My mother and her brother arrived in San Francisco in October 1939. Here is a translation of some of her first thoughts on being here from a letter dated October 23, 1939:
Since the exposition is going to close at the end of this week, we went on the first day. I like it better than the one in New York. It is quite similar in character but it is not so big. The external impression is much sweeter and more romantic. The emphasis is on fountains, lakes, and flowers. It is similar to the impression the city makes.
What I have seen up to now, the layout of this reminds me quite a bit of Istanbul. The city is rather scary and has many streets which are so steep that you can’t really walk without slipping. Yesterday and the day before yesterday, it was hot weather like in the middle of summer, but now suddenly it is made place for fall weather. Bertha says that the climate here is usually like that.
Eva at the Golden Gate International Exposition on Treasure Island in 1939:
