Let’s just warm up by walk/running down (well, up and down) to the wharf. From there, we ran west along the waterfront, past Ghirardelli Square, Fort Mason, and the Presidio. All was pretty flat here, with a great view of the bay. It rained lightly; a perfect temperature for runners.

Reaching Golden Gate Bridge, we linked up with a man from Kentucky, who was enjoying a long run as training for an upcoming half marathon. He was game to join us as we ran across the bridge and back again. Maybe because the sensation was so awesome, it felt like we had known him for a long time. We ooohed, ahhed, and took plenty of pictures. As we came back to the south end of the bridge, he waved goodbye, wisely choosing to hail a cab back to his hotel. This good run is about 14 miles roundtrip, depending of course on where you’re staying.

Steve and I plodded on. It was really pouring by this time. At Fort Mason, the skies cracked with thunder, and lightning lit up everything around us. Our clothing felt like shredded Kleenex it got so saturated. Even though the weather Oregon-ized itself for us, we wouldn’t have changed a step of that run!

The next day we bussed over to Golden Gate Park. It’s set up a bit like Central Park in NYC, with roads and running trails throughout. We ran out JFK Drive to the Pacific, and then back on MLK Drive, stopping to wander through the Japanese Tea Garden, and watch many people doing Tai Chi in the early hours of a quiet Sunday.

We were delighted with our out-of-town runs, and the way we met people and saw sights in this beautiful city. Our recommendation for a mid-priced hotel is the Hotel Vintage Court on Bush St., which includes complimentary wine tasting at 5 p.m. each day. A nice way to recover from those hills…