Arrival in San Francisco
The night before we were to arrive in San Francisco the ships news (which was printed daily on the ship) suggested that those of us who hadn't seen the Golden Gate Bridge might like to be up on deck at say 6.15 a.m. as we would be sailing underneath her we did get up early mother and I and were up and ready at 5.45 a.m. which was just as well - for what turned out to be for me an experience of a lifetime and somthing I will NEVER NEVER ever forget....
The sea was calm and beautifully green there was no breeze and a light smell in the air of something I have tried to remember many times - I think it might have been the 'golden' part of California unsure to this day. Will talk about this later.
The sky was getting lighter reasonably quickly and by 6 it was almost fully light. Now there was a fog or mist around in patches and didn't think much about that at the time. I was ofcourse totally bored and wanted to a. be back asleep or b. playing with the other kids (who hadn't come up on deck) or c. just anywhere else but where we were. Over the years this often happened mother had her ideas and so did I but I usually capitulated until I was at least 15 years old - best method to survive I feel.
We had been allowed to stand under the bridge on the fordeck and out of nowhere there was a wall of fog like a concrete wall straight across in front of the ship - this I thought at the time not a lot about but now when I recall it must have been the most amazing sight....
This fog/mist (which was quite thick) started to part and blobbed away in fairly big bits and in the distance I could just make out a shape wasn't able to decide what but there was a structure of some kind and it took probably another 10 mintues before you could see that it was the Golden Gate Bridge only visible in parts throught the mist and it got closer and closer and eventually there was the entire Bridge with the sun shining on it an absolutely (I do not lie) golden...it was as if it had materialized out of thin air. Now my attention was peeked at this point so I watched in awe as we steamed towards it.
Couldn't see any of the city just the Bridge and then all of a sudden it was up close and personal HUGE and AMAZING...you could see cars and movement on the Bridge but it was soooo coool.....
Don't know how to explain this but a big ship going under a huge Bridge into a harbour like that in San Francisco is awe inspiring even at 8 years old. The adults who had come to look were all chatting loudly but I don't know what they were saying can't remember too long ago.
Seemed that the ship picked up speed as we went underneath her, I looked up and we were on the other side within what seemed like a second now, but probably 3/4 minutes as she passed overhead.
Now you won't believe it but the second the bow of the ship was level with the Golden Gate Bridge we could see almost the entire city of San Francisco with the sun beating down on the buildings and shining off the glass windows. Now in Auckland we had buildings only up to 5 stories tall so can you imagine how wonderful it was to see tall skyscrapers (now ofcourse all probably gone and replaced with even bigger and better) but Coyt Tower and Alcatraz all there to be seen....wow its making me cry I'm crying typing this it was amazing, awesome, fantastic, not enough adjs to explain what it was like how it felt in my soul or gut or wherever.....
It was like disneyland (which I saw) but nothing can explain how it felt to see all of that as a picture and to be able to keep it in my minds eye for all these years, certianly must have been fantastingly grand enough to stick....for this many years and I must also have a photographic memory.
We birthed at the Port of San Francisco terminal almost under the sign. Think that sign may still be there don't know. Hope and pray that one day my children might experience such an event one that you can keep in your heart for your lifetime.
We were met at the pier by a daughter of one of my mother's friends who had married an American GI during the war. This had all be organised via written correspondence over a considerable number of months prior to our leaving Auckland. All went to plan they were at the dock waiting and yes she was wearing a red hat to be seen - my mother that is. Always hat and gloves for town!!!!!Oh and arriving in San Francisco, California same drill a suit, hat, gloves and polished handbag.
Me I was in my one and only frock - did get to go shopping though very soon after we arrived.
Now by the time we disembarked it was lunch time so our new American friends and New Zealand daughter of mum's mate all went to lunch at a restaurant - well there ofcourse were Americans speaking with American accents everywhere around us, traffic like we had never ever seen, cars, busses, trolly cars you name it was in our face big time which was scary I think....
The place they chose was close to the harbour but just a regular yanky eating place - which over the years I have eaten at literally hundreds. A menu the size of a Kiss poster (here in Auckland when you went out to lunch at Smith & Caughy's tea-room) a small white card was hand written with what was being served in the centre of the table with probably 5 items. This menu was the biggest M'f...k..r I have ever seen and had pancakes through to pie a la mode - you name it, it had it.
Mother decided that as she had heard of hamburgers during the war and maybe one of those would be an appropriate option so bugers and fries arrived with tab colas in glasses with ICE...omg omg omg ICE...never seen here in NZ except if you had a pimms and ofcourse were an adult, kids didn't get ice. Ice in an ordinary glass holy moly.
Now for the eating ritual. We eat (or I used to - had been taught to) eat with a knife and fork, fingers and hands NEVER...so how to tackle a hamburger with nothing other than a knife???? I was given the "LOOK" which mean't wait and see and I will advise what you are to do ex mother look...so I sat quietly (seen and not heard trying to meld into the plastic seating) but the kids started to eat their fries with their FINGERS and put tomato sauce on them and generally looked like mungrels I was scared shitless - the LOOK had been given so I had to wait until mother did her thing and I was then allowed to follow suit.
Mother picked up the burger with both hands very gently as she had watched friend's daughter and others pick them up and bite into it...so MUMZIE did as well except two things 1. you have to grab a burger pretty much firmly and take control and 2. dont bite little. lol lol
Can you imagine what happened the entire contents of the burger flew over the table away from the bun and mother had a small piece of the bun only in her mouth. Now the children laughed (Leo New Zealand mothers who were into children being seen and not heard unless spoken to glared at me - what the F had I done) with a look on her face that was amazing. Thank God she giggled and another was called for and away we went. THANK GOD I FINALLY GO TO BLOODY WELL EAT...I have always enjoyed burgers very much ever since that first encounter and fries with sauce, ice in soda drinks etc.etc.etc. all mine totally mine. One enourmous thing though has to be Heinz sauce can't swallow anything else. mmmm bit of a worry after 52 years. The bigger the burger the better the challenge in my book. I try and have one burger at least once a week I enjoy them that much I also make the most stunning ones at home but prefer those that others have made.
Now you see what programming does....its incidious and it stays in your brain forever......hehehe
We got into their car which was the size of a playing field (after an Austin black small and English which about 2 and 3/4 people could fit into here) with everyone squashed we drove from San Francisco to San Matel to their tract house and with our trunks etc. which arrived I know not how - maybe another car? We got to stay in their back room. My best thing from the arrival at the house was their dog. They had a little sausage dog (can't remember its name) but it was sooooo sweet I was used to sheep dogs so this was certainly a Paris Hilton style by comparison to the live dogs I knew. Little well actually not that little eyes and they were so kind. The entire time we stayed with them which was about a week this dog was my constant companion.
My mother (who actually was a rather kind hearted and wonderful person - had been raised on a sheep station) so a dog only stayed outside they were not allowed inside at all...only (? she knew not whom) would have had a dog inside.
The night before we were to arrive in San Francisco the ships news (which was printed daily on the ship) suggested that those of us who hadn't seen the Golden Gate Bridge might like to be up on deck at say 6.15 a.m. as we would be sailing underneath her we did get up early mother and I and were up and ready at 5.45 a.m. which was just as well - for what turned out to be for me an experience of a lifetime and somthing I will NEVER NEVER ever forget....
The sea was calm and beautifully green there was no breeze and a light smell in the air of something I have tried to remember many times - I think it might have been the 'golden' part of California unsure to this day. Will talk about this later.
The sky was getting lighter reasonably quickly and by 6 it was almost fully light. Now there was a fog or mist around in patches and didn't think much about that at the time. I was ofcourse totally bored and wanted to a. be back asleep or b. playing with the other kids (who hadn't come up on deck) or c. just anywhere else but where we were. Over the years this often happened mother had her ideas and so did I but I usually capitulated until I was at least 15 years old - best method to survive I feel.
We had been allowed to stand under the bridge on the fordeck and out of nowhere there was a wall of fog like a concrete wall straight across in front of the ship - this I thought at the time not a lot about but now when I recall it must have been the most amazing sight....
This fog/mist (which was quite thick) started to part and blobbed away in fairly big bits and in the distance I could just make out a shape wasn't able to decide what but there was a structure of some kind and it took probably another 10 mintues before you could see that it was the Golden Gate Bridge only visible in parts throught the mist and it got closer and closer and eventually there was the entire Bridge with the sun shining on it an absolutely (I do not lie) golden...it was as if it had materialized out of thin air. Now my attention was peeked at this point so I watched in awe as we steamed towards it.
Couldn't see any of the city just the Bridge and then all of a sudden it was up close and personal HUGE and AMAZING...you could see cars and movement on the Bridge but it was soooo coool.....
Don't know how to explain this but a big ship going under a huge Bridge into a harbour like that in San Francisco is awe inspiring even at 8 years old. The adults who had come to look were all chatting loudly but I don't know what they were saying can't remember too long ago.
Seemed that the ship picked up speed as we went underneath her, I looked up and we were on the other side within what seemed like a second now, but probably 3/4 minutes as she passed overhead.
Now you won't believe it but the second the bow of the ship was level with the Golden Gate Bridge we could see almost the entire city of San Francisco with the sun beating down on the buildings and shining off the glass windows. Now in Auckland we had buildings only up to 5 stories tall so can you imagine how wonderful it was to see tall skyscrapers (now ofcourse all probably gone and replaced with even bigger and better) but Coyt Tower and Alcatraz all there to be seen....wow its making me cry I'm crying typing this it was amazing, awesome, fantastic, not enough adjs to explain what it was like how it felt in my soul or gut or wherever.....
It was like disneyland (which I saw) but nothing can explain how it felt to see all of that as a picture and to be able to keep it in my minds eye for all these years, certianly must have been fantastingly grand enough to stick....for this many years and I must also have a photographic memory.
We birthed at the Port of San Francisco terminal almost under the sign. Think that sign may still be there don't know. Hope and pray that one day my children might experience such an event one that you can keep in your heart for your lifetime.
We were met at the pier by a daughter of one of my mother's friends who had married an American GI during the war. This had all be organised via written correspondence over a considerable number of months prior to our leaving Auckland. All went to plan they were at the dock waiting and yes she was wearing a red hat to be seen - my mother that is. Always hat and gloves for town!!!!!Oh and arriving in San Francisco, California same drill a suit, hat, gloves and polished handbag.
Me I was in my one and only frock - did get to go shopping though very soon after we arrived.
Now by the time we disembarked it was lunch time so our new American friends and New Zealand daughter of mum's mate all went to lunch at a restaurant - well there ofcourse were Americans speaking with American accents everywhere around us, traffic like we had never ever seen, cars, busses, trolly cars you name it was in our face big time which was scary I think....
The place they chose was close to the harbour but just a regular yanky eating place - which over the years I have eaten at literally hundreds. A menu the size of a Kiss poster (here in Auckland when you went out to lunch at Smith & Caughy's tea-room) a small white card was hand written with what was being served in the centre of the table with probably 5 items. This menu was the biggest M'f...k..r I have ever seen and had pancakes through to pie a la mode - you name it, it had it.
Mother decided that as she had heard of hamburgers during the war and maybe one of those would be an appropriate option so bugers and fries arrived with tab colas in glasses with ICE...omg omg omg ICE...never seen here in NZ except if you had a pimms and ofcourse were an adult, kids didn't get ice. Ice in an ordinary glass holy moly.
Now for the eating ritual. We eat (or I used to - had been taught to) eat with a knife and fork, fingers and hands NEVER...so how to tackle a hamburger with nothing other than a knife???? I was given the "LOOK" which mean't wait and see and I will advise what you are to do ex mother look...so I sat quietly (seen and not heard trying to meld into the plastic seating) but the kids started to eat their fries with their FINGERS and put tomato sauce on them and generally looked like mungrels I was scared shitless - the LOOK had been given so I had to wait until mother did her thing and I was then allowed to follow suit.
Mother picked up the burger with both hands very gently as she had watched friend's daughter and others pick them up and bite into it...so MUMZIE did as well except two things 1. you have to grab a burger pretty much firmly and take control and 2. dont bite little. lol lol
Can you imagine what happened the entire contents of the burger flew over the table away from the bun and mother had a small piece of the bun only in her mouth. Now the children laughed (Leo New Zealand mothers who were into children being seen and not heard unless spoken to glared at me - what the F had I done) with a look on her face that was amazing. Thank God she giggled and another was called for and away we went. THANK GOD I FINALLY GO TO BLOODY WELL EAT...I have always enjoyed burgers very much ever since that first encounter and fries with sauce, ice in soda drinks etc.etc.etc. all mine totally mine. One enourmous thing though has to be Heinz sauce can't swallow anything else. mmmm bit of a worry after 52 years. The bigger the burger the better the challenge in my book. I try and have one burger at least once a week I enjoy them that much I also make the most stunning ones at home but prefer those that others have made.
Now you see what programming does....its incidious and it stays in your brain forever......hehehe
We got into their car which was the size of a playing field (after an Austin black small and English which about 2 and 3/4 people could fit into here) with everyone squashed we drove from San Francisco to San Matel to their tract house and with our trunks etc. which arrived I know not how - maybe another car? We got to stay in their back room. My best thing from the arrival at the house was their dog. They had a little sausage dog (can't remember its name) but it was sooooo sweet I was used to sheep dogs so this was certainly a Paris Hilton style by comparison to the live dogs I knew. Little well actually not that little eyes and they were so kind. The entire time we stayed with them which was about a week this dog was my constant companion.
My mother (who actually was a rather kind hearted and wonderful person - had been raised on a sheep station) so a dog only stayed outside they were not allowed inside at all...only (? she knew not whom) would have had a dog inside.
