Finagle's Rules of Scientific Experiments
1. To study a subject best, understand it thoroughly before you start.
2. Always keep a record of data. It indicates you've been working.
3. Always draw your curves, then plot the reading.
4. In case of doubt, make it sound convincing.

San Francisco - The city I left my heart in.

Suggest you have this map ready in order to get better oriented to the city. And links in italics are to pictures that I have taken.

A quaint old city jostling for space in the narrow peninsula fighting with tall glassy modern rock formations called skyscrapers. That interspersed with steep crooked streets, lined with Victorian era houses, which give panaromic views of the giant turquoise bay, the surrounding, often cloud-covered mountains and snaky suspension bridges which reach out like long steel arms trying to touch the opposite bay. And in between are antique cable cars that still shuttle passengers up and down the city slopes; All make San Francisco one of the most picturesque cities in the US.
A truly worthy city to spend a lifetime in.

The city is truly a melting pot of cultures, music, food, and last but not the least people. You will find Chinese delicacies in narrow crowded cafes in Chinatown giving fair competition to the finest Italian cuisine and wine in upmarket restaurants; people in black coats walking elegantly among tall skyscrapers rubbing shoulders with tourists from Germany; these and many more make it a veritable pot pourri of destinations and help it become one of the must-see places in USA.

As it is quite a small city, it is easy to get around just on foot. Walking around is probably the best way to see the otherwise unreachable and more hidden mystical places of the city. And being tourist-friendly, it is quite easy to get around public transportation. I myself did about a 5 mile walking tour of San Francisco, starting from the famous Pier 39, after treating myself to delicious Ghirardelli chocolates while watching the frolicking sea lions, to downtown and then the Embarcadero along San Francisco's Shoreline. Some highlights:

• Japanese Tea Garden: This quaint Japanese garden filled with small bonsai trees and intricate statues and shrines attracts people for its famous tea also (which I did not have).
  
• Conservatory of Flowers: Houses a lot of really pretty flowers, as its name indicates. Some mesmerizing orchids and mystical dahlias fighting for space with large tropical plants and temperate ferns.
  
• Alcatraz Island: The famous prison-island, the story-line of "The Rock" and accessible only by ferry is pictured in this . This was taken from a top of a steep road, looking down at Fishermans wharf and the Alcatraz island.
  
• Coit Tower and San Francisco: This hill and the tall tower on it, which uncannily resembles a fire hose provides panaromic views of the downtown, the bay area and the two suspension bridges.
  
• Downtown and the financial district: If New York is the financial capital of (eastern) USA, then San Francisco is the financial capital of western USA - clearly epitomized by the dense congregation of buildings in the downtown and the financial district. Downtown also houses many beautiful structures best seen through a casual stroll.

After all this, it is a city which wants me to see even more. A city with a magnetic personality, its everchanging face never ceases to amaze me. And makes me come back again and again to soak in its eternal beauty.