September 7th, 2011 
Faith 
When I first found myself in Chinatown I wasn’t going there to see Chinatown. I hadn’t really thought much about it since it was never recommended to me as a neighborhood I must check out-I was headed there to check out a restaurant.
I took the bus, which I don’t really think I was properly prepared for. As it got into the area the bus absolutely filled up with elderly Asian people who were not speaking English. I thought I had been on packed buses before, but I’d never been on a bus quite this packed. As Robert and I went to squeeze our way off the bus I felt someone’s hand press on my back, reach around, and squeeze my breast. I turned around in shock as I took the last step off the bus and saw a bunch of elderly men just looking straight forward, so who knows which one of them did it. I walked down the street stuttering, trying to explain what the hell just happened, and trying to shake off the creeps.
We headed down the street, still in shock and wanting to yell at somebody, towards the restaurant we’d taken the bus here to go to—and it was closed. It’s only closed on Wednesday. Excellent.
So, needless to say, I was set up to hate Chinatown. But then I didn’t.
The bus had dropped me off on Stockton. It’s a busy road and the sidewalks are absolutely crowded with people and produce. The great colors of fresh ginger, lychee, and foods I don’t know the names of are everywhere. The shop windows are full of baked goods and while you’re trying to get a better look people are shoving you down the sidewalk and saying things I don’t understand. On Stockton it seems I’m the only tourist on the street, which is a first since getting to San Francisco.
Despite the day’s rocky start, I decide to definitely come back to Chinatown, check out the restaurant, and the more touristy looking streets. A bit of research tells me that Grant is the main tourist stretch, and that at the beginning of the tourist stretch of this street is the Gateway Arch (Dragon Gate). The gateway is the only authentic Chinatown gate in North America and was built in 1970. What makes it authentic is that instead of using wood for the pillars it was built using stone (in addition to wood) and has the green tiled roofs. What I liked about the gate were the details on the green tiles, see the engravings and the animals on top?
Grant avenue didn’t quite woo me the way the produce markets on Stockton did. Grant is pretty much markets selling jewelry and people taking pictures at that gateway. It was strange to realize one of the things I didn’t like about it is that it was less crowded—since I’m usually looking for quiet places to step back and observe. Nothing’s ever quite what I expect, even my own reactions.
People hadn’t told me to go to Chinatown, in fact, some people specifically told me it wasn’t worth my time because it was too full of tourists. I went there early in the day, never later than early afternoon, which may have affected things, but I never really saw many tourists off of Grant and Washington streets.
It really figures that in a city where all the things I had expected to love turned out to be different than I had imagined I fell in love with a part of town I was told to not bother going to.
What have you found yourself in love with that you hadn’t expected?
Posted in 
A, I wish blogger would let me stack photos like that…and b, um…why did you expect to hate it again?
C the photos are indicated above–are beautiful!
I didn’t expect to like Citizen Kane. But it was frankly dope.
Thanks
And wordpress doesn’t do it, I edit them.
I expected to hate it because people told me it wasn’t worth the time to visit and wasn’t a good time, was very crowded and full of tourists.
Erin, you do not need blogger to create a mosaic looking photo layout on your blog. Check out Picasa 3 (http://picasa.google.com/), it’s a photo editing program that allows you to create collages with your photos that will end up looking just like Faith’s photos above. Best of all, it’s FREE!
thanks so much for visiting! i love the looks of your blog ~ i’m actually from the bay area and used to go to china town all the time!! love north beach as well!!
xx ~ ks
That’s awesome! I met a lot of people in SF and no one ever told me to go there and when I asked, they said they didn’t go there, haha.
Love the photographs. I love travelling too and have had so many wonderful experiences here in Asia. Hoping to do Europe next!
what wonderful pictures! I esp. love the pictures with the yummy food! Chinatown looks awesome.
<3 ash
Thanks
It was awesome! And seriously, there was awesome looking food all over the place!
I love love love your pictures!
I’m glad
Thanks!
Wow, love the photos in this post. Great work!
Thank you
Please tell me you tried the Lychees??????
It’s funny what people tell you to go see and what they don’t and even stranger what you love versus don’t…isn’t it?
Glad you enjoyed it.
I am still creeped out by the men on the bus! EW.
It is strange!
Thanks
And me too! That was really messed up!
Hey! Just checked out your site. It’s awesome. Love what you’re doing. My hubby and I did a similar this this last year. It was the best thing we ever did. Can’t wait to follow you along on your adventure! I love SF!! It’s a great city that I’ve always wanted to live in. Chinatown is great. Make sure you do dim sum before you leave the city!
Oh my, what a horrible experience!
Thankfully your day picked up as your photos are just lovely. I like that tidbit about the authentic Chinatown gate.
I didn’t expect to fall in love with Novi Sad, Serbia, but I did and it physically pained me to leave. Not a day has gone by in the 14 months since I visited that I haven’t thought about it.
One of the strangest things about Chinatown (in my experience) is that you can buy animals there that are still alive.. but waiting to be cooked! The tanks of little turtles just did me in.
In spite (or maybe because) of my spending my early childhood in New York, I have a strange aversion to crowds. Nothing makes me as stressed as a huge group of people all talking at the same time!
I’ve recently fallen in love with Connecticut, after hating it every minute of the sixteen years I’ve lived here. Being away for almost two months made miss all of the little shoreline towns and people I’ve connected with over the past year.