Episode 1411 – Coit Tower | Walk With Me
[START OF RECORDING]
SCOOTER: Friends beyond the binary, ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls, welcome to Sleep With Me, the walking edition, where we're gonna be stepping off into dreamland. Welcome to Sleep With Me, the podcast that’s here to put you to sleep and keep you company while you fall asleep. I’m glad you're here. I’m gonna be walking around San Francisco a bit today, all to keep you company and take your mind off of stuff so you could fall asleep. If you're new to this show, this is a podcast that’s here to be a distraction so you could fall asleep, to take your mind off whatever’s keeping you awake. It is a bit different. These are walking on-location episodes. They're also a bit different, too.
But just kinda see how it goes. There’s tons of different styles of episodes. We're trying to put one of these walking episodes out a month, and…yeah, I guess you'll find out more in the intro. But yeah, this show’s just here to be your friend in the deep, dark night. Give it a few tries. Thank you so much for coming by. What we got is support coming up, then a long, meandering intro. Ideally it’ll be a little bit shorter for this on-location episode, and then a…and then I’ll be walking around San Francisco kinda talking in a calm way. A really, really good episode tonight, 'cause I just recorded it. I’m doing the intro at the end so I know where I went.
Yeah, so, I’m really looking forward to putting you to sleep or taking your mind off of stuff. Thanks again for coming by, and if you decide…like, you get so much out of the show, you rely on it, you're not a temporary listener or you become a regular listener, and you say, man, this show makes my life so much better. How can I make sure it’s here? It makes my life better. I want to be a part of this. Here’s the ways you could opt in to doing that. Thanks.
INTRO: [INTRO MUSIC] Hey, are you up all night tossing, turning, mind racing? Trouble getting to sleep? Trouble staying asleep? Well, welcome. This is Sleep With Me, the podcast that puts you to sleep. We do it with a bedtime story. Yeah, that’s fountain noise to help you fall asleep. Alls you need to do is get in bed, turn out the lights, and press Play. I’m gonna do the rest. What I’m going to attempt to do is create a safe place where you could set aside whatever’s keeping you awake. That could be thoughts, things on your mind, thoughts about the past, the present, the future, thinking thoughts, feelings, anything coming up for you emotionally, feelings about the past, the present, the future, physical sensations…sorry, there could be water…cause the physical sensations, but these are popular.
Water sounds are a popular thing. So, it could be physical sensations, it could be changes in time, temperature, routine, you could be going through something, you could be getting over something, you could be in the middle of something. Whatever it is, I’m here to keep you company and take your mind off of it so you could fall asleep. Even when I’m walking through a kinda fountain garden, I’m here to keep you company and take your mind off of stuff so you could fall asleep. I’ve also forgot…the way it works is I send my voice across the deep, dark night. I use lulling, soothing, creaky, dulcet tones, pointless meanders. Maybe I already said that. But yeah, this show’s a bit different. It’s different in the sense that it’s here to distract you versus being listened to.
This is a podcast you kind of just barely listen to versus…I mean, obviously, probably with this water noise, you're just barely listening to me anyway, but that’s cool. It’s almost like background noise. At this point the fountain noise will be a little bit stronger. Later there will be slight noises of the city. But all this is that you could listen to it if you need to, but you don’t have to listen to it. Also, this is a podcast that doesn't put you to sleep. I’m here to keep you company while you fall asleep versus putting you to sleep, which is a bit different. What do I mean by that? I’m here over an hour so you don’t have to worry about falling asleep. I’m here to the very end whether you're awake or asleep. There’s people listening who can't sleep at all or who need a break during the day.
So, I’m here to be your bore-friend, your bore-bae, your bore-sib, your bore-bud, your neigh-bore, your bore-bie, your bore-bruh, your best bore-friend forever, and keep you company so you could fall asleep versus just put you to sleep. What else do you need to know? Well, I make this show for two reasons. One reason is that you deserve the sleep you need so your life is more manageable. You deserve a bedtime where you could get the rest you need so you could be out there flourishing eventually; like, you get the rest you need on a regular basis. That’s what’s important. You deserve a bedtime you don’t have to dread, a bedtime you could look forward to or at least feel neutral about, and that’s what I’d like to provide if I can. So, just see how it goes, right? That’s one part of it.
The other part of it is I’ve been there, tossing, turning, mind racing, trouble getting to sleep, trouble staying asleep, so I want to help because I know how it feels for me. But I’ve also heard from tons of other listeners and what they've gone through, and even though I haven't been through everything that the listeners have gone through, a lot of times I can relate to how it feels. But even when I can't relate or they say, Scoots, you can't relate to this, what I can do is tell them — like I’m telling you — that there is people listening right now who do understand what you've been through or what you're going through. They have gone through something very similar, and they are glad you're here, and they do hope this podcast can help you like it helped them.
Because they said, man, I know what it was like for me, and I know…I had no idea what this…that there was something like this podcast out there, and I’m glad I found it, because now I’m able to kinda unwind and get the sleep I need, and this podcast is a part of it. They're rooting for you that this podcast can help you like it helped them. So, I don't know, that’s another important thing. What else? Oh, most people don’t like the show, believe it or not, man, even with the fading sounds of the fountain the background. Yeah, most people don’t like the show and they don’t like me, and that’s totally fine. A lot of people…it’s only when they first get here that they don’t like the show, but for some people it’s a intractable position.
We have a website set up, sleepwithmepodcast.com/nothankyou, because no matter what, you still deserve a good night's sleep. The other stuff I said is still true. So, even if this show isn't for you, I hope you find something that does. So, check out sleepwithmepodcast.com/nothankyou. But for most people who became regular listeners, who this podcast works for on a regular basis, they had to give it a few tries 'cause it’s so different, and when they got here they had certain expectations of…reasonable expectations, and this show was a bit different, right? It didn’t fit those expectations and it was…yeah, now they're expecting…wait a second, is this guy gonna just walk around talking about nothing and just look at stuff? Is he walking in the grass right now at Levi’s Plaza? Yeah, I think he is.
So, if you're new, alls I can tell you is give it a few tries, see how it goes. The show is really built to help you fall asleep and…in a way that’s different. Instead of putting you to sleep, it’s like a friend in the deep, dark night. So, I’m really glad you're here. Myself and a team of people work really hard. We yearn and strive. We really want to help you fall asleep. So, thanks again for coming by, and if you decide you get so much out of the show you want to give something back, you want it to be here for you and thousands and thousands of other people, these are the ways you could opt in and be a part of something special that makes your life better and other people’s lives better. Thanks.
Alright, hey everybody, this is Scoots. I’m probably gonna introduce things again, but I’m just recording a little bit of extra audio here after the intro because I just have a little bit more time. Or not; I might get into the wind here where I’m walking back to catch my BART home. First I’m gonna walk back to the Ferry Building. But yeah, coming up this episode, we're gonna walk from the Ferry Building…a historic streetcar is going by. It’s green and yellow, and it’s from Twin City Lines. One of the cooler things San Francisco has in addition to the cable cars are these historic streetcars. So, you can see those on the Embarcadero, and they're beautiful. They're restored, and they're convenient. We got another one coming that’s cream and orange. I know I’ve ridden in ones from Milan before. That one’s from Detroit.
So…also, shout out to one of my favorite YouTubers, Miles, who does a lot of transit-based stuff. Alright, so, tonight we're gonna walk from the Ferry Building. We're gonna have a couple stops. You can hear the Ferry Building chimes. It’s 3:00 p.m. Kinda cool. So, listen to those as we walk. This will be the perfect way to start off the episode. We're gonna make a couple stops at the waterfront, then we're gonna take the Greenwich Steps up to Coit Tower, and the Filbert Steps back down. Then, I guess future-current me is walking back to the Ferry Building. I’m on the non-water side of the street right now. But yeah, it’s a nice, little episode. It’s nice to be able to get out here, explore.
These steps…I gotta give a strong recommendation, particularly in the spring, because there’s so much vegetation and flowers blooming. So, April, May, maybe even June, if you're here, take the steps up to Coit Tower, because you will not regret it. I would say take the Greenwich Steps up because…and then the Filbert Steps down, 'cause that’s the path we took. But just a little bit more vegetation and blooming stuff on the Greenwich Steps. But yeah, I think that’s it. I’m here at Pier 15 where the Exploratorium is, and it’s getting a little bit busier. So, I guess I could cross one more street. Oh, I wanted…I guess I’ll leave you with this.
If you watch a lot of television or you have in the past, there used to be a credit card ad that would kinda feature really fancy restaurants, and one of the fancy restaurants they featured that I have never actually eaten at — I should eat at it — is the Fog City Diner, which…I’m not ever recording when we pass it 'cause of the wind and some of the noise, but it…we do pass it, and if you watch a lot of TV, I don't know if that was in the nineties or the aughts when that was on the air. But it was like…if you come with something, you better bring your blank credit card, because if you want to eat something in San Francisco…or, whatever; they had different restaurants in different destinations. So, that’s the Fog City Diner. With that, I will let Scoots take it away from here. Take it away, Scoots.
Alright everybody, it’s Scoots here, and this is another Walk With Me episode. I’m not 100% sure where we're gonna walk. It does seem like there’s gonna be some music and some clicking while I click my backpack right here, but it’s early in the episode. We're out here on the San Francisco waterfront yes again…yes again; yet again. The episode I recorded before this…which, you never know when you record on-location episodes, 'cause it takes a couple months to get them edited. I started at the Ferry Building and went in one direction; right. If you're facing the Ferry Building now, I’m gonna go left if I can, depending on kinda the wind and the weather. So, we’ll kinda see how it goes. I have a alternative plan depending on the wind as well.
The weather’s gorgeous, but you just never know with the wind and also the human weather. I don't know how busy it’s gonna be. So, right now I’m looking at the Bay Bridge and the Ferry Building. It’s about seven after 1:00 p.m. on a beautiful spring day. About 62 degrees. I’m watching a sailboat. I don't know what…if there’s an official opening day on the bay, but it doesn't look like today 'cause there would be so many boats out there. But again, this is a walking tour to put you to sleep or to chill out to, but also a walking tour with…that’s a real travel tour, too, because…where you maybe could leave your heart and observe some new things with me. So, why start at the Ferry Building? The answer to that is that it’s a great place to get a snack, use the restroom, to meet up with people.
It makes it really easy to meet up with people. So, it kinda checks the boxes. It’s centrally located, it’s easy to find, it’s easy to ask…to find if you need help finding it, and it offers a lot of access to other things to do. We're gonna walk in the direction of the popular tourist sites, and we’ll see what the…we’ll see what’s recordable, and if not, we're gonna take a side path and go on a different tour. But…and I’ll have talked about that by the time we do the intro. But you've got beautiful views. Right now I’m looking at the Oakland Harbor, the Port of Oakland, Yerba Buena Island, and the Ferry Building, and downtown San Francisco. I’m out on a pier. I believe this says it’s Pier 1. Maybe Pier 1 after…I don't know. We’ll see more. I don't know if you can walk all the way out on this pier.
I’ve never been out on it, but there’s benches and trash cans and a couple other people. So, I’m gonna try to walk out on this pier right next to the Ferry Building, and we’ll just go for a nice San Francisco walk again today and soak some of it in, soak in the springtime, and also see if I could get some of this recorded on video, too, for people, 'cause there’s a lot of boats, ships. Before I started recording, what I did was I got in here, got my…got some lunch, and then got all my equipment ready, did some checks, and now I’m out here recording because why not, right? You got some great views of boats and ships and the bridge. There’s a bus going over the bridge now. There’s a sailboat there in the water. Its sails are down, so it’s going under motor. That looks like a tanker, some sort of tanker ship anchored in the bay.
I can see the USS Hornet all the way back in Alameda, where I live. There’s the San Francisco sign on the Ferry Building, and there’s a couple gulls. Gate 8 for one of the ferries out of San Francisco or into San Francisco, depending on which direction you're headed. Yeah, barely a cloud in the sky. So, it’s nice. So, yeah, let’s keep walking and see where this pier even goes. So, we're already on a kinda sidetrack or a side trek here of a pier near the Ferry Building. Oh, wow, I don't know if you could hear that. I believe that’s a foghorn. Now I’m getting views of even more ships docked out in the harbor or the bay — I don't know why I want to call it a harbor just 'cause there’s boats in there — and other sailboats running under sail power. So, that’s cool. Yeah, some nice…wow, a great view of the Bay Bridge and some ships.
Yeah, it’s relatively quiet out here. There’s a blue-and-gold ship…or, no…yeah, a blue-and-gold ship taking a cruise around the bay for people watching stuff, and then there’s a commuter ferry or traditionally a commuter ferry headed maybe to Alameda? I don't know. Or Alameda and Oakland? It looks like it’s heading in the direction, but it could change directions. I do hope to take the ferry in one time, but again, anything with a lot of people I don't necessarily get to record for a sleep podcast, right? So, yeah. But there’s plenty of stuff that’s not meant to put you to sleep out there to consume. Wow, so, we're talking about big ships, and I know a lot of kids love big ships.
We’ve got one, two, three, four…I think five that I could see, two big ferries, another big boat, and then you could see a gigantic…three gigantic container ships in Oakland. So, cool. Okay, and this pier did wrap around. We’ve got a view of a couple other…the San…the Hornblower. Maybe this is the Hornblower fleet. There’s the San Francisco Bell. I could see Coit Tower up on Telegraph Hill, the Transamerica Pyramid, the Embarcadero buildings, the San Francisco Spirit, which are different cruise ships for different…a lot of times for events. My daughter’s senior…I don't know if they call it a prom or a ball or they just do both; that’s…I think they're doing it on one of these kind of boats. You also hear some AC from one of these pier buildings. A lot of the piers have been modernized, made into offices, which it looks like this one is.
So, yeah, you're gonna hear some processing equipment keeping things cool. Oh, wow, there’s a cruise ship. I don't know how far we're gonna make it. There’s so much to see. I’m also trying to stay aware of the wind. But yeah, so, this is cool. We're gonna do some concentrated…I don't know. I don't know if I’ve made it out there while there’s a cruise ship. There’s also a very busy brunch restaurant on this pier. It looks kinda high-end, maybe even white tablecloths. People have dress shirts on. It is a holiday here, so, not…so, yeah, people could be out with their families. But yeah, what a day to be out for a walk and chilling. Yeah, I’m gonna fade out here and then we’ll be back after this brunch.
Alright everybody, this is Scoots. I’m back here. This will be more of like a Stop With Me…Walk Stops With Me, 'cause it is kinda busy. So, right now we're gonna walk, if we can, around the Exploratorium. There is a ferry getting warmed up here and…Sea Change is the name of that ferry. We’ll walk around there. The Exploratorium is a family science music-style museum. Very interactive and hands on. It’s been a while since I’ve been there, but it was a place I loved to take my daughter. Or even before I had my daughter, it was in another location. We’d go to it all the time.
Again, it’s very centrally located here. You just heard the sounds of the streetcar. I am gonna try to walk out on the trolly, but I just don't know. Hm. I don't think we're gonna do it because of the wind and the sounds of that…so, what we're gonna do is I’m gonna try to get to the ferry terminal here…I mean the cruise ship terminal, just get a look at the cruise ship, and then we're gonna take our B trip, which will be a nice, sleepy surprise. That sound behind me is another historic streetcar driving by. Cool.
Alright everybody, it’s Scoots here, and we're here at the cruise terminal. The Ruby Princess is either…I don't see anyone on board, so I don't know if it’s between cruises. I said this recording; I’ve still never been on a cruise, and I don't have any cruise…oh no, there is someone taking pictures from one of the top or…top deck balconies. So, maybe it’s, yeah, just one stop. There goes a historic streetcar rumbling. So, here’s what we're gonna do; we're gonna walk from here and we're gonna go up one set of stairs in San Francisco and then down another set. It’s another thing San Francisco is famous for, and it’s…oh wow, some cruise ship noise coming. So, that’s what we're gonna do, and we're gonna see how it goes. So, we're gonna go up a staircase to Coit Tower, maybe walk around there, and then come back down another staircase? Probably. We’ll see how it goes. Alright, everybody.
Alright everybody, Scoots here, and I’m on Lombard Street, but not the part of the Lombard Street you'd know about, but the part…I’m at the end of Lombard, and I’m gonna be walking…I think the steps are Filbert Street and…I don't know the other street. So, I’m gonna try to find one of the sets of steps. I could always look on my phone and look it up. But, you know, we're on an adventure. So, yeah, it…we’ll see how it goes. It’s on one of these streets here, or two of them, actually. I did it not that long ago as part of research, and it was during Fleet Week. Whoa, not that long ago, I just said, but actually it was October. So, it just doesn't feel that long ago even though actually it was…November, December…yeah, six months ago, half a year ago. Wow. So, I’m looking at Telegraph Hill. I’m going down a street.
I don't know if there’s staircases on this street, but I do know that I’m gonna walk this way and see what we could find out. I do see some beautiful plants, and hopefully Telegraph Hill is…gives us some peaceful blockage. I didn’t realize that there was residential buildings down here at the foot of the hill, but that’s cool. Yeah, somewhere but not right here, not that far away, though, this becomes one of the twistier streets in San Francisco. But it also looks like this is a bit of a dead end. So…oh, I can take a right-hand turn here, at least. So, I’m gonna try to find…oh, Julius’ Castle…okay, I’m definitely not in the right spot, because there you could see one of the overlooks from one of the sets of stairs. But you can also see a fountain. You could hear the fountain.
More importantly, I think that’s lavender, and it’s all blowing in the hills. I’m gonna take another walk down this street, and then we’ll take a right, and continue our adventure. On my left-hand side, we got a older building, 190 Lombard, and on the right-hand side, not new buildings, but somewhat new. So, yeah. Oh, some bamboo. I’m trying to stay in the sun 'cause it is…this is kinda like a summer day in San Francisco. It’s a little bit windy. Like, the fog is getting ready to roll in. It’s warm but not hot, but the air is cool. So, when you're in the shade, it’s chilly. So, this is the time…if you've never been to San Francisco — and you may have heard these things, but maybe you haven't — pack…you need layers, even if you're coming from somewhere cool or hot. You will be surprised that you need layers.
I have pants on even though I’m a person that gets easily hot. I’m wearing pants 'cause I knew the weather would be unpredictable. I was like, well, I could wear shorts, but having pants is gonna give me…it’s more likely it’s gonna be pants weather almost all the time. Then, I am in a t-shirt, but I have a light sweatshirt in my backpack because that’s probably all I would need, 'cause I’m a pretty warm-blooded guy. But that could be different for you, right? So, having a light sweatshirt or a light jacket or a light sweater and a raincoat or windbreaker on you when you leave your hotel, bringing it with you on the trip is gonna be necessary from late March to early November.
Then once we hit early November to late March, you're gonna want a little bit better…a little bit thicker layer, like a thicker jacket, and probably a raincoat or a thick sweater, thick fleece and a raincoat. A really nice brick painted mural on the side of 1255 Battery. I’m hoping…my hopes are answered; we’ve got one set of stairs here. These are the Greenwich…Greenwich Stairs? Greenwich Stairs. I think I came down these last time when I was doing a little location scouting for everybody. So, I will be probably more short of breath. Wow, there’s open parking spots. It’s only one-hour parking. Oh, through Saturday. But that’s something you don’t always see, I think maybe 'cause it’s a holiday Sunday. Alright, so, I’m heading up these stairs, and I have no historical knowledge for you, just like always.
But yeah, there’s a lot…or…and no plant knowledge. But I guess I could take it really slow. It is a lush hillside. It even has some flowers flowering. Wow, this is cool. Yeah, we’ve got purple flowers, we’ve got some sort of pricker-based plant which probably maybe will have berries, a plant that’s kind of like a gourd or a ivy-type look. Wow, that apartment building has their own pool, or condos. So, I don't even know if I’ve taken this staircase before. Some unbelievably lovely purple flowers, some leaves that look like they're from carrots…yeah. There’s a loquat that…that’s where…the kind of tree Ray and I met each other under, is the loquat tree. But yeah, these purple flowers are really amazing. You can hear…they have sticky stems. You could hear the breeze running through them. I can hear my steps, very light steps.
There’s a couple bushes. Oh wow, this bush is getting ready to bloom. It’s just budding its flowers, and it’s gonna be a purpley bush with some yellow, orange. I kinda got lucky because of the weather, that we have a really perfect day to be out here. Another…oh wow, there’s another…wow, so, I just came to another clearing here. There’s good birds…and there’s multiple moss and purples and oranges. Wow, and then this one set of plants that’s like a deep maroon. I just made a turn, and there’s…I think it’s jasmine or wisteria that’s very, very…oh, the scent is heady. Wow, we really got lucky on this one. What a day to be out here. There’s cacti and roses even blooming. Wow, different roses.
So…yellow, red, red and yellow, pale orange…wow, it’s like…the only…I think I did this one other time like, twenty years ago. Then we're starting to get up to a height where we have a view of the bay. So, gonna make a strong recommend to make this detour, and take it slow like I’m taking it. So, even more rose bushes or rose trees, yet another new kind of purple tree, and it looks to be a former part of the path or a secret part of the path. But since I don't live here, I don't want to be taking any secret paths that may or may not be open. Some birds saying hi…wow, man…wow, did we get lucky on this. More roses…I actually have four containers of pollinators down for me, and I’m just gonna try to be quiet for a minute to see if I could get any noise.
I think the ambient noise is too loud to hear the pollinators, but they're in high-pollination activity as we take…now, wait a second, now there is a side trail that seems to be used. So, I am gonna take this. So, I definitely never…maybe there’s three sets of stairs, 'cause I don't think I’ve been this way. Now we're on a side path. Man, does it smell good. Wow, to think I was just on the Embarcadero with tens of thousands of people. Now I’m here in the woods. There’s a bird house that’s also like a fairy garden-type birdhouse and a bird bath with a rubber ducky in it. I don't think you could get more peaceful or more of a retreat, ever. Wow, this side path, does it continue? There’s a little library back here and a place to sit. Then, yeah, the secret path keeps going. So, wow, are we lucky.
I almost have to whisper just 'cause I feel so grateful. There’s a old…what do you call this thing? Parking meter here, a little library, lillies. Holy cow, I had no idea there was even…wow, I mean, I’m just…this is just breathtaking. To be honest, if it wasn’t for the podcast, I don't know if I would be doing this, 'cause just I’m one of those people…I need a little extra context to get out there and do stuff. It’s kinda like I get to take…it’s kinda like the podcast works in reverse this way, because there’s no pressure for me to entertain you just to put you to sleep, and there’s no pressure for you to listen or go on this tour, and that’s kinda what works versus…if I was with somebody else, I wouldn't quite take my time or take all these sidetracks. We’ve got a massive palm tree coming up, and…wow, the bird action…more purple flowers.
Also, this secret path keeps going. Also, I have another loquat tree, which, again, just an important tree for the podcast because that’s where Ray and I met, and we're under the canopy of this massive palm tree. I just wonder if anyone’s ever had their first kiss under here, because it’s certainly conducive to…or reading comic books or just hanging out. Again, wherever you are, there’s probably cool stuff like this that’s different. So, now I’m crossing through the palm trees, back out into the world, and returning to the main path. You can hear me brushing the trees away. There’s a statue hidden under here that I’m sure has surprised many people before. Now we're headed up these stairs. Maybe these look familiar?
Or maybe there was a turn, or maybe my memory’s just not…maybe I have the memory of a sleep podcaster, which is what I should…which I’m supposed to have. So, yeah. The memory of a sleep podcaster. Alright, so, we're going up these stairs. One, two, three, four, five, six, seven…nine, ten, eleven, twelve, thirteen, fourteen, fifteen, sixteen…alright, I’m gonna stop counting so I can use more of my energy. Yeah, these are consecutive steps, which…now, I remember this. It’s where we switched paths, or paths. So, now I gotta find the next…there’s the Filbert Stairs over there, but first I’m gonna catch my breath and look at the view of the bay. I may have a two-bridge view. I can see the Richmond Bridge, and I don't know if I’ll be able to see the…oh yeah.
So, right where I’m standing, I have a view of the cruise ship and the Bay Bridge, Emeryville, Oakland, Berkeley, parts north, and the bay with a lot of boat traffic. Again, I don't even know if it’s gotten to opening day in the bay, because I feel like whenever that is, after that on the week…on a day like today, especially with the wind, there’d be tons of boats. But yeah, alright, and now I found the stairs. Now, these are really nice. These are brick stairs, at least at this part. I wonder if this is historical brick, too, from moments in history from San Francisco. It does look like it may be salvaged brick just by the shapes of it. But if you're looking for facts, Scoots is not necessarily the person for that.
I got another view of the first set of stairs of this Princess cruise ship, and the Port of Oakland, some of the piers, and…yeah, we’ll…I guess we’ll take this nice and slow, listen to the birds talk to us. Say, Scoots, are you Dr. Doolittle? No, I just listen. I don't understand what they're saying. So, yeah. It looks like this house is working on their own little patio to match the brickwork. It’d be a quite interesting place to live. I think Parrots of Telegraph Hill took place…I can't remember 'cause that was back when I wasn’t clear-headed ever. But I never saw the movie again. But I think it takes place on one of these sets of stairs. Someday I’ll rewatch that. It’s a documentary about parrots and love, I think. We got some white flowers, which I’m not sure what they are, and some…not wisteria; pink…got some roses and some hill noise.
You can just hear the tail end of the Ferry Building clock chiming. There’s also a split path. I’m gonna take the stairs. Now we're coming up the stairs here. Oh, there’s a bird saying hi, like right in front of me, a little bird. Little bird, little bird, thanks for saying hi. Now you're gonna fly. Oh wow, we're already at Telegraph Hill, 'cause coming through the trees, towering over me now, is Coit Tower. Now, I got a feeling when I crest that, it’ll be pretty loud. But I do want to get some…these birds might be saying, hey, are we just kids or are we just little birds? So, yeah, we could have some music issues up here just 'cause I can hear music in the background. But we’ll see. Then the next big thing is do I stay up here?
‘Cause if I go back down the stairs, I’m in almost…like, up here we're in a different neighborhood. So, I don't know, I’ll have to check my time and everything like that. But pretty cool to emerge from these trees and have a view of…the sun’s right there, too. Yeah, we're up here now. You can hear a bus humming. I’m just looking at Coit Tower. You forget how impressive it is up close. I’ll do a little loop here, but again, we're…now we're in a populated area. So, yeah, I guess what I’ll do is fade out and be back like we’ve been doing all day.
Alright everybody, this is Scoots, and I’m on the second set of stairs here. I’m gonna head down the Filbert Steps. I got a break…of the Coit Tower. It was quite busy. Yeah, now I’m gonna head down these steps. At some point I’ll probably do the intro, maybe. But yeah, let’s see what these steps hold. Is that just a…what do you call it? A foghorn? I’m not sure, but…yeah, just waiting for the traffic on…these steps may be more popular than the other set of steps. You can hear…some hummingbirds just went over my head. Yeah, people are there taking their pictures. There’s roses and blooming things, there’s people out enjoying the Sunday, and a lot of hummingbirds up above the trees up there. Yeah, now I’m gonna head down these steps.
The first part of the path is clear, and even the step-walkers were kinda respectful that I was recording. Cool. Now I can hear laughter. That’s quite a ways away. Wow, these steps have some old-style lamps. Oh man, wow, I just got hit with a ton of jasmine. Oof, man, there’s nothing better than sun-warmed jasmine or wisteria, whichever one it is, but I think it’s jasmine or some…it’s another third one that’s…name I forget. I’m a little bit of a…remember we were trying to figure out what a copse of trees was? I never figured it out, huh? That’s pretty funny. But yeah, I’m gonna descend the steps here and see where it goes. Oh, a foghorn. Wow, a foghorn, man. I can't believe I’m somewhere where I can hear a foghorn. Nothing better.
Wow, there’s more trees, bushes, and I guess…I don't know how this works, if it’s like a community fund or everybody’s in charge of their own plants. Who maintains it? But I’m grateful for whoever it is. Wow, there’s a cool…that looks like kind of a…like a…what do you call that? Not mid-century modern, but a building with a certain design…period design on it, including a cool mural on the side. But I can't think of the time period 'cause I don't have the vocabulary for it. But I’m thinking of it in my head, like the Chrysler Building. But man, my mind’s blank. But that’s what makes me a sleep podcaster. If I had total recall, I’d be the Fact Cast Podcast. It puts you in facts. I do it by talking and telling you facts not with a bedtime story. Alls you need to do is get fact-checked. I’d say, yeah, no, I’d prefer not to be fact-checked.
So, yeah. Okay, this is a little sign here. Filbert Steps, Darrell Place, Pier Lane, [inaudible] of Grace Marchant for unselfish, devoted energy to the beautification of Filbert Gardens. Cool. Thanks, Grace. By the way, I took those other stairs; it was quite an adventure. Man, I’m gonna have to remember to walk slow on the descent of these steps, eh? Yeah, I think maybe it was the wood creaking. Yeah. I gotta make sure to stay on the public path versus the private path. I’ve seen a couple redwood…is that a redwood or a pine? I don't know, but…man, there’s a swaying palm through the trees, swaying slowly in the breeze. Accidental…home, if you please. Down the stairs I go with ease. [Laughs]. Then we have another…okay, these are definitely the downstairs…maybe that path was the one I saw earlier.
We are getting some stair traffic, quite a bit of traffic. You could hear the streetcar, the sound of the streetcar going by up here, and it’s pretty powerful. Okay, I’m getting…we got some nice cloverbed here with flowers. I don't know if there’s any four-leaf clovers in there, but a really nice bed of clovers. A lot of three-leaf clovers. Alright, so, I’m headed down. I do have to pick up my pace or slow my pace because of traffic. Yeah, we got a nice view in Pier Lane. Are you allowed to get off here into Pier Lane and walk anywhere or no? Alright, so, we did get lucky 'cause there’s the Grace Marchant Garden here, and I’m walking through on a side path. So, I’m getting a little bit more flowers, including some purple…flowers that look like horns or…more roses and more palms, lots of birds. Wow, beautiful flowers.
I do have a couple people following my path, so I’m just trying to…I guess, yeah, the time of day has changed, too. But I can kinda get the gates open, the gates closed…the horn blowing. Scoots takes his steps gently. These steps are closed beyond here, but this way, I can return to the main path. More roses…oh, some rosemary that’s about to bloom. Wow, these roses are absolutely amazing. Alright, so, I’m back on the path here and descending the steps. I guess when I get down the steps I will close out this episode. So, we just got a few more steps down here to dreamland.
As I get lower and lower here into more and more flowers…another great view, a really loamy smell. I think it’s the last set of stairs. Beautiful birds…yeah, so, let’s use all this to say goodnight to everybody. Thanks so much for listening. I hope you enjoyed this San Francisco journey with me, and another unique one that I was glad to take you on. Thanks so much, everybody, and I’ll take my last few wooden steps here down to dreamland. Ten, nine, eight, seven, six, five, four, three, two, one, zero, negative one, negative…goodnight, everybody.
[END OF RECORDING]
(Transcription performed by LeahTranscribes)
