Evening Long Walk on Fulton (SF)

Monday afternoon I headed to the city to attend a small gathering at the Univ. of San Francisco campus. It's a little over 2 miles from Market Street, so a completely doable distance for walking. I've walked back to Market from the school a couple times (it's mostly downhill) so walking uphill didn't seem like too much for me at all.. (nothing compares to the Great LA Walk I've attempted a couple times, so whatever.. easy stuff!)

my stats:

short walk uphill to the Univ. of SF campus..

I walked as far as Starbucks and stopped in to get a drink and something to eat, then walked the rest of the way to the school (only a couple blocks) from there.

the clouds looking especially amazing Monday above the Sutro TV Tower.. I've been fortunate to be near the campus at different times of day and it always looks so cool there.. morning fog or fading light.. or in this case, bright blue sky with moderate cloud coverage.


St Ignatius on the USF campus against the swirling evening sky.


another of Sutro Tower and the hills beyond from the USF campus.. not quite 5pm..


It's a shame USF is so out my reach, because it really is an accessible campus and a walkable campus.. and the views.. well.. I love the views, of course.

So, what made it a "long walk on Fulton" was that I didn't plan to walk back to Market. I wasn't sure what time I'd be done or if it was a good idea to walk through Civic Center after sunset.. I just started walking and figured if I felt unsure in the darkness, (or if one came along,) I'd hop on the bus.


San Francisco City Hall at night..

I'm not saying one should or shouldn't walk in the city at night, but I admit to having doubt that it would be an option before I left Berkeley, and didn't plan for it. However, the weather was good and I felt fine, secure..

I didn't need the sweater I brought (I always expect it to be chillier than in Berkeley) I was hot when I first arrived in the city before I started my walk.. and in the evening I really didn't need to be wearing my sweater, either.

Walking through Civic Center I thought I would feel uncomfortable and yes, while there were a couple sketchy areas.. In front of the Asian Art Museum (no surprise for me given my previous passing discomfort with the mentally ill there) and Civic Center/ UN Plaza area outside the BART station.. So had I taken the bus, I don't think it would have spared me any anxiety.. FWIW, outside BART was the only place I was worried for my person, and taking a bus wouldn't have helped.

The nice thing, is that the walk to & from the school gave me lots of time to think about things: to take in my day, to contemplate how school is going for me, to organize my week, to reflect on little pieces of conversations I had through the day and the evening.

Long walks are ideal for me to be "alone" with my thoughts.. though I was far from alone, as usual. There were plenty of people walking to their own destinations with me but not with me. I was alone with myself in the city and that was fine.