California St. and the Omni is the red brick building halfway down on the left. The street is very steep so check your brakes!
Once Omni was an unknown quantity to us but we took a gamble and stayed at one of their hotels and that was enough to convince us that their product was just what we like in hospitality and a good clean room for the night. They run a tight and friendly ship!
Of course I get up early when on vacation and SF is no exception. 6 a.m I am in the lobby of the hotel where they put out Starbucks coffee for the guests. There's also a retail store right across the street but it opens around 6.30 just in time for cup # 2. I walk up the street, wearing my crampons and with a Sherpa team following closely behind until I come to the quiet little park where Chinatown begins.
It is quiet as the homeless men laying among the bushes and benches are fast asleep. They do me no harm and I am not afeard. Birds wake up and sing to me.
Every now and then a Chinese person appears and does those morning exercises. So calm and graceful as they stretch and bend and welcome another day.
There's a nice statue in the park.
Calm and serene, as is the morning. Cool fresh air but it will warm up and we will have a nice sunny day to enjoy a drive far out of the city. North! Over the Golden Gate Bridge and into wild windswept country to the coast. We are going to revisit Pt Reyes Lighthouse. Fresh sea air ahoy!
This is the alley where several of the men sleep with their loaded shopping carts which carry all their assets. They are awake and on the move now, seeking breakfast. I don't photograph them.
But first a look around the neighborhood once I have sipped my coffee-Starbuck's Pike's Place. No exotic flavors for me. Give it to me straight and strong. Leave room for sugar and cream.
I walk down California Street to where the ground flattens out until it reaches the sea at the Ferry Building.
The iconic TransAmerica building points to the sky
The Zeotrope cafe which I believe is owned by Francis Ford Coppola.
I'll have a Guinness and the Shepherd's Pie please.
Great mural !
The view from our room before we set out on our long day trip. It would look exactly the same the next day as nothing had moved in the interim.
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