Beautiful Sights, But Where Oh Where is that Bridge

The driveway

In the morning today, we went for a drive to see some of the sights a little further from home.  The first hurdle was getting out of the driveway which as you can see is long and narrow behind a big heavy gate.  Every home in this area seems to have big gates and there is practically zero yard space.  We had to drive about six or seven blocks straight up one of those hills you see in the movies which was a little nerve racking 

Our shot of the Ladies

Postcard of the Painted Ladies with the City Background

Our first stop was at Alamo Square to see the Painted Ladies.   This is a term used to describe colorful Victorian houses, but these in San Francisco are perhaps the most famous.  We had to get our shot quickly from up close because there was no parking in the area.  The shot below is the one you see on a lot of postcards.  These houses are around because they survived the 1906 earthquake being a little further out from the epicenter of the quake.


In the financial district, they are building a number of huge skyscrapers which seem to have lots of glass. If there is another large earthquake in the city the buildings might survive, but its going to rain glass all around these towers.

After visiting the Ladies, we drove through Haight Ashbury.  This area is known for leading the hippie movement in the 1960s.  In 1967, more than 100,000 hippies converged in this area for the Summer of Love.  For those my age and older, you may remember the song, San Francisco (Be Sure to Wear Some Flowers in your Hair) which refers to this time.

The music of this era was good and had a message and the San Francisco sound was developed by groups such as Jefferson Airplane, the Grateful Dead, Santana, and the Steve Miller Band. 

A Colorful Reminder of the 1960s

Haight and Ashbury Streets

Conservatory of Flowers

We then visited Golden Gate Park, a huge rectangular park carved into the city that is the fifth most visited city park in the country with about 13 million visitors annually.  The city wanted a big park like Central Park in New York, so they planted over 155,000 trees here in the late 1800s and the park's been popular with the locals ever since.  We visited the Conservatory of Flowers which was built in 1879 and is one of the largest built with wood and glass, an architectural gem.  The butterfly exhibit was the highlight of this visit and it was a beautiful day to be out and enjoying nature.

Spreckles Temple of Music

Francis Scott Key Memorial

  

Three Beautiful Ladies

Airborne Water Lilly

Butterflies

We then drove to an Overlook adjacent to the Golden Gate Bridge but Mother Nature was not cooperative today since the bridge was surrounded by fog most of the day.

Yeah Right, There is a Big Orange Bridge Right in front of me

There is something there

What we were supposed to see.

We then drove through the Presidio, a National Park, which was a military base for three nations for 218 years.  As the US was being founded in 1776, the Spanish set up a military base here, then it fell under Mexican rule, then it became a US base in 1846.  The beautiful Spanish style buildings are well preserved.

Beautiful vista from the Presidio

Our view from the bus

Then it was back home to dump the car and then get on the bus tour again. The first stop on the bus was the Palace of Fine Arts but the bus driver did not get us a good view of this structure as you can see below.  This beautiful structure dates to the 1915 Panama Pacific Exposition held in San Francisco to celebrate the opening of the Panama Canal and to showcase their rebuilding after the 1906 tragedy.  The Liberty Bell traveled from Philadelphia to be showcased at this exposition and it was the last time it ever traveled out of the city.

    

The Palace of Fine Arts

We then traveled over the Golden Gate Bridge and stopped at an overlook in Marin County where we could at least get a glimpse of the huge towers.  If you have just started reading this blog, read about the history of this iconic bridge.

The foghorns at the bridge were sounding all day and despite it being a beautifully sunny day the fog never fully lifted there. Our house is enough to the bridge that I can hear them as I write this piece.

On the Bridge

Bridge Tower

 Our next stop was in Sausilito, a nice little community across the bay.  We had a late lunch there at Scoma's Restaurant right on the water to celebrate Ida's birthday.  She had the best salad she ever had! Then we walked the shops before returning back to San Francisco.  There were panoramic views of the San Francisco skyline there and stunning views of the bay. 

View of San Francisco

Homes Built into the Cliffs in Sausilito

View of the Bay From Sausilito

Birthday Lunch With a View for Ida

Scoma's Restaurant

Back in the city, we had one last walk through Fisherman's Wharf and ate at Swiss Louis Restaurant  on Pier 39 for dinner.  On the way home this time, we walked along the bay through Fort Mason and along the park back home to rest for tomorrow's adventure.The Tsunami sign made us quicken the pace.

The Birthday Girl Enjoys Her Cake

Tsunami Warning Sign

Bridge View on the Way Home

View of Our Neighborhood from the Park

Seeing San Francisco

Alcatraz

 

Today we were all showered and out the door by 7:15 AM for an early start on sightseeing.  We took a bus down to the Fisherman's Wharf area and it dropped us right at the door of an IHOP where we had a big breakfast.  Then it was off to Pier 33 to take the Ferry to Alcatraz for a 9:10 tour.  We bought these tickets months ago because they sell out quickly.

It was raining in the morning and cloudy the rest of the day which is why the pictures are gray.

Seabirds Nest on the Island

 On the way up to the prison we saw lots of wildlife because sea birds use the island to nest.  The island has lots of plant life brought there by prison guards over the years since many actually lived on the island

Most of the birds nest on the steep cliffs, but others nest in ornamental shrubs. In the late 1800s, the military reshaped Alcatraz to make a fortress. Rock rubble was pushed outward into the bay around Alcatraz's perimeter creating tide pools. Soil brought onto the island to deaden the force of potential incoming enemy shells was also used to plant flowering shrubs that have become excellent nesting habitat for these birds.

Signs of the Indian Occupation in 1969 are still around

Inside the prison there is a great audio tour giving the details of prison life from both the guard and prisoner perspective and telling the stories about prison breakout attempts.  The guy giving us the audio guide says "Is this your first time in prison?"

I

Broadway

Dummy head used in 1953 escape

Look Closely to find a cell key hanging from the gun gallery

Typical cell

 

 On the way back from the island, you get great views of the San Francisco skyline and the Golden Gate and Bay Bridges.  The water was a little choppy so the video we took makes it look like we are riding out an earthquake. We visited Pier 39 and Fisherman's Wharf next and had lunch at Boudin Bakery & Cafe where they miake Sourdough bread.

Tini with a Hermit Crab Sculpture

Boudin Bakery & Cafe

Fisherman's Wharf

Bread

Then it was off for an afternoon of city sightseeing on a bus.  It was good to sit down so we only got off once to take a walk up Lombard Street which has a steep 51 degree incline. The building saved by fire that you see here survived the 1906 Earthquake because they gave a case of whiskey to everyone who helped put out the fire,  Meanwhile the church next door burned.

Hyde Park

City Hall

Chinatown Gate

Building Saved From Fire

Coit Tower

Transamerica Building

We survived climbing this hill

Crooked Street

Beautiful Flowers on Lombard Street

 



We took a short ride on a cable car so we could say we did it.  You get really packed in on these things so fortunately we had a short ride.  At the end of the ride, we got to get this great picture of the four of us hanging onto the cable car.




 

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 Our last stop for the day was to Ghiardelli Square where we got chocolate shakes and chocolate.  The chocolate is really good.  We walked the rest of the way home stopping at a grocery store so we could cook dinner at home and rest our tired feet.

Ghiardelli Square

On Wednesday we will see the rest of San Francisco and take a trip to Sausalito.

Our San Francisco Home

Here are some pictures of our San Francisco home.

Living Area

Kitchen

Bathroom

Master Bedroom

Girls Bedroom

Dining Area

A Long Travel Day

We originally booked a direct flight to San Francisco, but the airline did not sell enough seats so we were rerouted through LA.  Our flight to LA was great, we arrived 20 minutes early and the videos on the back of the seats were a nice feature of Virgin America..  Due to bad weather in San Francisco, our flight from LA wsa delayed over and over again so we ended up arriving in San Francisco four hours late.

It made for a long tiring day.  Our rental unit is in the Marina District on the upper floor of a two story home.  There is a driveway behind a huge thick iron gate, but this is the smallest driveway widthwise that I have ever seen and we have a huge minvan.  Inside its both old (built in 1910) and new with modern appliances.  Very nice.

The veal with rissoto in the middle was my entree

We walked to Campannina's Restaurant on Union Street, about five minutes away for dinner.  The food was very good.

Then everyone came back and collapsed from jet lag.  We ate at 8:00 San Francisco Time, but it was 11:00 back home.

Tomorrow will be a rainy day here, but we'll make the best of it.

California Here We Come

As this posts, we take off via Virgin America to LA and then onto San Francisco. Looking forward to a great trip!  CALIFORNIA, HERE WE COME